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Title:
  Berserk The Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King

UK Distributor:  Manga Entertainment / Kazé

BBFC Certificate:  15

SRP:  £19.99 (DVD) £24.99 (BR) £29.99 (Collectors Edition)

Length:  76mins (approx.)

Audio Options:  English, Japanese

Subtitles:  English

Release Date:  24th December 2012

Reviewer:  Rich (Webmaster)
 

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for... a musclebound mercenary disembowelling rivals with his 6-foot long broadsword.

Yes, Manga and Kazé serve up a festive treat for the season of goodwill to all men with a violent hack n slash fantasy action film which is more in the style of Game of Thrones than Chronicles of Narnia.  Blood and Guts are literally the order of the day here - with a young mercenary named Guts using his sword to ensure his enemies supply the blood. 

The story starts during a siege of a castle, with the reckless hired sword Guts making a name for himself by mercilessly cutting down the defending army's champion knight in single combat.  His actions turn the tide of the battle and bring him plenty of attention, not least from another group of soldiers participating in the battle - the Band of the Hawk.  The Band are a mercenary army led by the ambitious warrior Griffith, a man whose effeminate features belie a fearsome reputation as both a swordsman and tactician, and a man who wants Guts to join him.  Guts believes in nothing but his own strength, rejecting fealty to any army and turns Griffith down, but Griffith will not take no for an answer and forces Guts to join by defeating him in battle.  Within a few years Guts has become one of the Band of the Hawk's officers and one of their strongest fighters, yet he remains impulsive and reckless despite the admonitions of Caska, a long-time member of the Band who respects Guts' ability but not his character.  The Band of the Hawk's reputation and standing has grown to the point that the King of Midland has allied them to his armies, granting special honours to Griffith much to the annoyance of his existing military officers.  For Griffith the alliance is the first step on his path to the top, he covets power and is more than happy to work his way into the king's favour.  He seems ambitious yet honourable and sincere, but there is something strange about his meteoric rise which concerns Guts.  Griffith has escaped death by luck and been granted unprecedented opportunities despite his common background, it could be nothing more than good fortune, but could there be another power at work?  And how far is Griffith willing to go for his ambition?
 

Based on a long-running manga franchise that has already spawned an anime series (available from MVM in the UK), Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King is, for the most part, a pretty straightforward hack n slash action film with a bit of court intrigue thrown in for good measure.  Unlike the anime series, which started by showing a grizzled, embittered older Guts fighting monsters, this one starts by showing how Guts came to join the Band of the Hawk and then cuts straight to showing Griffith's rise into Midland's officer

elite.  The film starts with an epic battle, and pulls no punches in terms of violence and gore as soldiers and civilians alike are cut down or killed by cannons or volleys of arrows.  Guts' battle against an enemy champion whilst is played perfectly - it's quick, it's gory and there's a surprising lack of mercy from the main character which gives it a far more realistic edge.  In fact for the most part it's realism that stands out, the demonic beings shown at the start of the TV series replaced by full on medieval combat in the film, with the only hints at the supernatural side of the story coming towards the end of the film.

One thing the series did well was to balance drama and character development against the full-on action of the many battles, and I'm glad to say that the film mostly lives up to its example.  Both Guts and Griffith are interesting and engaging characters, very different people who nonetheless form a strong friendship, and this friendship and their relationship with the Band of the Hawk's second in command Caska forms the emotional core of the story.  However, the story does revolve strongly around these three characters, with many of the supporting cast being largely two dimensional, and there's not a lot in this film to explain their backgrounds.  This is a shame, but their stories are still engaging, as is the overall plot.  The film's real strength lies in its many action scenes, with the opening castle siege the undisputed highlight.  The siege is perfectly done, with the animators really getting the scales and horror of the battle across as troops pour over the battlements and catapults hurl boulders into the castle towers.  It's simply stunning, and the animation - which during these scenes takes a kind of cel-shaded 3d look - works brilliantly, even if it does feel a bit strange.  Some scenes in the film do take on this cel-shaded look, which is at first a bit jarring as the action seems almost motion captured, but it flows seamlessly into a more traditional 2d style at other times.  It does take a bit of getting used to but it does work surprisingly well.
 

My main complaint with Berserk: Egg of the King is that at just over an hour long it is far too short.  The film is the first of a trilogy, and if the other two films are of a similar length it feels very much like they are looking for a bit of extra cash by making three short films instead of two normal length ones.  The film doesn't have a conclusion as such, more a 'to be continued' and it feels like a prologue at times, with most of the true story set to kick in next time round.  Maybe we've been spoiled by 3 hour fantasy epics like the Lord of the Rings

trilogy, but despite the film's undoubted quality its short length leaves you with the somewhat uncomfortable feeling that someone in Japan is taking advantage of you.  If you have seen the Berserk anime series you will realise how much the story has been truncated too, the trilogy of films covers the same story arc originally granted 24 episodes and it flies through several important plot elements.  Little is shown of Guts' rise through the ranks of the Band of the Hawk, and his horrific childhood gets just a trippy flashback.  The magical elements also seem somewhat out of kilter with the straightforward medieval action, as there are no signs of magic or traditional fantasy creatures until you see the titular Egg of the King and the monstrous Nosferatu Zodd. 

Nonetheless, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King is a highly enjoyable film with plenty to recommend it.  It has some of the best medieval action scenes that have ever been done in animated form, and boasts a central trio of intriguing and engaging characters.  At the moment if feels very much like the story is just getting going, but the film ends with quite a shocking sequence of events that looks like it could drive a wedge between Guts and Griffith in the next film.  It is too short, and in places too much is glossed over, but it presents its story well and keeps the drama and intrigue flowing throughout.  It also looks and sounds fantastic, with a superb soundtrack and frequently stunning visuals which show the budget the film has been given.  This film is the first part of an ambitious plan to release the entire story of the ongoing Berserk manga as a series of films, with this trilogy covering only the first arc of a multi-faceted story which so far stretches over 36 volumes that took the author more than 20 years to write.  On this evidence there are things it could do better, and with many fans believing the Golden Age Arc to be one of the best parts of the story it's a shame that the films are rushing through it somewhat, but it remains an excellent piece of hack n slash action that fans of the likes of Game of Thrones really should check out.

Extras:

Considering the film's short length it's somewhat surprising to see the disc bereft of extras, bar a front-loading trailer of the forthcoming fourth Bleach film Hell Verse.  The Collector's Edition is sure to have more extra content, although at the time of writing we have not seen it.  The French special edition included three booklets and a replica of the Egg of the King necklace, so the UK may get the same.

Ratings

Feature:   Extras:
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