Why so much hype?

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I can kind of understand why American-International Pictures picked up this movie for North American distribution. The movie has giant monsters, ninjas, samurai warriors, sword fights, magicians, and other colorful elements. However, I think that A.I.P. was wise to release this movie directly to television instead of trying to release it to theaters. The story is kind of confusing at times, though in fairness to the filmmakers, the A.I.P. print that I saw was cut by about ten minutes; so possibly some explanation for some murky elements got removed. Though at the same time, there are definitely some slow-moving scenes in the movie that will no doubt make the viewer impatient for some action to return to the movie. In the end, the movie probably has enough to attract die hard fans of Japanese fantasy movies, though other viewers may be squirming in their seats. By the way, I'm not sure why the movie is called "Magic Serpent", when there actually isn't that much footage of the title beast.

Thoroughly enjoyable fantasy film. The special effects are par for the era and the budget, but watch it for the storyline, which is strong and consistently interesting all the way through. The heavy use of magic and surrealistic plot twists (the hero gets beheaded and then puts his head nonchalantly right back on again later!) sets this one apart from the usual "giant monster" movie. Plot, pacing, and characterization are above average for this type of movie, and elevate it from being just another kaiju film into a truly enjoyable fantasy. One of the more interesting things about this movie is that it apparently has a moral. The hero values honor above all else, and honors his obligations to his family, his friends, and his kingdom. Of course, in this case, sometimes one's honor requires one to turn into a giant fire-breathing frog, but still!There are some elements in this movie that do remind me of Star Wars: A New Hope, as others noted, but I am not sure whether this means that Lucas drew from this film or not. I suspect he didn't. The plot (young man with special powers avenges his parents and saves his kingdom by battling an evil sorcerer) is fairly common. But still and all, who knows? George Lucas drew on a lot of movies to create "Star Wars" and I wouldn't be terribly surprised if this movie had a little something to do with his work. However, "The Magic Serpent" deserves to be appreciated on its own.I would love to see a better print of this movie with a better transfer to DVD, but from what I understand this movie is quite rare in the United States, and due to its lack of popularity, it's not likely to get the remastering/rerelease treatment. So get it when you can and enjoy.

Recently picked up the Retromedia DVD double feature of RETURN OF THE GIANT MONSTERS/THE MAGIC SERPENT, the third classic Japanese sci-fi volume from this company. As with the previous two DVDs, the transfers looked pretty decent, and for what you get the price is nice. However, like the two previous Retromedia Gamera releases, this one has the same playback problems that plagued the earlier DVDs--one of the features wants to freeze up while it plays. In this instance, THE MAGIC SERPENT freezes up about 10-15 minutes into the film. I have seen various reviews complain about this kind of problem on all 3 of Retromedia's Gamera titles (yet none of their other releases seem to suffer from this). After the problem was brought to their attention with their first Japanese sci-fi release, DESTROY ALL PLANETS/ATTACK OF THE MONSTERS, it would seem something could be done to correct/prevent any further such occurrence.

What a great movie this is! Every time I watch it (and I have seen it several times since 1975 or so) I always enjoy it. Probably the first true introduction of ninja to America. Well dubbed, lots of cool magic and monsters, swordplay and palace intrigue. I wish some enterprising individual would think to release THIS film on DVD over in America. The influence on STAR WARS can't be denied, either. But find a copy and watch it!