REVIEW
If you ever wish to see anime translated directly to live-action, then Legend of the Eight Samurai is right up your roji.

This samurai/fantasy/horror hybrid follows a mythological tale of an evil clan that returns from the dead after 100 years to kill Princess Shizu and her family. Princess Shizu's court is wiped out and her fellow noblewomen kidnapped by the witch and her army. The skin of these women is used to reconstruct the clan member's bodies. One last patch of skin from the witch's elder son needs to be replaced, but only a noblewoman's skin will do and Shizu has escaped. She runs into a hot-blooded youth named Shinbei (Hiroyuki Sanada) who unwittingly scares her off. She then meets Dosetsu (Sonny Chiba) and his companion, her most loyal samurai who tells her of the legend of the eight samurai and their destined role to aid Shizu in destroying the witch for good. Marked by a glowing orb that appears in their hand, several of the samurai join the Princess as she travels the land in search of all eight. Enamored with the Princess, Shibei follows the group, but is suspected of being a spy by Dosetsu who orders his death. He survives the encounter but is captured by the witch and its discovered that he is her lost younger son. He refuses to accept this fate though and escapes with the help of one of the witch's guards who turns out to be the seventh samurai. Its quite obvious at this point that Shinbei is destined to be the eight samurai and together they assault the witch's lair with Shizu prepared to strike at the source of the witch's evil with a magic bow and arrow.

The story is a classic fairy tale of good versus evil, set in feudal Japan. Based upon a novel by Toshio Kamata, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Legend of the Eight Samurai is translated to the screen quite well. Unlike a historically-based story like Shogun's Ninja (1982), this tale is pure fantasy and doesn't waste time on a lot of extraneous information or characters. The story is very simple, yet compellingly told. Visually, the costumes and sets are bold and gaudy, reminiscent of Flash Gordon (1980) or a Chang Cheh film like Kid with the Golden Arm (1979). The effects which include an old woman turning into a giant scorpion and a huge, throbbing tumor of evil that is the source of the witch's power are all surely outdated, but are effective and entertaining nonetheless.

The weakest aspects of the film include the soundtrack that is too contemporary for the feudal setting, a lack of character development, and a disappointing misuse of actors. Hiroko Yakushimaru would not be my first choice as a leading lady, mainly because she doesn't exhibit any internal strength through her character. Hiroyuki Sanada doesn't get to show off any good martial arts skill until the very end and is limited to being an abrasive simpleton who wins the day at the last moment. Sonny Chiba's role is mostly a throwaway as he doesn't do a whole lot except to play the elder or mentor within the group. Etsuko Shihomi (AKA Sue Shihomi) gets the best role and the best scene initially playing a ruthless assassin whose last execution before joining Shizu results in tragedy for the survivors.

Although Legend of the Eight Samurai is at times little more than a simple fantasy-effects movie that doesn't hold up well to modern standards, the level of creativity and consistency, coupled with a exuberant story means that the film is rarely dull. Minus the schocky soundtrack and cheap dubbing, this film would be a minor classic.