The Magic Serpent

1966
6.3| 1h34m| en
Details

In ancient Japan, a good lord is killed and his throne is taken by the trecherous Yuki Daijo and his wizard friend Oroki-maru. The young prince Ikazuki-maru is rescued from the jaws of death by a magic bird sent by a wizard. Ten years later, Ikazuki-maru embarks on an adventure to avenge his parents and the wizard's death with his magic powers he learned from the wizard. He kills Yuki Daijo but then must battle Oroki-maru in a battle to the death.

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Reviews

ClassyWas Excellent, smart action film.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Leofwine_draca Although THE MAGIC SERPENT is clearly a film aimed at children, this Japanese fantasy epic really pushes the boat out in terms of production values. You have an adult sub-plot involving a traitor overthrowing a castle which is straight out of a samurai film; some impressively destructive kaiju monster fight scenes; and an action-adventure type narrative that no doubt inspired George Lucas when he made STAR WARS.This production looks big budget with everything put up on screen and celebrated. The costumes and sets are quite fantastic and even the special effects don't disappoint, with a mix of men in monster costumes and scenes of flying heads and magic spells and the like. THE MAGIC SERPENT is an involved and involving fantasy film and one which really grabs the viewer's attention.The story is about an evil usurper and the baby that escapes from a massacre. Years later, the baby has grown into an upstanding young hero under the tutelage of a wise old mystic, so he goes on an odyssey of revenge against the traitors. Along the way he teams up with a poor farming family and encounters various allies and enemies en route to the castle. There's plenty of action here and none of it disappoints, from the sword and gun battles to the hulking monster smash action. It's a colourful action romp, and highly satisfying with it.
Brian Washington This film used to come on one of the local stations here in Los Angeles at least once a year and it was a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy film. This film pretty much combines the elements of kaiju eiga along with another popular Japanese genre, the samurai film. As other viewers mentioned you pretty much can see that this film had an influence on the "Star Wars" saga especially when you look at the film early on as young Jiraiya (or Izakuchi-Maru) learns from his teacher, who obviously was an inspiration for Obi Won. The special effects are okay for a film not made by Toho and despite the swordplay, there is not that much blood. This film is defintely worth watching.Also, a word of warning. This film has been released on DVD as part of a "double feature" with Gamera tai Gyaosu (aka. Return of the Giant Monsters). The quality of the film on DVD is not that great, but if you can get past that, I still recommend the film.
xenorama What a great movie this is! Every time I watch it (and I have seen it several times since 1975 or so) I always enjoy it. Probably the first true introduction of ninja to America. Well dubbed, lots of cool magic and monsters, swordplay and palace intrigue. I wish some enterprising individual would think to release THIS film on DVD over in America. The influence on STAR WARS can't be denied, either. But find a copy and watch it!
Horror Fan A young prince is taught magic by his wizard father. The prince battles an evil sorcer. In the end, the prince becomes a giant frog (froggo), and the evil wizard becomes a big dragon (draggo), and they engage in a huge battle. Special effects were top notch and plot was remarkably similar to star wars.