If I told you that a movie where a man covered in chainsaws rides a shark through a typhoon to fight a half naked woman who’s a literal bomb, is impossibly thought provoking, philosophical and presented in an artistic and symbolic way, you would think I’m being sarcastic. Which is why I need you to take me 100 percent seriously when I tell you that this movie where a man covered in chainsaws rides a shark through a typhoon to fight a half naked woman who’s a literal bomb, is impossibly thought provoking, philosophical and presented in an artistic and symbolic way.
Chainsaw Man is an anime and manga series about a boy named Denji who grows up homeless and in an impossible amount of debt. If this wasn’t bad enough, in this world, there are monsters called devils that draw power from humanity’s fear of the concept they represent. For example, the Tomato Devil is really weak, but the Gun Devil can level cities just by moving. As Denji grows up in poverty he befriends a weakened version of the Chainsaw Devil, named Pochita. At the start of the series, Pochita becomes Denji’s heart to save his life and gives him the ability to transform into the titular Chainsaw Man.
Shortly after this, Denji is intercepted by Makima, the leader of Public Safety Division Four, which is an organization that kills devils to protect civilians. They make a deal with Denji that as long as he helps them kill devils, they’ll give him a place to stay, food to eat and a paycheck. The movie picks up where season one left off and sees Denji meeting a girl named Reze.
Something this series does well as a whole is balancing tone. Chainsaw Man is literally about a kid that can turn into a screaming chainsaw monster, the story knows its concept is ridiculous and incorporates a fair amount of humor because of it. There’s also about as much violence and gore as you would expect from that description. Though it’s also about Denji’s journey of learning to be cared for after spending years in poverty, so then when the story wants to take itself seriously it can deliver genuinely heartfelt moments. Naturally this applies to the movie too.
There are some works that can only be enjoyed by certain people, but I feel like this movie is one of those rare ones that has something for everyone. It has as much violent action as you’re expecting it to, albeit it comes way later in the runtime. On the flipside, the exploration of Denji’s emotional state as he starts to romantically connect with someone his age for the first time is way more engaging than you’re expecting it to be. And whether it’s an intense action scene or Denji and Reze having a sweet moment, oftentimes comedy will be woven into the scene in a really natural feeling way. No matter what your preferred brand of entertainment is, the movie has it. Better yet, it works with the other brands to make the overall payoff more satisfying.
The animation and art style also do tons of heavy lifting when it comes to the presentation of all this stellar writing. The art style we get in this movie is a world apart from the more realistic one in the anime. While it wasn’t quite as bombastic as most fans would have liked, the grayer color palette used in the anime does a good job conveying the sense of despair that comes with living in a world overrun with devils. But since this movie focuses so much on the emotions of Denji and Reze, I think going with something brighter and more expressive was the right call at least for the time being. It is also a nice coincidence that a less realistic art style means the fight scenes feel a lot more outlandish and energetic.
What really cements this movie as a cut above the rest though is the attention to detail. The final battle includes a bunch of original scenes that weren’t in the manga, really just for the sake of making the fight cooler. There’s also so many little things that act as symbols or foreshadowing that makes it so that you’re likely to discover something new with every rewatch. As someone who has read the manga, this movie is going to retroactively get better for years to come because of how far ahead it references things in the series.
As a nice cherry on top, the use of color and score elevate this from a mere movie to a moving painting. As corny as it sounds, the way coloring and music is used to establish the mood of a scene is genuinely breathtaking. There are many points where a still frame from this movie could pass as a deliberately designed art piece, because of how intentional the framing and coloring is.
The camera movements get a shout out in this regard too. For this to be an animated film, the camera has no business being this dynamic and intentionally placed. I can’t imagine how agonizing it must have been to make some of those rotating shots look so good.
If I did have one critique, I do wish we got some additional scenes for the devils that were introduced in the last arc. The Angel Devil and Shark Fiend get a chance to shine, but the Violence Fiend only gets two major appearances. Though I will give credit for one of the characters being the single funniest moment in the movie.
I really hope that in the coming years, there are not only more anime movies like this, but more movies in general. Society as a whole deserves movies that reward their audience for digging past the surface level and really engaging with the deeper themes. Chainsaw Man is a really beautiful, thought provoking story and this movie is an especially beautiful part of that story. If I can ask one thing of everyone who goes to see this movie, it would be to not focus so much on the raunchiness and violence.
This story will not always take itself seriously, but if you can recognize when it does and work with it, then you will only enjoy it that much more.
