A Review of “Scarlet (2026)”

Scarlet is the next animated film from the acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda, who is notable for films such as Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and Belle. This new film is an alternate retelling of the classic Hamlet.

Unfortunately, Scarlet has got to be Mamoru Hosoda’s worst film so far. The story never does anything interesting or new with the material it is inspired by. The writing is bland, the characters are underdeveloped, and the pacing is very uneven. The male lead, Hijiri, is rather irritating and takes screen time away from the titular character.

There are also random music and dance set pieces that do not really add anything, aside from being incredibly odd. Additionally, the message of war and forgiveness is constantly and relentlessly shoved in the audience’s face. The 3D CG is also quite wonky and can look visually odd at times.

Despite that, I do appreciate the ambition. There are some great visuals, the musical score is wonderful, and there are a few genuinely great moments. Even the dance sequences, while random, are well choreographed. In the end, Scarlet turns out to be a very uneven and messy film, which is a shame, especially considering how cool the titular character looked.

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