SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

deideiblueeyez I have seen Black Butler's multiple seasons and am a faithful reader of the manga, but I am not the die hard fan that some reviewers on this website are, so I think that I can look at the film more objectively than they can in this brief run-through of the film:Black Butler is based on a manga of the same name by Yana Tsuboso. The original story is set in c. 1880s London revolving around a young earl named Ciel Phantomhive strikes a bargain with a demon so that, in exchange for his soul, the creature will act as his right-hand man as he tries to figure out who murdered his parents and sold him into slavery. The demon's name is Sebastian Michaelis and his capabilities far exceed that of a normal human being, naturally.The film twists all this into something that is half n half of "then and now". Instead of a young man, it is Ayame Goriki playing Shiori Genpou who nonetheless poses as a "young earl" as Kiyoharu Genpou in order to remain the head of her family's company (when it comes to realism, it makes sense she would do that). Her butler is Sebastian Michaelis, played by Hiro Mizushima, who isn't too hard on the eyes. Really, my eyes were drawn to Goriki and her honestly pretty well done acting. I could have been distracted by the fact that she had a really, really cute haircut, though.For all of my fellow Japanophiles, you're well aware of the fascination that Japan's fashion district has with European Victorian-era clothing, and the actors certainly seemed to have walked straight out of Shinjuku during a Lolita meet up. Very fashionable period pieces are featured by the actors, and the mansions and scenery is all very proper and European in nature, so much so that you forget the film is set in the present until you see a car or a cell phone in a new scene. The balance between past and present tips a bit in either's favor, sometimes becoming a bit unbalanced, sometimes just right so that I didn't feel too out of it while watching. The acting is fine and for the spin they put on the story it isn't too bad. The special effects are easy to see through (that fire in the opening scene was a bit laughable), and everyone's attempts to appear very proper and serious sometimes feel a bit over the top, but maybe that's because anime and manga is so dependent on extreme emotion that seeing it in live action just makes it hammy and melodramatic.Info-dumping and chatter is a problem this film has. When action is happening, it's all fun and entertaining. When the characters stop to stare moodily at each other an inform the viewer about what the deal is with everything, not even pretty actors can make the scenes that enjoyable...Don't listen to people who give this less than 5 stars. Simply judge it for yourself how it is. And if you don't feel satisfied with the story, think of the film as an overly long music video. It's certainly pretty and convoluted enough to act like one.

beattakeshi-03856 Have you noticed that no one who actually enjoyed the series has enjoyed this pitiful excuse for a movie? There's a reason for that. It's a drastic change from everything about Black Butler that we know and love. For example, the female main character was originally a 12 year old boy. And to be honest, that 12 year old boy had more chemistry with Sebastian than this knock-off chick. Do you know how boring she is? I don't remember her name. That's how boring she is.And even though Sebastian somehow managed to not get replaced (even though Ciel is the main character and is no where to be found.) he didn't make it through unscathed. He's a poor reflection of himself. He's got none of the charm, none of the draw, and none of the appeal. Hell, he's barely even attractive. While that may seem like nitpicking, one of Sebastian's traits in canon is being attractive. Multiple people point it out and it's even used to get information out of a nun at one point. This guy is honestly average at best. This is Dragonball Evolution. That's what this is. There's no getting around it. This is The Last Airbender but with Black Butler. It's only enjoyable if you have no idea what it's supposed to be. Any actual fans of Black Butler are going to be very very disappointed. If you like diluted adaptations of wonderful things where they alienate the original audience and instead make the movie a sub-par generic mess, go right ahead.

Ryosuke Yamada I went into this movie with somewhat low expeditions. I was, personally, never a big fan of wither the many a or anime. I gave it plenty of chances, but it just never did it for me. Now this movie, on the other hand... I first caught wind of it when I stumbled apon the trailer. The setting immidiatly caught my interest; rather than being set In Victorian England, it seem to take place in some alternate universe victorean-esque Japan, which is cool enough an idea in it's own right. The anime was set in Victorian England, however, not everything in the series made sense in the context of the time period. Every now and then, something would pop up that just didn't fit, or wouldn't be invented for many years to come. The movie works to rectify this in that they can get away with just about anything they want because the setting is purely fictional, rather than historical. In fact, I think just about every change they made was ultimately for the better. I actually like Ceil better as Kiyojara Genpoue/shiori. The whole cross dressing as a man in order to inherit her familie's assets in order to achieve her goals just added another level of complexity to an already admittedly interesting character. Ceil was my favorite part of the anime and many a both, and I was more than satisfied with the somewhat liberal selection of his character portrayed in this movie. The only problem Ihad with her was how swhen started off the movie, in the beginning, seemingly not carrying about anything but herself and her revenge, being perfectly fine to leave those girls behind in that burning building. Then, at the end, she just up and decided to sacrifice her life for a bunch of strangers. Unless I missed something, I can see no real reason for this change of heart. Indeed, at some ambiguous point during the film she seemed to permantly loose her previously cool demeanor and transition into constant worry mode. I liked my first immpresions of her better, so I was just a tad disappointed. But, as I said, that's really my only complaint. There's just so much to like about this movie. The cinematography is stunning, the atmosphere just right. A truly wonder full movie, all things considered.

labikkina Oh...so many faillures that I don't know where to begin.... Well, I just couldn't even bring myself to watch the whole thing. I wasn't expecting the movie to be the exact representation of the anime version, but I did was expecting it to have the feel and look of it. For starters, the casting of the main characters was quite unfortunate.There is no chemistry between them and the girl doesn't have the fragile image needed to make the butler presence more powerful which is a key element since that goes with the balance of the character's psychology that plays with the irony that, while the Butler is the servant of the Master, the Master is totally dependant on the Butler and somehow slaved to him by contract. In the movie case he looks just a servant. The acting was even more cartoonish than the anime itself. The actor portraying Sebastian, did somewhat nicely but lacked the character's distinction and charm, not to speak the sensuality.This guy looks more like a hairdresser than a butler. He constantly reminded me of one of those old commercials that tries too hard to sell cheap bath soap to illiterate housewives. The girl doing Ciel's "impression" is kind of cute but nothing more, lacking just the same attributes as the guy playing Sebastian, but adding the even less forgivable sin of not looking stylished at all. Not even like a hairdresser. It is obvious that the movie budget couldn't afford much in costumes desing either. That top hat looks horrendous on her, not to mention the terrifiying ugliness of the gigantic, stiff bow she wears in one of the first scenes. I mean, in the anime /manga, Ciel's style is absolutely exquisite and precisely his impeccable style is part of how the character is perceived so, the fact that the costumes didn't match that takes away a lot. As for the soundtrack, it didn't do much for me either. The whole thing is an effing school play.