Blade of the Immortal
Magnet Releasing | Release Date: November 3, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
25
Mixed:
0
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Total FilmJames MottramDec 11, 2017
Stunning fights and creepy CG come wrapped inside a blade-sharp story, as the swordsman vows to hunt the killers of a young girl’s parents. Truly epic. Read full review
85
IGNWilliam BibbianiNov 7, 2017
Takashi Miike’s blood-splattered and emotionally ripping Blade of the Immortal is a terrific samurai thriller. Read full review
80
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Dec 12, 2017
Stylish, soaked in gore, and unconventional, it’s another winner from Miike. Here’s to the next hundred. At his current rate, that should be in 2025. Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyDec 11, 2017
Blade is arguably too much of a good thing. But hey, that’s immortality for you. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenDec 5, 2017
The story isn’t wildly original – think ‘Leon’ with throwing stars – and it’s overlong, but the action is unrelenting, thrillingly staged and occasionally even flat-out hilarious. Read full review
80
UproxxKeith PhippsDec 4, 2017
Blade of the Immortal raises some compelling questions: What does it mean to be virtuous in a world that doesn’t value virtue? Is there any way to shuffle off the burden of past sins? When does immortality become a curse? Read full review
80
Village VoiceSimon AbramsNov 1, 2017
Come for the gory swordplay, stay for the half-serious melodrama. Read full review
80
The GuardianJordan HoffmanMay 24, 2017
If you are going to see one outlandish and occasionally nauseating bloodbath samurai pic this year, this is the one. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerNov 30, 2017
He even slips in a moment that will make fans of his transgressive masterpiece "Ichi the Killer" squeal with nauseated delight. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 6, 2017
It is being touted as “Miike’s 100th film” and, while one could argue whether the numbering is strictly correct, it’s close enough to be reasonable. Here’s to another 100. Read full review
75
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerNov 6, 2017
This is a story with a message, and perhaps an overlong one, but the triumphant staging of the film’s action sequences often tends to erase any lingering doubts of its purpose before long. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoNov 3, 2017
Blade of the Immortal required the hand of an experienced director, and they don’t get much more experienced than Miike. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeNov 2, 2017
The years have not mellowed Miike’s flair for over-the-top bloodshed, but they have refined his style. His decades of action-movie experience are evident in this kinetic, punchy live-action cartoon, which remains lively and charming enough to keep the audience engaged throughout most of its epic 140-minute running time. Read full review
75
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonNov 2, 2017
The movie also runs 2 hours, 20 minutes, which is a lot of dead samurai. The violence is often numbing, and the translations — the movie is subtitled — are sometimes as deadly as the swordsmanship. On the other hand, Blade of the Immortal is flat-out gorgeous. Widescreen, lush, beautiful. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenOct 31, 2017
Takashi Miike's film is a work of robust genre craftsmanship that's informed with a sly sense of self-interrogation. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayNov 2, 2017
Miike retains his twisted sense of humor, with mangling and disemboweling deployed for comic effect. And after 99 movies, he certainly knows how to make action memorable. When 300 brightly clad actors with sharp props come storming in for the story's climax, all a martial arts fan can do is sit back and salivate. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisNov 2, 2017
Though not nearly as mindful or meaty as Mr. Miike’s 2011 triumph, 13 Assassins, “Blade” is creatively gory fun. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterHarry WindsorMay 24, 2017
Miike’s facility for the sharply sketched portrait, in between bouts of bladed mayhem, remains as shrewd as ever. Read full review
70
Screen DailyLee MarshallMay 24, 2017
Miike is on fine form, never losing his sense of humour, or sense of character, even as yet another axe is embedded in yet another skull. Read full review
70
VarietyMaggie LeeMay 24, 2017
The story’s supernatural elements enable Miike to take huge liberties with chanbara, the oldest genre in Japanese cinema, and break free from rigid traditions of choreographing swordplay sequences. Read full review
67
The Film StageEthan VestbyNov 6, 2017
Blade of the Immortal is ultimately sturdy but a little unremarkable, enjoyable but somewhat baggy. Read full review
67
IndieWireBen CrollMay 19, 2017
For all the great action and idiosyncratic antagonists (Erika Toda, as a brutally efficient warrior who can’t stomach violence is a particular standout) Blade of the Immortal is altogether too much. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzNov 16, 2017
It is an entertainingly cheesy narrative, but overly comfortable for someone such as Miike, whose gonzo talents seem somehow muted here. Read full review
63
Washington PostMark JenkinsNov 2, 2017
Blade goes for the carotid while offering a classic look and a comic-book story. It’s part Kurosawa, part “X-Men,” part “Ichi the Killer.” Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenOct 31, 2017
Blade of the Immortal is a pretty good title for a samurai movie. I’ve got a better one: “10,000 Corpses.” Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonNov 2, 2017
At 2 hours, 21 minutes, feels like a slow death by a thousand cuts. Read full review
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