Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

by Mike McGranaghan

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is absolutely epic. There’s no doubt about it. The film runs 155 minutes and is loaded with bloody action. When it’s over, the feeling is akin to eating too much for dinner and being slightly overstuffed. Fans certainly won’t mind that and, in fact, will probably embrace it. This long-running franchise has earned a big, sprawling, pull-out-all-the-stops entry.

Series hero Tanjiro Kamado is now a distinguished member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Villain Muzan Kibutsuji has lured the group into the Infinity Castle, a multilayered cityscape that constantly shifts, allowing it to essentially go on forever. Inside this hostile environment, the Corps members must take on a variety of demons and, more dauntingly, try to find Muzan inside its confusing layout. The task is complicated by Muzan flooding the place with lower-tier demons in an effort to tire out Tanjiro and friends before they can make any real progress.

Fight scenes in Infinity Castle are many. The inventiveness of them is consistently a major part of the film’s appeal. One Demon Corps member takes on the abilities of various insects, including a centipede, while battling an enemy. Later on, a demon loses his head, yet his body continues brawling for a long time afterward. Director Haruo Sotozaki keeps the action fast-paced and frantic, with characters whipping out awesome new powers to gain an advantage.

Animation in these sequences – and throughout, really – is top-tier. Demon Slayer’s horror-infused anime style is colorful but edgy, with flowing red blood and blue pulses of electricity. Inventive creature design adds to the impact. A six-eyed demon is especially cool. Then there’s the Infinity Castle itself, which is partially rendered with CGI. The location achieves an ominous feel as it re-forms itself to disorient Tanjiro and associates. For my money, the picture takes Demon Slayer’s already sleek look to new heights.

It’s not all fighting and violence, though. The story’s third act goes an unexpected route, giving us a lengthy, emotional flashback that reveals the string of tragedies driving a prominent demon. This allows the finale to focus not so much on who wins or loses the big fight as it does on why the fight has very personal stakes. Getting some character development amid the melees is a nice touch that prevents the movie from feeling repetitive.

The end of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle paves the way for the next two installments of the cinematic trilogy, so you shouldn’t expect to see Tanjiro and Muzan square off. What you should expect is two-and-a-half hours of eye-popping anime and crazy-violent mayhem designed to take you on a wild ride.

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