I sat down to watch the 2005 Japanese action fantasy movie "Ashura-jô no hitomi" (aka "Ashura") for the second time here in 2021, as I could literally not recall a single thing from the movie back when I watched it for the first time in 2005.

"Ashura-jô no hitomi" is a long movie, driven by a somewhat slow paced plot and script, which makes the movie feel excruciatingly long. In fact, it was so slow paced that it was losing its moment a couple of times along the way, so the movie could have benefitted from some trimming in the cutting room.

In terms of storyline and script, then "Ashura-jô no hitomi" was adequate. It wasn't an outstanding or particularly memorable story though. And I guess you have to be Japanese or familiar with the play that the movie is based upon in order to fully appreciate the movie from writers Hare Kawaguchi, Kazuki Nakashima and Masashi Todayama.

Visually then "Ashura-jô no hitomi" is showing signs of its age, as the special effects in the movie weren't coming off as all that impressive here in 2021. Sure, they were watchable, and luckily the movie wasn't relying that much on special effects, so it was bearable.

The acting performances in the movie were fair. But there weren't a single performance where I would single someone out and say that it was a spectacular performance.

There were some nice costumes, props and sets in the movie, which definitely added character, flavor and texture to the movie.

"Ashura-jô no hitomi" is not a movie that I would recommend you rush out to get your hands on, not even if you are a fan of Japanese cinema.

My rating of director Yôjirô Takita's "Ashura-jô no hitomi" lands on a less than mediocre four out of ten stars.