Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution

Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution
Starring Jun'ya Enoki, Shigeru Chiba, Yuma Uchida, Wataru Hatano
Directed by Shouta Goshozono & Yosuke Takada

2025 has been a stellar year for anime shows on the big screen. "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" became one of the most profitable anime films of all time. "Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc" furthered the franchise. Now, "Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution" will further add to the franchise's longevity, opening the world for the upcoming third season. As someone who never got into anime, I have many friends that are, and they've introduced me to their beloved franchises through these movies. While I was fascinated and awe-inspired with "Demon Slayer's" animation and action sequences, and intrigued by "Chainsaw Man's" story, I found myself more perplexed with "Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution," even as one of my best friends whispered to me cliff notes during the movie. The animation was every part as awe-inspiring as the others, and the action was fast-paced and exciting, but overall I really didn't get what was happening storywise until I was told, which is obvious for someone who's never seen an episode, but when it comes to wanting to advertise to a broader audience, "Execution" doesn't execute its purpose.

After the city is destroyed by Yuji Itadori's (Jun'ya Enoki) King of Curses Ryomen Sunka alter ego, he goes into hiding as he tracks down the main culprit, Mahito (Nobunaga Shimazeki). Riddled by guilt, Yuji gets a bounty on his head and marked for execution, and Yuta Okkotsu (Megumi Ogata) is tasked with killing him.

From what I gathered from my friend and other people, "Execution" is a stitched-together previous season of the show condensed into an 88 minute film that also includes new scenes of the upcoming season, known as the Culling Game. It's probably why I was lost, as there's not any history being told, just the highlights of the last season and a bit to whet the appetite of fans for the upcoming season. The film is disjointed and its pacing is all over the place, and merely serves as an essential recap on the big screen. Yet, despite this, I was still in awe by the animation and the violence and gore taking place on screen, and since I had no vested interest in the story, was able to lose myself in the animation.

The animation is what really saves it for me, because, as I said, I really had no knowledge of the show going in. The better reviewer would be my friend, who was absolutely blown away by the whole experience, so that's how I know the film really did its job. His hype is real for the next season, and the new content (that he told me about) really establishes the new season as one to watch. Yet, if you've never seen the show, it'd probably be helpful to watch it before going into this, because you'll have a deeper appreciation as opposed to just praising the visuals. 

The Score: A