Rating: 3.5

It’s a pleasure to see Jordan Chan given a lead role in a major production and his cowardly cook is a delightful antithesis to ‘Chicken’ from the series that made his name.

The master stroke is of course the incorporation of Yuen Woo Ping as fight choreographer and he serves up some of the best fisticuffs of recent years.

It may be a throwback, perhaps an antiquated one to some, but in an era of uninspiring cinema, it’s strangely welcome.

Despite all the talk prior to its release, the film is essentially just routine filler that, whilst definitely still fun and impressive to look at, doesn’t exactly break any new boundaries.

They aren’t churning out masterpieces but they are staying true to the franchise and I think that’s all any fan could ask for.

I’d definitely say that this is another fun footnote for the ‘One Piece’ universe that will easily appease your withdrawal symptoms in-between episodes.

‘One Piece: Episode of Chopper’ is a surprisingly respectful and entertaining reinterpretation of one of my favourite arcs.

The new animation style makes it feel very unique and there’s a real larger-than-life approach to the whole production.

Although this movie marks the fifth big screen outing for the ‘One Piece’ pirate crew, the series is showing no signs of weakness and continues to churn out one successful adventure film after another.

While I don’t think I could call it my favourite of the ‘One Piece’ movies, this seventh outing is yet another fine example of how to make a very entertaining side story.

It’s bloody, down and dirty, and the highlight is the stalk and slash sequence of Adkins making his way through various buildings taking out bad guys with a knife.

I’d say if you love your action then you won’t be disappointed but I still can’t shake the feeling that if Tony hadn’t left the set half way through, things might have been even better.