In the distant future of Japan, samurai Daigo Kagemitsu makes a deal with the 48 major demons known as majins. The 48 demons offer Daigo Kagemitsu the power to win all future battles and become the lord protector of Japan. In return Daigo Kagemitsu must allow the demons to take away 48 body parts of his future unborn son. Daigo Kagemitsu accepts the demons offer.

The boy eventually is born but without 48 body parts. Daigo Kagemitsu wants to kill the son immediately but his mother manages to place the boy in a basket to float away in a river.

The boy is then rescued by a magician who takes pity over the infant and takes him in as his own. The magician over the years devises prosthetic body parts for the boy who is now named Hyakki-Maru. When Hyakki-Maru reaches adulthood he embarks on a journey to kill the 48 demons and regain his natural body parts. Along the way he encounters a spunky young girl named Dororo who joins him on his quest to become “normal” again and accepted by the people.

Dororo” based off a 1960’s manga of the same name is an overly long fantasy piece that offers nice visuals but never able to comfortably set its footing within the story’s narrative flow. Often, main character Hyakki-Maru would be asked “Are you a human or a monster” and in a way you could ask the same about the movie itself.

The movie, filmed in the wild plains of New Zealand, offered a backdrop that was pleasing to the eye, special effects that was all over the map - from fantastic to poor - and actors that should have grabbed your attention immediately. Satoshi Tsumabuki (Josee, the Tiger and the Fish/Waterboys), Kou Shibasaki (Battle Royale/Crying Out Love In The Center of the World), Eita (Sukida/Memories of Matsuko), Hitori Gekidan (Christmas on July 24th Avenue,/Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust) and Anna Tsuchiya (Kamikaze Girls/Sakuran) all performed in “Dororo”. The film was also directed by well known indie director Akihiko Shiota (Yomigaeri, Harmful Insect). Yet none of these interesting pieces ever meshed together to make anything close to an interesting film.

While Satoshi Tsumabuki is usually appealing in the more low key indie flicks, he seemed woefully out of his element in the big budget “Dororo”. His character, Hyakki-Maru, was supposed to be a gloomy soul, devoid of inner peace because of his physical anomalies. Thus Hyakki-Maru was usually shown in a grim cold state. Yet Satoshi Tsumabuki, often looked more like a mischievous kid on the verge of cracking up but trying to hold a straight face. His co-star Kou Shibaski was more believable, but erratic like everything else in the film. At times she was charming but other times overacted to the point of annoyance. The supporting cast of Eita, Hitori Gekidan and Anna Tsuchiya fared much better but their roles were unfortunately too short.

An interesting choice to direct this expensive fantasy piece, Akihiko Shiota never seemed able to give the film a firm voice in what the movie was about. The first hour and twenty minutes were just an overly long prelude that should have been condensed in half the time. The choice of music during the extended battle segments were totally off key - upbeat Spanish flavored flamenco music? The more serious theme of what it means to be a human in the age of cloning seemed to be another element slapped in there for the sake of um…artistic credibility?

Somewhere in this way too long 138 minute epic fantasy piece is a decent film waiting to come out of the editing room. Unfortunately as the movie stands now, “Dororo” feels like a haphazard mess, slapped together like those prosthetic body parts were on Hyakki-Maru. “Is it human or a monster?” Not sure, but the laughter that seemed ready to explode out of Satoshi Tsumabuki’s face indicated that it really doesn’t matter…this one is just for paying the bills.