It's difficult to place where exactly Naruto falls in terms of foundational television for me. I really enjoyed the initial Haku and Zabuza arc, and I watched up until Shippuden, but at that point I fell off. I'm not sure if this movie sets out to bring in lapsed fans like me or satisfy loyalists, but I can say it does the first job admirably. Kishimoto is at his best when he is writing condensed stories that have a good narrative unity to them, and Boruto is exactly that.

The theme of the film is fairly heavy handed, but it kind of works. Tracing the symbol of Boruto's difference from Naruto, the fact that Boruto seeks the easy way out, is easy to do across a few registers. Boruto's clothes always look new, he cheats in video games, and ultimately uses an illegal ninja tool to impress Sasuke and succeed in the chunin exam. The logic coheres well. Those who face challenges and work hard are the ones who develop both moral fiber and "true strength." The movie suggests that Boruto is more eager to take the easy way out than Naruto is because Naruto is an absent father rather than a dead one. Naruto had only to impress himself. Boruto is desperate for the fatherly affection Naruto inadvertently withholds as a consequence of his business.

There's an Oedipal logic at play here too. Boruto hates Naruto because Boruto feels rejected. His only option is to displace Naruto. But that motive coalesces with the disavowed desire for approbation. Once Boruto no longer wishes to surpass his father when Boruto gains recognition from him.

Boruto's moral failing is also the logic that drives the power of the villains. Their power is scientific, from pills and theft, rather than hard work. All of this comes together in poignant scenes where the villains give their expected diatribe and Boruto looks down at the ninja tool he used as a shortcut.

Still, Boruto and Naruto aren't even that different in this regard. After all, wasn't it Naruto who looked for a shortcut by using the scroll to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu in the first place? The kind of resonances this film has with the early plot moments in Naruto are what make me think it's for lapsed fans like me. Seeing Naruto and Sasuke use the Shishi Rendan in the final battle is a real treat.

The film isn't without its flaws. The strange trajectory along which Kishimoto developed fight scenes in his manga results in what looks more like kaiju battles than martial arts. The fights in the movie have a strong kinetic energy to them, but at moments feel more like a montage. Additionally, the character development is spread thin despite being so lopsided. There are a huge number of bit parts who would welcome from more elaborate backstories, including the chunin candidates from the Hidden Sand Village. But even juggling Boruto, Sarada, Mitsuki, Naruto, and Sasuke is tough for the film. The intimations of romantic feelings from Sarada toward Boruto are interesting, but are nothing more than suggestions. Beyond that, Boruto and Naruto are the only two characters where rubber hits the road with character development. Everyone else is just a foil.

The movie is easy to recommend, but it's no better than Naruto was at its best — good leaning toward mediocre.