Kitaro and the Millennium Curse (2008)

Although the movie is based on a comic character by Shigeru Mizuki, that first appeared in the '60s, this version of Kitaro has a very modern feel to it.

CG is beautiful, and action sequence is better done than most Japanese movies I've seen. The original Kitaro comic was bit of horror story with comical characters, this movie is more like a fantasy. The movie is not a complete stand alone piece in my opinion, because Kitaro's comic characters appear without any introduction such as his father (who's just an eye ball with little body), Ittan Momen (A piece of long cloth that's alive and flys through air), Nurikabe, Sunakake Babaa, Neko Onna, and Nezumi Otoko. It would help understand the story better if you had prior knowledge of all their abilities, and quirks.

The movie captures the cute and ridiculous elements of Kitaro very well. It also adds the dynamic action sequence that's truly exciting. I could say that Japanese movie of this genre has truly come of age with this one.

Even if you are not familiar with the original comic, you can enjoy the movie like you can enjoy Harry Potter movies without reading Harry Potter books. Delightful comic horror from Japan that's worth watching.