Kamurai

Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend. While I don't enjoy the aspect of shoving an addiction (actually compulsion) story into a Nancy Drew story (as she has to stop sleuthing), and I don't enjoy the relocation aspect of a world they built so well so quickly, this movie has far more benefits than drawbacks. Once we get past the awkward "lying to your parents" aspect of the story that usually gets attributed to drugs and alcohol, the actual "sleuthing" is really fun and present in a charming and light-hearted way. The mystery itself is actually complex enough to keep you interested throughout the movie, and the characters are fun, if eccentric. Having a "world's clash" aspect to the story seemed unnecessary, and that's the only real hang up this movie had. Firstly the movie was supposed to be the opening of a potential franchise to revitalize the Nancy Drew brand, but instead of giving it a strong opening movie, they jumped right in as if there were already 3 movies and they had already jumped the shark a second time. I had several young people ask me if "Nancy Drew was a thing?". Because it was mistreated in the writing process, what should have been a great movie is only a good movie. I really liked this though: Emma Roberts showed early that she was up to carrying a movie, and I love that Rachel Leigh Cook ("She's All that") got involved as she was from a different novel based franchise ("The Babysitter's Club") that also didn't take off.