REVIEW: Dante’s Inferno

An animated version of the story of Dante’s Inferno is an ambitious task to say the least.

To make it matter, you’re going to need to make this story as real – and as terrifying – as possible. You’re also going to need a reason why we should watch it at all. Trilogies are common these days, so there has to be something that makes the first part of “The Divine Comedy” stand out.

I’d heard a lot about the upcoming game from EA, and so I was curious to see why the game warranted a companion anime, and why 6 different directors had to work on it.

Let’s get right into it, shall we? There’s Dante. And there’s his girl, Beatrice. There’s a war. Don’t worry about what war. Just know that Dante goes to fight the war, then comes back. Flashback scene, flashback scene — the devil has taken Beatrice’s soul. Dante then follows the girl and the devil into Hell to get her back. But you don’t just go to hell. There are 9 levels. So Dante has to fight and slash his way through each level. If this were live action, there’s no way I’d have lasted 5 minutes into this DVD. The dialogue is horrible. But because I’m looking at work from Shuko Murase, Yasouni Umetsu, Victor Cook and Kim Sang-Jin, I was completely caught up. Watching Dante descend the 9 levels of hell was to witness an animated slashfest of epic proportions. This DVD is all about the fight scenes, and those scenes don’t disappoint. Each director brings their own expertise to the production and keep it interesting throughout. This movie is a must-see for collectors of any of these director’s work.

So as a stand alone feature…it works. But after watching this DVD, I have to say that I’m not sure that I care about the game anymore, because it would seem that there are parts where once you get past the initial “wow” factor of the level, there’s nothing to do. I’m one of the few who didn’t like the God of War game, so this game doesn’t look like it will interest me.

Good (2.5 stars)
R for Blood and gore, intense violence, nudity and sexuality.
Running time: 88 minutes
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment/Starz Media
DVD Extras: Game Trailer – Animatics

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