It's a new generation, and the adventure continues! Several years have passed since the events of the Naruto manga, and in spite of Naruto's former troublemaking days, he's doing a bang-up job of running the Hidden Leaf Village! Technology's advanced, the Five Nations are living together in harmony, crime is on the decline and the trains run on time. I guess having nigh-infinite Shadow Clones does help with the more fiddly parts of being a warrior-diplomat! 

Sadly, being the Seventh Hokage means doing lots and lots and lots of hard work, and Boruto–the latest son of the Uzumaki Clan–sees more of his dad's clones than he does of Naruto himself. Despite carrying on the family tradition of troublemaking and giving his instructors night-terrors, Boruto feels alone and indifferent; even the approaching Chunin exams can barely raise his interest. That is, until the reappearance of a certain Ninja with a Rinnegan/Sharingan combo who used to be his dad's one true rival. And until a scientist offers Boruto a brand-new Ninja Tool that might give him an entirely unprecedented shortcut to greatness...

Yet there's trouble brewing with much higher stakes than graduation tests! Sasuke's mission brought him into contact with two strange, otherworldly ninja. Otherworldly ninja with chalk-white skin and horns who have their eyes (specifically Byakugan and Rinnegan) all fixed on Naruto...

Without spoiling too much, the biggest kick I got out of this movie was in discovering how Naruto's world has changed since the end of the manga. Naruto's vision of lasting peace really did come true; between the Five Great Nations witnessing the strength of Naruto's ideology and saving the entire world from armageddon-by-tree-moon-princess-monster-thingy, I'm not that surprised everyone decided that world peace was the most attractive option.

The Hidden Leaf's now barely recognizable with all the new additions, such as modernized structures, large screens in the public squares and email messages. Maybe the Industrial Revolution came on super-fast and the online era hitched its sled on for the ride? Or maybe any civilization would make crazy advances in extended peacetime if they'd already figured out how to survive and rebuild after the various world wars, superpowered terrorism and/or Tailed Beast rampages that occurred every other decade. Who knows, but it's certainly fun to think about. 

Sorry, back on topic. Boruto himself is the spitting image of his dad right down to the hair, the obnoxious-but-loveable troublemaking and the wearing of flashy colors on his quest to become a master of guerrilla-espionage.

Yet while the orange hasn't fallen far from the tree, it did roll around a bit. I mean, it makes sense—Boruto's life is almost nothing like Naruto's had been, what with the lack of war, parents who are still alive, the absence of rampaging Tailed Beasts and having two generations of Hokage on his father's side. Boruto's never been an outcast so he doesn't have anything to prove to the Hidden Leaf; he simply doesn't share his father's massive obsession with earning the giant Hokage hat. If anything, he's kind of a slacker who has yet to learn that any path he takes as a ninja will still require a lot work. Remember, Naruto may have Tailed Beast inside of him, but he still needed years of training to find the right way to use it.

Speaking of ninja techniques and hard work, the animation and the fight sequences are absolutely gorgeous. The new characters who make their debut bring out a whole array of never-before-seen Jutsu and fighting styles. The villains likewise have some pretty flashy moves, and quickly prove themselves to be serious threats in spite of Naruto's current power. This combined with super-smooth animation makes for a truly epic final battle.

Between its fun new look, it's interesting take on new characters the characters and its vibrant animation, Boruto makes for a pretty slick Naruto flick. If you're a fan of the story or just want to see what kinds of parents Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura are, you'll be in for a treat. 

You can see how far the orange falls from the tree by picking up the Blu-ray or DVD available here.

English & Japanese with English Subtitles
Special Features: Storyboards, Clean End Credit, Japanese Trailers (Video and Audio may vary)
Blu-ray Exclusive: Art Gallery, Special Naruto OVA

by Chris Turner