Cast: Jun’ya Enoki, Yuma Uchida, Megumi Ogata, Yûichi Nakamura, Takahiro Sakurai, Daisuke Namikawa, Kenjiro Tsuda, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Jun’ichi Suwabe, Asami Seto, Subaru Kimura
Genre: Anime
Director: Shouta Goshozono
In Irish Cinemas: 14th November 2025
Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution lands with far less impact than expected, offering a disjointed blend of recap and preview that struggles to justify its existence as a standalone film. Marketed as a bridge between seasons, the movie ultimately feels more like a hastily assembled patchwork than a cohesive cinematic chapter in the series’s story.
Running just over ninety minutes, the film follows Yuji Itadori’s continued path as a jujutsu sorcerer. On paper, the premise promises an engaging exploration of the aftermath of the Shibuya Incident and the emotional consequences it leaves its characters facing. In execution, ironically, the potential dissipates almost immediately. The first forty minutes are consumed by a condensed recap of the Shibuya Incident arc, a sprawling seventeen-episode saga compressed into a chaotic visual sprint. The result is an onslaught of names, battles, and exposition that trades coherence for speed, leaving even dedicated fans struggling to find emotional footing.
For newcomers or casual viewers, this recap sequence borders on incomprehensible. Key relationships and motivations are reduced to brief flashbacks or throwaway dialogue, leaving little room for the story to breathe. Even long-time followers will find it difficult to engage when the narrative functions more as a highlight reel than a self-contained story.
When the film finally introduces new material, essentially the opening chapters of Season 3 and the early stages of the Culling Games, it becomes clear that Execution is less a film and more a promotional vehicle for what comes next. The abrupt tonal and pacing shift exposes the uneven structure of the project. These new sequences do show promise and hint at larger developments ahead, but their inclusion only underscores the fragmented nature of the entire experience.
From a production standpoint, Execution reflects both the strengths and weaknesses of the Jujutsu Kaisen franchise. The series’ signature animation flair remains present but inconsistent, with heavy reliance on digital effects, motion blur, and rapid editing to simulate movement rather than fully animate it. While such techniques are standard in television anime, they feel particularly conspicuous on the big screen, where audiences expect cinematic polish and fluidity. Action scenes, usually the series’s strongest element, often become visually cluttered and difficult to follow, diminishing the impact of what should be the film’s highlights.
The soundtrack, however, stands out as a saving grace. The score retains the emotional resonance and intensity that define the television series, effectively elevating scenes that otherwise falter visually or narratively. Strong sound design further bolsters key moments, providing a sense of scale and atmosphere that the visuals sometimes fail to convey.
Ultimately, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution represents a missed opportunity. With its blend of recap and preview, the film could have served as a thoughtful bridge between seasons, a deeper character exploration, or even a standalone side story. Instead, it plays like two disconnected projects stitched together without consideration for pacing or narrative flow. Compared to recent anime theatrical releases such as Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man, Execution feels like a distant third among the new generation of shonen heavyweights.
Hardcore fans may enjoy revisiting pivotal moments on the big screen with enhanced presentation, but for most viewers, the film will come across as redundant and poorly structured. Too dependent on prior knowledge to stand alone and too repetitive to excite devoted followers, Execution struggles to find its own identity. Despite flashes of emotional power and an exceptional soundtrack, the film’s uneven storytelling and inconsistent animation undermine its potential.
In the end, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution functions less as a film and more as a reminder that some stories are best continued on the page. Those seeking clarity, depth, or innovation would do better turning to the manga, where the series’ intensity and vision remain fully intact.
Overall: 6/10
Movie Reviewer
