Another summer, another film to be released in theatres for the children and adults who use children as an excuse to see something that according to some have grown to old to watch. What these can be hard to come up with some kind of catchy intro to, summer movies just come and go sometimes and leave the pop culture landscape entirely after release. Kamen Rider, movie, lets go.
A mysterious Kamen rider has kidnapped Koyomi and is intending to use her for some ritual. Haruto arrives in an attempt to save her, but the ritual ends up happening and Haruto and Koyomi are pulled into a giant tornado that places them in the exact same place that they were in. But as it turns out they have been transported to an alternate reality where everyone can use magic, and that ugly mage outfit because we just needed that more in our life. But this supposed magician's paradise holds a dark secret and if Haruto and Koyomi want to return to their reality, they must uncover that secret.
Notably trying to take a best of both world's approach to rider movies, Kamen Rider movies prior to Den-o often were alternate continuities stories likely to not mess with the main story. Wizard does offer an interesting take here as Haruto and Koyomi are the only people from the original universe while the rest of the main cast is the magic land counterparts whose lives are different because of how the world works here, so for example, Kousuke is a researcher of ancient magic and doesn't need to absorb phantoms to live. So while some elements of this new world are cool in concept, the story that it is surrounded by isn't that particularly substantial.
Whereas the main series had problems in dragging stories out to fit the 2 part format the series was going for, Magic land has the opposite problem of not having enough time for its story. So we open with Koyomi already kidnapped (hoping that the movie does some kind of flashback to show how this happened, sorry that is not happening here) and then immediately we are thrown into this new world and the concepts that it teaches us initially before a phantom shows up and then all of a sudden a bunch of people transform into the mage rider suit. We have only arrived and the film is throwing a bunch of stuff at us with very little time to sit upon each thing it does, first there is this new Kamen Rider who kidnaps Koyomi, then we are in the magic world, then we see a bunch of people using magic and learn that magic is a currency in this world and bam a bunch of Kamen riders fighting a phantom, yeah it slows down a bit afterwords but it leaves the viewer confused more than it should be and by the time most of this set is done, a third of the movie is already done.
Which really isn't good when it comes to the characterization here, despite being one of the only two people from the original world who still has their initial personality, Koyomi still doesn't do much outside of have some conversations she has with the emperor of the world and their connections of being people who do not have magical power in a magically powered world. There is not much to talk about with Emperor Maya outside of the fact he is the villain but not really once he realizes what his plot that his evil chancellor and him came up with. Thus leaves us with Orma aka Kamen Rider Sorceror aka the Drake phantom. He's fine, he is evil for evil sake and a skilled manipulator but what interests me more is who was he. Yeah, he probably was create during the same eclipse that made so many other phantoms, but I am more interested in how he got magic, was their some special ritual involved, does Wiseman know about him, how did he come across this ritual. I can think these because the series gives so little to work with here that I am left to think my own theories. His suit is pretty good, giving us that traditional wizard look with the hat and the robe and the color scheme which feels like a reverse of the infinity style that Haruto has is a good touch. Yes, once again the biggest saving grace of wizard is its aesthetics and action, I have talked about this in both the series and Movie war Ultimatum, The bike chase the movie has is a definitive high point for the film and shows even when Wizard doesn't really do much with either story or characters, it can still pull off interesting set pieces.
Oh and Haruto gets an all dragon form for the infinity style at the end. moving on
CONCLUSION
Wizard in Magic Land is perfectly passable, its something that you could sit down for about an hour and watch through if you have nothing much to do. But much like the main series, I am left wanting more because their is potential here for something good, amazing even, but it struggles with pacing and characters that don't really do much that hold it back.
Final Grade: D
Comments