Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet is filled with vivid animation, with stark contrasts between scenes and unrelenting, dazzling images. Identical to his distinct style to his previous movie, Belle, the new anime twist on the classic story of Hamlet is a sword-wielding princess who ventures on a perilous adventure to avenge her father’s death. She soon meets an unlikely, idealistic young man who offers her the chance to see the world and her life without bitterness and rage.
The imagery is stunning and the strongest element of the animated movie. The blending of different styles is impressive, and the portrayal of different worlds is enthralling—another purgatory dessert world, think Sirat, without the EDM or explosive surprises. Many of the backgrounds look lifelike, blending from a different world and captivating my attention. There is a tremendous battle sequence in the Infinite Land, breaking down a stunning wall, and it is a moment set atop the mountain summit that is unreal.
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Unfortunately, as the characters get lost in the wilderness, the plot loses focus and meanders. The story becomes confusing and hard to follow in the 2nd act, with multiple characters and a few different directions. The animation is still transfixing, even if we don’t know what’s happening, leading viewers to a beautiful climax and sweet conclusion to this quirky retelling of Hamlet.
The striking, transfixing animation in Scarlet held my attention throughout the tremendous battle sequence near the infinite land, which involved breaking down a wall and reaching the top of a mountain. I couldn’t take my eyes off it, even as my mind wandered, getting lost in the visuals, and as the plot was hard to follow in the middle. This would be something to watch on the big screen, washing over you. I wish this received a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination for the visuals alone.
Scarlet is now playing in theaters nationwide.
