Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel

While probably the best of the three films that coincide with the original Naruto anime, "Legend of the Stone of Gelel" is still rather mediocre. I'd even say, I like "Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow" better, though a lot of that probably comes down to nostalgia and the fact it helps strengthen the feeling Sasuke had grown a real bond with Team 7 before the editorial mandates led to rather rushed rift that formed between him and his team. I won't lie, the second film has some really fun moments and cool aspects like starring Shikamaru, the design of Temujin, an antagonist who makes use of probably the most underutilized, but useful jutsus, Genjutsu and appearances from the Sand Village, Gaara and Kankuro. However, it's just not very strong with a predictable story, forgettable original characters, one moment that feels very out of left field, and I'm pretty sure it breaks the rules of Genjutsu to add false tension. It also introduces a concept that feels too important to be as throwaway as it ultimately ends up being, the movie being non-cannon and all. Oh, they also left out Temari which is an actual crime against humanity when the Sand Village is a part of the story.

I liked this movie, the second Naruto feature film. I enjoyed the one in the snow a tad better though as I found the story here a bit disjointed as I was not sure where certain things were supposed to be happening or when. Still, like the first film this one too has a nice run time to it of a hour and a half, plenty of time for a nice well developed movie with some really cool fights. The story starts off with ninja from the village hidden in the sand in combat with unknown assailants. It then shits to Naruto, Sakura, and Shikumaru hunting down a ferret for what they think is going to be an easy assignment. They soon find out otherwise as they are also attacked and Naruto is separated from his friends after he has a fight with a strange young warrior clad in armor. They both are injured and taken in by a caravan and soon after Naruto is invited to join this strange organization that wishes to create a utopia. Of course, all is not as it seems and there are plenty of fights to go around. My favorite was the one involving Garaa fighting this strange woman who takes him very lightly which is a very big mistake. The concluding fight is rather good too involving Naruto and this strange man who is a better villain than any of those in the previous movie.

Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel is an ambitious yet flawed entry in the Naruto film series. While it delivers on action and spectacle, it struggles with storytelling depth and character development.

Strengths: 1. Visually Impressive Battles - The animation is fluid, and the fight sequences, particularly Naruto's battles against Haido and his warriors, are well-choreographed. The use of the Gelel stone powers adds an extra layer of visual excitement.

2. Interesting Concept - The introduction of the Gelel mineral and its mysterious energy adds a fresh fantasy element to the Naruto world, distinguishing it from other entries.

3. New Characters with Potential - Temujin and his comrades have intriguing designs and powers, and their moral dilemmas provide a different perspective on the traditional hero-villain dynamic.

Weaknesses: 1. Weak Villain - Haido, the main antagonist, lacks the depth and menace of the best Naruto villains. His motivations-creating an ideal world through conquest-feel generic and underdeveloped.

2. Underuse of Supporting Characters - While Naruto takes center stage, Sasuke is entirely absent, and characters like Shikamaru and Gaara, despite their appearances, don't contribute significantly to the plot.

3. Pacing Issues - The film struggles with a disjointed narrative. The middle act, in particular, drags with exposition-heavy sequences that don't add much to the overall experience.

Verdict: While Legend of the Stone of Gelel is enjoyable for Naruto fans, it lacks the emotional weight and character-driven storytelling that makes the main series compelling. It's a fun but forgettable side adventure that doesn't leave a lasting impact.

Score: 6.3/10 - Great action, but weak storytelling.

Naruto the Anime TV Series has so far spawned 2 feature length theatre movies, and a third one is coming our way this summer.

The first one, which was released in the summer '04 was a fun adventure featuring the main characters of Naruto in an exciting adventure. However, one must be a blind, deaf and one legged chicken to deny that film's faults. Whilst the first was most definitely enjoyable, there were a lot of things that could be improved on. Naruto Movie 2, however, takes all of these aspects and excels upon them.

The action first of all, was incredibly cinematic. The lighting, setting and style was three fold as effective as in the first movie. In the first we were given basic action, well animated and choreographed animation, but nothing eye popping, however this movie's cinematography was exceptional, the use of shadows and lighting combining together to make the action all that more intense was very effective and added to the force of the fighting.

The animation was very good. It rivalled Disney, however since this is a movie about TV characters, there was nothing exceptionable about the character design or detail to the actual characters, however, the animation was incredibly fluid and realistic. I think they even used twice the amount of cels for each second because there was absolutely nothing jittery about the animation at all, it was incredibly fluid.

The music... I think that's where this movie fails. The original composer/conductor for the TV show was used for the film, and I don't really feel that he did that good of a job. The music mostly reminded me of a lot of pieces used in old SNES games. The composer is very good, but the synthesisers used for the film couldn't convey the tune very well. However they didn't fail the film at all, adding as a good accompaniment to the action. But, except for a few violin/string pieces towards the end and some choral work, the music didn't excel any boundaries or act as anything special.

The story was fun. It was a reasonably typical storyline for Naruto and was very similar to the first movies, except, again, it took everything that had been wrong with the first film's story and improved upon them. The characters were a lot more interesting and the way the story progressed was what kept me watching throughout the entire film. It kept making you think the film would be ending any second now, but then it would move on, but instead of feeling dragged out, the action and characters made everything still feel fresh and exciting.

Overall, this film is a goodun, but however good it might be, it is most definitely one for the fans. I enjoyed the film, but thats because... I'm a fan! But I can see, just like with Final Fantasy's Advent Children, it doesn't excel as a movie, but merely acts as a fantastic serve of fan service for a good hour and a half. Though I think this film does act as a good introduction to the series for current non-watchers, it won't give a full effect for anyone other than those glued to Naruto screens. However, despite all this, it was a fun movie to enjoy during this depressing period of upsetting fillers.

By definition, "Utopia" is simple in context, but every individual has their take on what their Promised Land truly is. How far must we reach to obtain tranquility, and what must we sacrifice to reach that goal?

Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru find themselves embroiled in a power struggle between a hypocritical faction forging their road to peace and the outside world in a nation where hopelessness and despair are perpetually at odds. We are once again given a meager amount of a series that has cemented its position in anime history, complete with eye-catching animation and a few fresh, believable characters.

Plot complexity can provide challenges, particularly when the authors are only allotted the running time of a movie to fully develop the story's complexities. The simple task of capturing and delivering a ferret quickly spirals out of control and becomes, well, difficult. We are left with a convoluted story and a few well-animated battles that, for the most part, lacked much substance because there wasn't much time to devote to character development.

Three of the main series' most memorable characters, Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru-shine, and fortunately their boldness translates to the big screen to partially offset the lackluster new characters. We are introduced to an organization controlled by the cunning man Haido, who wants to use the Vein of Gelel, an ancient source of supreme power, to end all conflict in the globe. Haido is an instantly disliked character whose purpose is obvious from the outset and who adds nothing original to the narrative save the clichés that come with his position.

Temujin, a key player in the narrative and one of Haido's goons, is the only positive component of the film. Being one of the only (relatively) fully realized characters in the movie, we get to know him and his ideas about what it takes to reach "Utopia." The only function of the other henchwomen, Fugai, Kamina, and Ranke, is to display some amusing animation gimmicks throughout the battle scenes.

Although it is difficult to say if Naruto: Legend of the Stone of Gelel truly provides the answers we have been wondering about, we do get to see a somewhat fascinating character study. Though conceptually we are left wondering whether a "Utopia" can ever exist or whether a "necessary sacrifice" is ever justified, the novel itself is nothing special.