Rating: 
Summary: Stunning
Review: "Samurai Jack" is by far the best show on television right now. I will try to keep my feelings about the show in general and this specific movie separate, but I will probably cross over at some point.The imagery in this is profound in its simplicity (if that makes any sense). The scenes do not look three-dimensional at all, rather they are a series of two-dimensional layers. Don't go in expecting some highly stylized anime or CGI, and you won't be disappointed here. Think more along the lines of old Hannah-Barbera cartoons. Despite the flat looking graphics (or perhaps because of it) "Samurai Jack" seems to have more depth than almost anything else you will see. People have criticized this as sloppiness or just plain bad animation, but for me, the unique style, split screen effects, and almost total lack of outlines are what makes this cartoon so great to watch. Second, the sound. This movie is almost an hour and a half long and there are easily 40 minutes that are totally dialog-free. Much of the first part of the movie is made up of a beautiful montage of Jack's training combined with original music appropriate to every fighting style or skill he learns. And much of the last part of the movie is a battle scene pitting Jack against a legion of robots. The middle part is the part with the dogs. At first they annoyed me. Then they annoyed me the second and third and fourth time I watched the movie. Then around the 5th time that I watched this, I got it. Somehow, even though I hated them, they grew on me. Now I really enjoy their scenes even more than other parts of the movie (sometimes). Violence:
This movie is very violent, and I dislike how all of the violence has to be directed at robots, it just seems like a very transparent attempt at candy-coating what could be amazing fight scenes (actually, that's exactly what it is). Even the apparently organic looking reptillian aliens that Jack fights in the bar have robotic arms that can get cut off. But the violence is really only directed at robots, so I guess it's ok. Still, you may want to check it out before you decide that it's acceptable for your children to watch (I think it is, but others may disagree). Overall rating from me:
This movie is amazing, even if you don't like anime (I hate anime). The show that this movie is from is amazing. Since you can get the show for free on TV (or downloaded illegally, but I didn't give you that idea) then you might as well check it out before buying it. I love it and everybody I know loves it, but you might not, so check out a few episodes, then buy the movie, because it is better than many of the episodes made since it.
I also want to add that the third episode (third part of this movie) is the most stunning thing I have ever seen on TV.
Rating:
Summary: Cartoon Evolution in Action
Review: "Samurai Jack" is the best of both worlds. Like "Rocky and Bullwinkle," "Samurai Jack" has no problem treading the gap between kids cartoons and more mature animation. The story is straight adventure, easy to grasp and fun to watch. The dialog is funny, clever and insightful. The animation is an excellent amalgamation of Japanese and American styles. It makes use of every innovation, every benefit of telling a graphic story in a fluid medium and combines that with an exciting and fun story. There is no pretension here, no obvious aspiration to art, just a good time. This DVD has both the original "Samurai Jack" movie and an extra episode. Both are inspired storytelling with lots of laughs and adventure. I'm glad that the cartoon network took the bold step to make "Samurai Jack." It can be thought of as a boy's version of "The Powerpuff Girls." There are some things that can be done with a cartoon, that just can't be done with live action. In short, "Samurai Jack" is the very reason why we have animation.
Rating:
Summary: Another score for great cartoons...
Review: Although I have not seen this VHS version, I did record the cartoon network special when it aired the premiere movie (as well as all the episodes, being the huge fan that I am). The first three episodes totally show everything you will need to see of Samurai Jack to get you hooked. Starting with Episode one where there is no more then 5 minutes of dialogue and the rest explains why "Sammy Jack" (as I like to call him) is such an amazing Samurai. Episode two shows his troubles with dealing with the future and leads into one of my favorite episodes, number three, where he helps the "dog people" against Aku's minions.
Rating:
Summary: Samurai Jack Rules!
Review: At first, when I saw the premeires for Samurai Jack, I thought it was going to be some show mocking a lot of Anime. I was totally wrong! With intense action and breath-taking expressions and art-work, Samurai Jack is one of the best animations out there! Those that like the Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Laboratory are sure to love this! It has all the action of the Powerpuff Girls and yet it's serious enough for even adults to like!
Samurai Jack rules!
Rating:
Summary: samurai jack - the premiere movie
Review: ATTENTION ALL ANIME FANS: If you have not tuned into cartoon network for samurai jack, you are most definitely missing out. I think its the best new cartoon series on right now. The drawing style is cool, the story lines are very much anime in style, and what really got my attention above all else (especially in the pilot episode) is the music. The music is fantastic and every episode has its own music, not just standardized music for every episode. This pilot will be worth your time and it will introduce you to what I consider the best new cartoon on tv.
Rating:
Summary: Love Samurai Jack!
