Movie Overview

• Title: As the Gods Will (Japanese: Kamisama no Iu Tōri)

• Release Date: Premiered internationally at the Rome Film Festival on October 18, 2014; released in Japan on November 15, 2014

• Genre: Supernatural horror, survival thriller, psychological fantasy

• Director: Takashi Miike

• Main Cast: Sōta Fukushi (Shun Takahata), Hirona Yamazaki (Ichika Akimoto), Ryūnosuke Kamiki (Takeru Amaya), Mio Yūki (Shoko Takase), plus Lily Franky as the Homeless Man (God)

• Where to Watch: Originally released theatrically; U.S. home media by Funimation

1. Plot Summary

High school student Shun Takahata, bored and nostalgic for excitement, suddenly finds his day turned nightmarish when a Daruma doll replaces his teacher and forces his entire class into a lethal game of Daruma-san ga koronda—move and your head explodes . Shun survives and, alongside childhood friend Ichika and rival Takeru, must endure a series of increasingly twisted children’s games—like Maneki Neko, Kokeshi dolls, a truth-testing polar bear, and the final “kick the can” challenge—each death-defying and brutal, orchestrated within strange floating cubes and by unsettling supernatural forces .

2. Notable Elements

• Inventive Death Games: Classic childhood games are transformed into horrifying death traps—Daruma dolls, giant cats, and flying dolls—creating a surreal, macabre playground .

• Gore and Visual Shock: Miike ramps up the gore—heads explode, blood turns into marbles, and creatures like a polar bear on a snowboard appear—creating bizarre, memorable spectacles .

• Escapology Meets Ritual: The film blends “escape room” tropes with psychological horror as the students must outwit both game rules and each other in increasingly absurd scenarios .

• Philosophical Undertones: Though on the surface gore-heavy, it probes existential boredom and the consequences of craving meaning—Shun’s complaint to “God” about his dull life is ironically answered

3. Themes and Messages

• Survival and Randomness: The film suggests life’s outcomes may depend less on merit and more on luck or external whims, as seen in the final stages of the death games

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• Youth, Boredom, and Divine Caprice: Shun’s yearning for excitement attracts lethal divine attention—suggesting dangerous extremes of wishing for escape.

• Moral Despair and Agency: The games force moral choices—save a friend or ensure personal survival—prompting reflection on sacrifice and the weight of decisions in chaotic environments

4. Personal Impressions

Strengths:

• The film is audacious, imaginative, and visually unforgettable—Miike indulges in surreal, inventive set pieces that linger in memory.

• Its unpredictability—where even a polar bear can be a threat—keeps viewers off-balance and entranced

Weaknesses:

• Character development is limited; very little emotional connection is formed before gore ensues, muting the impact of deaths

• The plot feels disjointed and absurd, occasionally sacrificing coherence for shock value—a point even noted by critics

• Mixed critical reception: lauded for visual madness but criticized for being hollow and exhausting

5. Audience Recommendations

• For you if you enjoy: Extreme, surreal horror that pushes boundaries—fans of Miike’s stylistic audacity or early Squid Game-style death game narratives.

• Not for: Those seeking nuanced characters, emotional arcs, or coherent storytelling—this is feast-over-substance cinema.

6. Conclusion & Rating

As the Gods Will is a hyper-stylized, grotesque rollercoaster of teenage survival, drenched in gore and bizarre game logic. It’s a unique, surreal experience—viscerally thrilling but intellectually hollow.

Final Recommendation: Dive in if you’re ready for visual shock and existential horror in equal measure, and don’t mind sacrificing narrative grounding.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5 stars)