Scarlet Movie Review

This time-traveling fantasy plot is big on revenge. It takes place at the end of the 16th Century in the kingdom of Denmark full with a princess you’ll love getting to know.

It opens in a place where life and death live together… if they’re going to live at all, that is. This is the afterlife, known as the Other World, where past and future stride alongside one another, woven collectively like a strong basket. We see a man, Hijiri (Masaki Okada), a paramedic from Earth, who thinks he has crossed to the other side. He’s walking toward our princess, Scarlett (Mana Ashida). She asks him if she’s in heaven. This is an excellent setup for a black screen to bring up the words “Her Arrival.” Though not exactly linear, it’s hard not to like what you’ve seen so far. These characters are pleasant.

In a reimagining of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” her uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho), in a horrific manner, kills her father, Amulet (Masachika Ichimura). Amulet wants to seek peace, as “war benefits neither side.” Yes. His brother wants him to pick a side. Amulet attempts to steady the kingdom through diplomacy, not aggression. Claudius, who wants to raise his station in life, thinks his brother is insane; a fool, and won’t have any part of negotiations. The warrior, Scarlet, was close to her father. He used to watch her and taught her do the right things for others. Amulet liked to help the people of the kingdom, as well, something Claudius isn’t that interested in doing. Amulet’s love for his only child always caught the ire of her mother, Gertrude (Yuki Saitô), who was very jealous of the attention Scarlet received from him. This theme could have been given more attention.

Scarlett learns how to fight and wants nothing but to hit back. The people are dying of starvation, and after her father’s death, King Claudius isn’t sympathetic toward their plight. Scarlet doesn’t exactly hide her disdain for him. Once he’s certain of her feelings, he thinks that it’s time for her to drink a nice cup of poison. He kills her, and during all of this, the animation is wonderful. It puts you on edge watching hands drag her into the depths as she passes on. She wonders if she’ll be reunited with her father. She wants to see him, but wants revenge on Claudius even more.

As that narrative moves along, we get more from the character of our paramedic Hijiri. The fact that he’s a do-gooder makes her crazy. She thinks he’s a bit slow. He tells her that at work they always told him he needed to get used to death… to not be sad all the time. Scarlet knows what they meant, as he has been frustrating her since they met. If you get used to only death, what is the meaning of life? She explains that he needs to leave those questions to the living. It’s too late for them. They have a good dialogue, and you like where their relationship is going.

More characters come and go, which enhances the sense of where writer/director Mamoru Hosoda (Wolf Children, Belle, One Piece) is taking you. There’s even a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern moment! It can be slow and hectic, especially during the dancing scene, a scene that should have been scrapped, but what’s good makes it worth watching at home, at least once. The animation is good, but the writing doesn’t offer anything much to “write home about.” However, if you’re unaware of how good a Hosoda film can be, this might not disappoint you all that much. This is a good movie. I suggest you try this first, then view the rest of what he has to offer. That way, you can only go up.