48
Metascore
5 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 65IGNIGNWhile there are flaws galore in this live-action movie version, you get a sense that the director has a real love for the original source material. The color schemes and costumes have exactly the right hues and texture, and the ambiance is engaging overall.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungCharacters come and go quickly, leaving a feeling that there is too much compression of the multi-episode story.
- 50Screen DailySarah WardScreen DailySarah WardInstances of alchemy abound in the narrative — walls are converted into projectiles, brick courtyards into hungry beasts — but the same magic can’t improve soap opera-like theatrics, the overuse of expositional dialogue or an eagerness to flit between action scenes.
- 50VarietyRichard KuipersVarietyRichard KuipersThe first live-action adaptation of the phenomenally popular Japanese manga created by female author Hiromu Arakawa proves to be a mixed bag of eye-catching visuals and uneven storytelling — rushed and choppy at times, and draggy and repetitive at others.
- 40The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinIt all feels grindingly perfunctory – gloopy with jargon and lore, and with no concessions made to newcomers, the film feels less like a worthwhile film in its own right than an invitation to existing fans to buy a ticket, just to see how things turned out.