Review: Naruto Shippuden The Movie 3 – The Will of Fire / Cert: 12 / Director: Masahiko Murata / Screenplay: Various / Starring: Chie Nakamura, Junko Tacheuchi / Release Date: August 12th

While The Will of Fire is part of a continuing series, it works very well as a standalone film. The story in this is pretty easy to follow, with the world being under threat from a ninja with a grudge. This ninja wants nothing more than to absorb the power of five powerful beings in order to become immortal. The only thing standing in the way of these nefarious plans is Naruto and his band of heroes.

The film immerses the viewer from the first minute with its beautiful art, fluid animation and exciting music. The look of this is very similar to Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, with its clean visuals and attention to detail, but make no mistake – this is no Studio Ghibli. The writing serves the story and the characters well, keeping the viewer engaged. There are no long monologues: the film just gets on with it. The action and fights are plentiful, well choreographed and, more importantly, dramatic, with a real sense of threat. The Will of Fire proves to be a feast of entertainment with the standard of voice acting from Funimation as high as ever. This film is highly recommended to old and new fans of anime; you will not be disappointed.