Certainly there are dueling wizards, torchlight swordfights and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon effects. But the moments of action are interspersed with lengthy plot developments that are hard to follow.

Rarely solemn or dull, and Takita holds its disparate parts together fairly well.

Crazier than a rat in a can, but certainly fun.

Once you get past the Kabuki-inspired makeup, you realize that the subtitled Japanese film really is a dark, supernatural fairy tale not unlike "The Lord of the Rings."