Berserk: The Egg of the King offers a great start to the film trilogy that is to be based on the popular manga and anime series Berserk. This faithful film adaptation should please both fans and newcomers alike with its massive battles, bloody fights and intriguing story-lines surrounding the compelling characters. It is quite simply one of the best animated action films of recent years.
Having seen it, I can certainly back this bold claim up, in fact it is one of the most old-school anime films I have seen and perfectly captures the exploitative elements of greats like Ninja Scroll with its depiction of violence, the grotesque and sex.
Berserk looks amazing on Blu-ray, the movies have already improved greatly on the animation of the original series, but given the scope it is best appreciated in high definition; Hugo elaborates.
The brutal and bloody battle scenes are epic in scale. While some of the 3D computer graphics employed are less than refined, it does not detract too much from the intense and well-designed action sequences. What is most impressive is how every single action scene in the film contributes to the telling of its story.
For a film that satiates on blood loss however, Berserk has a complex political and character-driven story behind it.
Berserk: The Egg of the King's story of ambition, loyalty and betrayal is a gripping one. Viewers will come to connect with and care for the characters. In particular, there is something mesmerizing about Guts. Perhaps it is his sad past or it may just be his extremely violent nature.
The extras on this disc are quite lackluster, but the extremely entertaining first film of this trilogy is a must-have. Berserk: The Egg of the King is out now in Australia on DVD and Blu-ray from Madman Entertainment.