Review: Buy this and Season 1 of Samurai Jack. They aren't showing it on tv in the US anymore, so I plan to buy the series so we can see them all. There are some on the S1 DVD that we've not seen yet. And we only saw the Premiere movie once. So we look forward to seeing this again.
Rating:
Summary: On the other hand (This is NOT anime.)
Review: Check out this series if you can't stand anime. Like the samurai of legend (if not reality), Jack keeps his violence carefully controlled and (so far) has never had to kill anyone in order to pursue his goal. And, while these introductory episodes can be quite intense, the violence presented is neither romanticized nor gratuitious, and impacts all concerned -- including Jack -- in ways that are forever life altering. This series is especially recommended for students of martial arts and ethics, those familiar with warrior codes throughout history, fans of mid-century art and world music, and anyone who never laughs at the good guys. Jack is drawn and performed as an adult, human male (his resemblence to Mifune has been mentioned on occasion). Teenagers rarely show up, and when they (or younger children) do, their interactions with the adults are believable and appropriate. Jack is no anime elf, and his beauty and complexity echo far more the best of classic comics and classic films. Despite the seemingly simple animation (which must be seen in motion to be best appreciated) he is far more complex and well-developed a character that those found in far more design-heavy animation. I'd personally place the age limit around ten, but Jack, and the show, have brains, and his quest is noble and his heart is pure. What's not to love?
Rating: 
Summary: True Samuria Stylings
Review: First let me start of by saying that I am a lover of all things samurai, have been since I was about 8 or 9, so I guess I came into this movie a pretty positive prejudice to the look of this cartoon and subject matter that it would deal with. But having said that I was completely overwhelmed but just how cool and inspiring this movie was. This is one innovative piece of animation both in terms of visuals and equally important the audio track. Samurai Jack's animation is highly stylised but still visually very gripping. This is perhaps best illustrated in the sequence detailing Jack's training in the ways of the warrior. Also of note are the way shots are framed to add emphasis to the action. For example the shift from a full screen shot to a tight letter-boxed close up of say Jack's face to add emphasis to a shot. Those close-up on Jack's facial expression and his reaction to the often baffling events in the world around him really reminded me of the classic samurai cinema of Kurosawa or say the Lone Wolf & Cub movies. The battle sequences, especially the battle versus the armies of droids, also are indebted to samurai cinema. As several other reviewers have pointed out this is a very violent movie. I sometimes wonder how it gets a PG rating when there are quite graphic shots of Jack beheading and the bisecting his foes where the camera lingers on the remains spurting oil / miscellaneous liquids into the air as Jack poses heroically while drenched in the same vile liquid. But the thing that really drew me into the show perhaps more than anything was the music and the dialogue (or lack there of). Jack is definitely the silent stoic type, I think there are maybe a dozen lines of dialogue in the first twenty minutes of the film. When the spoken word is absent however the fantastic score kicks in. Described quite rightly by the music coordinator as having a "world beat" feel it blends traditional oriental sounds, like Taiko drums and bamboo flutes, with beats producing a sound that adds that something else to the setting and the feel of the animation, especially during the battle scenes. The voice acting is also great with Mako, marvellous as the villainous Aku and Samurai Jack's "young oriental Clint Eastwood" voiced superbly by Phil La Marr with pithy comments abound. The second bonus episode on the DVD is priceless. The exchange between Jack and the Scotsman is a classic movie moment and the imagery of the bridge itself is delightful Overall I would recommend this to any fan of samurai movies and manga and to any child with a sense of adventure, providing they can handle the violence.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie and a perfect DVD.
Review: First, the 70-minute movie is great. A classic mixture of sci-fi adventure and Samurai action movie, there is lots of humor, action and good characters. Samurai Jack is a great balance of the ideal warrior and the real man. His travels in the future show him as a fish out of water, yet his ideals and skills still help him find the path of goodness.
The extras are great. You get a bonus episode (selected from later in the season), a documentary with the creator and a few others, such as the voice actors, and even the Archives which show how it developed, from rough drawings to story boards to TV (with music from the cartoon in the background).
If you are a fan buy it. If you're not a fan, watch a few episodes on TV and decide if you want to be a fan.
Warning: Lots of action. The people who made the series hated shows that were said to be action, but only had five minutes of it in the end. The battle in the end goes on FOREVER! And that's a GOOD thing.
Rating:
Summary: Cross over from the "Lone Wolf and Cub" Samurai Series
Review: I enjoyed the inclusion of the Samurai and his son (in the wooden baby carriage) in the episode where Samurai Jack visits his home village. Samurai Jack embodies the samurai code which Ogami Itto displays in the six videos of the "Lone Wolf and Cub". (...)
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