Scarlet review

SCARLET: 

MAMORU HOSODA’S DAZZLING TAKE ON SHAKESPEARE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

The titular revenge-seeking princess in Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet

 

            Anime filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children) brings his take on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the screen in his latest film, Scarlet, a gender-swapped epic fantasy inspired by the Shakespearean tragedy. This really has been the time for Hamlet-related movies, isn’t it? We had Chloé Zhao’s drama, Hamnet about Shakespeare himself and what influenced him to make Hamlet which is currently nominated for 8 Oscars and now we have this anime feature about a princess avenging the death of her father and seeking revenge on her devious uncle. 

            Using Hamlet as the basis for crafting a film storyline is nothing new, Disney most famously retold the story in their 1994 animated feature, The Lion King (I’d like to pretend the 2019 photorealistic remake never happened). That’s what makes a timeless story when it can be retold as many times as possible and feel fresh and new just about every time and Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet certainly adds its own unique spin to the story. 

            I admire a lot that Hosoda has done, I think The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children are among some of the best anime films ever made that rank up there with the likes of Studio Ghibli and Akiraand despite 2021’s Belle gaining divisive responses from anime enthusiasts, I thought it was an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast but in the cyber world. 

            So, I was definitely intrigued when I first heard about Scarlet’s release and after seeing the trailer. I don’t know if this is a hot take or not, but I actually kinda dug this movie though I wouldn’t say it’s one of Hosoda’s best films. 

            As with all Mamoru Hosoda projects, the film is absolutely gorgeous especially on the big screen (I saw it in IMAX), the story while convoluted towards the end is very engaging, the action is slick and stylized, and the lead characters are endearing and have solid chemistry. I’m not sure if this film will click with everyone, but it clicked with me. 

            The film follows Scarlet, a medieval-era princess who embarks on a dangerous quest to avenge her father after he was killed by her uncle, Claudius who now rules her kingdom. She ultimately fails her mission and finds herself fatally injured in a surreal world known simply as The Otherworld where she meets a young man from the present day named Hijiri who not only helps her heal but shows her the possibility of a world free from bitterness and rage (Can I live in that world, please? This one sucks!) thus forcing her to confront her greatest battle, can she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning in life beyond revenge? 

            Overall, Scarlet is a gorgeously animated, gripping, and compelling take on Shakespearean-inspired cinema with a Mamoru Hosoda twist. This might be a hot take considering how a lot of people were disappointed by Belle and even some of the reactions for this aren’t super glowing and sure, I don’t think it’s as good as some of his previous movies, but there were some awe-inspiring visuals and scenes that I won’t be forgetting about anytime soon. 

            I’m not kidding about the animation; this is a beautiful looking movie and looks fantastic on the big screen with this very painted style look to the character designs and overall blending of 2D and 3D animation. I’m not exactly a huge fan of CG anime that tries to replicate hand-drawn animation, I didn’t think it fully worked in the last Dragon Ball Super movie that came out a few years ago, but for something like this I thought it worked well and gave the film a unique visual style. 

            The animation also brings out the size and scope of the film whether it’s an intense battle sequence or a simple scene of the evil king looking at his gathered subjects from his castle promising them he’ll take them to the Infinite Land (Essentially Heaven) if they catch Scarlet. It’s a consistently epic film on an equally epic scale, there’s even this crazy sequence involving a song that was so creative (albeit so unexpected as well) and bursting with dazzling visuals that it alone makes it worth going the extra mile to see in IMAX, the best way I can describe the scene is Japanese La La Land and if you’ve seen the film you know what I’m talking about. 

            I enjoy the dynamic between Scarlet and the modern day medic Hijiri which is sort of like a fish out of water story for both of them in a way with one person from medieval times and the other coming from the present day and are trapped in this in-between world before the afterlife. Both characters have very strong chemistry together and I loved seeing them interact with and learn from one another, they carried the film for me. 

            For the most part, I found the plot captivating even if it is basically a gender-swapped Hamlet retelling with time travel, an afterlife, and star-crossed lovers. I found the idea of a person from a time long ago meeting someone from modern days introducing a perspective on a world without violence, hate, and revenge which contrasts with the titular Scarlet’s mission. 

            However, despite me really getting sucked into the film and its premise, I do have some gripes with the Otherworld and the passages of time, I often forgot that the characters were in an afterlife where the dead just hang out on medieval Earth as there’s no major difference between the Otherworld and the world of the living and the film doesn’t always make it clear who is alive and who is dead, that didn’t always make sense to me. 

            Despite a few bumpy parts, I actually really liked Scarlet and thought it was a solid entry in Mamoru Hosoda’s filmography. Yeah, it’s not an emotional rollercoaster or a game-changer like some of his other films, but if you’re the least bit curious about an anime film about a genderbent Hamlet story where a person from medieval times befriends someone from the present day in an afterlife and learn lessons about changing the world for the better while on a revenge path or an anime enthusiast, I’d say check it out and see if this Otherworld is right for you.