Here’s an unusual proposition: a film that opens with a kind of super-edit, cutting together chunks culled from many hours’ worth of plot and spectacle from the Jujutsu Kaisen TV series, which is then followed by some all-new episodes of the TV series; playing together in full as a movie, in the cinema. Is it a movie borrowing bits from a TV show? A TV show dressed up as a movie? Does it matter? It certainly doesn’t, if all you need is spectacular and imaginatively staged battle sequences – though for non-initiates, it’s difficult to see it adding up to much more than that.
One thing that would be very helpful – and is regrettably lacking – is a Star Wars-style scroll plainly laying out the backstory in simple terms for unfamiliar viewers. Sure, the TV show compilation does a bit of that, but it also feels like trying to download a thousand years of lore into your head, while simultaneously having your mind boggled by wild visions of conflict in the underworld. A bit more context for the long-running struggle between good and evil, involving sorcerers and “curses” (which seems to mean something closer to “demon” here), would be of great help to the normies over here.
Where Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution absolutely excels for both fans and the uninitiated is in its visuals and sound design. Intense, bombastic showdowns incorporate everything from gore to monsters to visual design of earth-shattering beauty. The apocalyptic cityscapes, ominous sunsets and genuinely eerie subway battle sequences pulsate with off-the-wall creatures and grotesque villains.
The soundtrack is genuinely banging, accompanied by really top notch voice acting. If this is your first dip of the toe in the water of the Jujutsu Kaisen universe (which ultimately derives from a bestselling manga), you can’t expect it to make all that much sense, but you can certainly buckle up and expect a stimulating trip.
• Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution is out on 14 November in the UK, 4 December in Australia, and 5 December in the US.
