Demon Slayer-Kimetsu no Yaiba-The Movie: Mugen Train

Main highlight from the scene

The two-hour Mugen Train feels like a mash-up of 4-5 episodes from the main series. The film's "phases" are easily discernible. The intro and first demon fight, the dream sequences, the Lower 1 and Upper 3 fights. Each could have been its own episode, but why not make them into a movie that grosses half a billion dollars?

Though there is a small amount of set-up for character history told in the dream sequences, I preferred the second half of the film to the first. We see Tanjiro enticed by a life in which his family is still alive and he has not failed to save them. We see Zenitsu having fun with his ultimate fantasy, Nezuko. We see Inosuke commanding his friends in the form of...half beast animals? Yes, why not?

Flame Hashira Rengoku, a relentlessly positive and brave warrior and one of the most powerful Demon Slayers in existence, is the most important addition to the cast. We've only seen him once before, but now he's on his way to stop a wave of demon attacks, and guess what? There are numerous demon attacks.

While I wasn't a fan of the somewhat plodding dream sections, things quickly turned when things escalated into a full-on fight with Lower 1, a Joker-like demon that gives people dreams or nightmares before eating them. What appeared to be a simple fight quickly escalated into the demon effectively merging with the train itself, resulting in a thrilling battle in which Tanjiro has to keep killing himself in the dreamworld in order to wake up and fight every few seconds. Meanwhile, because he can't be hypnotized while wearing his boar head, Inosuke is more useful than usual.

Zenitsu and Nezuko are probably given the least amount of work of anyone, and Zenitsu continues to irritate me even after all this time. I understand that's kind of his character at this point, but I wish he could just stay permanently shifted into his calmer, badass alternate personality slinging lightning around the room.

I wasn't expecting the film's finale, a surprise battle against a rarely seen Upper Demon, Upper 3, who should be the most powerful foe we've seen in battle so far. Even though Tanjiro is proving to be a great warrior, it was the right decision to make this primarily Rengoku's fight, and the film serves to transform a character we knew little about into someone we're cheering for by the end. I was surprised to see such a depressing conclusion here. I figured Rengoku would die, but he'd at least take Upper 3 with him.But that didn't happen, and Tanjiro not only lost a potential mentor, but also his black sword, which Upper 3 apparently ran away with stuck in his back.

Given that Upper 3 primarily uses martial arts, the battle was epic and reminded me of some of Dragonball Z's best fights. The sheer power of Upper 3 against one of the most powerful Demon Slayers in the world was incredible, and for a split second I wondered if Rengoku would accept his offer to become a demon. He didn't, but I'm curious who else might be persuaded in the future.

Rengoku's fight and death will go down in history as one of the most significant moments in the series, and it served as a good interlude between seasons 1 and 2, the latter of which I believe will arrive later this year. Any fan should see this film, but I believe any fan already knows that.