The Great Yokai War

Wow. Take the always strange Japanese film director, Takashi Miike, a man best known for his ultraviolent movies. Mix in creatures from Japanese folklore. Add a touch of Godzilla and the apocalypse. Now, do it as a children's film.

The result is The Great Yokai War, though I'm not doing it justice. It's stranger than that. We watched it tonight, and by the end all of us were howling and cheering.

I recommend it highly, though I can't say you'll love the story, the acting, or any other particular thing. It's just so damn weird that most of us found we had trouble looking away for much of it. The creatures alone are worth the price of admission.

Besides, how can you not like a movie whose closing credits song includes the line, "Let's join together to battle the menace from outer space"--especially given that the movie never has any such menace?