Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow [DVD] [2007] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Naruto and the rest of Team Seven make the jump to the big screen in this brilliant first outing as they are sent in the Land of Snow on a mission to protect the world famous actress Yukie Fujikaze as she shoots her latest film. But within the icy landscapes of this far away land there lays a dark secret from Yukie's past waiting for our heroes...

The first thing you notice about the film is how brilliant the animation is, it is of a far higher quality then the actually series. It gives the brilliant Ninja fight scenes an exciting feel and gives the whole production a real epic, movie like feel.

The story is brilliant adventure and it has everything you would expect from a Naruto story such as brilliant fight scenes, a feel good message and some great slapstick comedy all thrown in for good fun. Yet the film also stands out somewhat from the normal filler like material of the series (Which is basically what this is) by having a somewhat more dramatic and slightly darker feel helped along by some nice twist and turns to the plot. The ending may feel a little rushed and dull compared to what came before but its satisfying enough and I like is the fact that the story is centred on the filming of a film, which allows for a few nice lines referencing to the fact this is there first film too.

The characters are very impressively written and have a more substantial feel then most newly created characters to the series. Naruto is the star of the film and while that's to be expected I would have like to seen Sasuke and Sakura get a little more to do apart from simply fighting. Kakashi has a good part though, and we even get to see a little of his past which was a nice change. Part of me would have liked to see a little cameo from someone outside of Team Seven but in the end im glad they decided to stick with a newer cast of supporting characters and not bring in any unnecessary charters just for the hell of it.

With Naruto I always watch the original Japanese cast, not just because the actors do an amazing job with the characters but with the series I found the English cast to be quite dire at time, yet having re-watched part of it with the dub I found it not that bad at all. The soundtrack is, I believe, the same as the series but this is no bad thing as it's a great soundtrack which works well with the film in question.

The DVD also comes with an extra 10 minute special set during a sports event and featuring just about every Naruto character from the series. It's a very silly short film but a very funny one at that which fans of the shows humour should love.

All and all, this is a fantastic and successful move to the big screen for the franchise. Fans of the anime series will love this film and general anime fans should also give it ago as it's a great film in its own rights.

This DVD sees the release of the first of several Naruto full length motion pictures which takes place either right before episode 101 of the TV series or right after it.
Plot-wise, the Naruto movie is pretty simple. Naruto and his team are given their new mission - to guard Yukie Fujikaze; a famous big screen actress while she is filming in the land of snow. However, there is more to this mission than is expected as the hidden leaf ninja's go up against rogue ninjas who want to kidnap the actress for their own devices. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi face off with these rogue ninjas to protect Yukie and to save the land of snow.
So what we get is the fantastic ninja action that we love for the series, along with some new jutsus as well.
It is evident that the creators pulled out all the stops to make the animation superb; and it really pays off. The excellent mix of traditional anime artwork alongside some impressive CGI imagery go well together nicely and create a nice big budget Naruto experience.
As can be expected, there is very little characterisation or anything that can interrupt the continuation of the series.
The music is pretty nice and easy to listen to, and Naruto fans may even recognise most of the tunes from the series.
A nice addition to te DVD package is the bonus 10 minute 'konoha sports festival' extra. This comedic short has nothing to do with the movie itself; instead it returns our characters back to their home town and sees them competing in a sports competion, with the winning team getting a week off work. Fans of the Naruto series will be happy to see their favourite characters make an appearance here, including my personal favourite - Shikimaru.
For anyone who has never seen Naruto before, I'd recommend watching the TV series beforehand, just to get a bit of insight into the basic story and the characters. This movie can probably be enjoyed by newcomers to the Naruto franchise, but I think the main target here is the fans. This movie is neither as good or as groundbreaking as the television series but nonetheless it is still enjoyable while it lasts.

`Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow' is the first movie of the Naruto movies and takes place roughly around the time of episode 101 in the shows timeline. The story sees Naruto and Team 7 hired to protect a famous actress Yukie Fujikaze as she and the crew of the new movie they are filming travel to the Land of Snow for some on location shooting. However, once everyone arives in in the frozen contry things take an unexpected turn as Yukie's hidden past comes back to haunt her.

This first naruto movie is a fun adventure with some good battles and some first rate animation. The story is good even if it doesn't have any impact on the show proper and some of the new jutsu on display are interesting and apropriate for the setting. On the downside, some of the dialoge is less than great and the film does tend to get a bit preachy in places, although the show itself is prone to both of these things as well so I supose that is appropriate.

I would say that you will have to have some knowladge of the show itself to get the full enjoyment out of this film but even someone totally new to the series should find this movie enjoyable.