Netflix film with perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating has been hailed as 'best ever'
One review for The First Slam Dunk says: "There isn't much more that needs to be said other than you should watch this movie ASAP." This seems to perfectly sum up Takehiko Inoue's animated sports film.
The 2022 Japanese film, based on Inoue's Slam Dunk manga series, hit cinemas in Japan in December 2022. Takehiko Inoue not only wrote but also directed the film, which went on to win the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2023.
At the global box office, it was nothing short of a sensation, raking in an impressive $279 million worldwide. The First Slam Dunk offers a fresh take on its manga origins by focusing on Ryota Miyagi, the point guard for Shohoku High School's basketball team, whose passion for the sport is ignited by his elder brother, Sota.
Ryota, alongside teammates Takenori Akagi, Hanamichi Sakuragi, Kaede Rukawa, and Hisashi Mitsui, confronts the formidable inter-high basketball champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School. The film brings to life the manga's intense final game, while weaving in new flashbacks and an epilogue that delves into Ryota's personal journey, reports Surrey Live.
The First Slam Dunk has proven to be a commercial juggernaut. According to IMDB, it currently stands as the 12th highest-grossing Japanese film ever and the fifth highest-grossing anime film globally.
The First Slam Dunk boasts an impressive 100 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score and a 99 per cent audience rating, earning it critical acclaim. Critics rave about the film, with one reviewer stating: "Takehiko Inoue's The First Slam Dunk is a sports movie done right, with one of the best climaxes of the year that's guaranteed to leave you fist-pumping the air."
Another critic wrote: "The First Slam Dunk is one of the best basketball movies you could ever see. It's a suspenseful and emotionally gripping film that balances a story of achieving sports greatness and coping with grief."
Reviewers also commend director Takehiko Inoue's skilful adaptation of his own manga, with one saying: "Heart-pounding and heartrending, first-time director Takehiko Inoue's adaptation of his own manga proves that he has the skills of a pro." Another said: "No movie has so literally reduced basketball to 'just a game', and no movie this side of Hoop Dreams has so ecstatically conveyed why it's also so much more than that."
Another viewer wrote: "This movie will make you stand up and cheer. This movie gets what makes basketball great. I was so into the game that I was sweating and my heart racing while I watched. I would say that I was at the edge of my seat the whole time, but that's not true. I actually stood up to cheer and pump my fist as I watched.
"I can say all the sports movie review cliché stuff about this film, and it is all true. The music is great, the characters are great, and the story is great. If this movie does not pump you up, you do not have a pulse."
Another review said: "One of the greatest movies I've seen in my life. I'm not kidding. Amazing animation, amazing soundtrack, amazing story all amazingly executed. And the best part is that it's a movie for everyone. Even if you don't like anime. Even if you don't like basketball. Even if you don't care about sports. Enough said go watch it!!!"
Another viewer wrote: "Animation was incredible, I'm not even a huge fan of basketball but this was such a gripping story I was on the edge of my seat the entire time." And another simply stated: "Like the title says: a total slam dunk."
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