Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The First Slam Dunk

Play trailer Poster for The First Slam Dunk PG-13 Now Playing 2h 4m Comedy Drama Anime Sports Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 47 Reviews 99% Popcornmeter 100+ Verified Ratings
Shohoku's "speedster" and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball. In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
Now in Theaters Now Playing Buy Tickets

Where to Watch

The First Slam Dunk

The First Slam Dunk

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A heart-pumping, breathtaking, wonderfully crafted manga adaptation, The First Slam Dunk shoots and scores.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Wendy Ide Observer (UK) 09/03/2023
3/5
While it leans a little heavily on baffling basketball strategy and court-based machinations, it's a dynamic and unexpectedly affecting animation. Go to Full Review
Esther Rosenfield Little White Lies 08/30/2023
4/5
Like the title says: a total slam dunk. Go to Full Review
Phil Hoad Guardian 08/22/2023
3/5
The CGI-led courtside portions (as opposed to traditional 2D for the real-life stuff) are miraculously kinetic, with beautifully shaded character models. Inoue orchestrates it all into a rousing, garage rock-powered finale. Go to Full Review
Anya Couture Geek Vibes Nation Aug 9
9/10
The First Slam Dunk strikes a perfect balance in showing what can make the sport so exciting. At the same time it delivers a gripping story that will charm you with its emotional trajectory, whether or not you’re even a sports or anime fan. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia Feb 21
8/10
The two-hour basketball game, rendered with solid animation that redefines the standard in the sports genre, moves at a fast-paced pace that never loses its pulse or excitement. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Tom Spoors Loud and Clear Reviews Jan 7
4.5/5
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. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Liz 09/06/2024 Have read the entirety of Slam Dunk. I do like that this story is told by the perspective of Miyagi. Awesome movie overall, if you like basketball this is a great movie to watch even without any prior knowledge of Slam Dunk as a series. But trust me Slam Dunk is the best sports manga of all time. Inoue’s drawing and storytelling skills is on a different level compared to other sports manga/anime. See more Gori 08/08/2023 This is not just an animation, it's just like watching a sports event. Lots of moments when you hold your breath! See more Kwame 08/08/2023 Beautiful movie from amazing series. Honestly, it reminded me, How much I used to like basketball. It's a shame that nowadays, Unless it's extremely over the top sports You don't really see people liking sport animes like that. The last one I think that was really good was haiku, Still I'm glad I got to see it. See more William L 08/08/2023 Watched it twice, was just as entertaining the 2nd time! See more Melanie 08/07/2023 I never seem Slam Dunk before and I still enjoyed this movie. I was on the edge of my seat. I laugh at the players antic and cheered when they scored. It felt like I was watching a real basketball game. An amazing and awesome anime. See more Peter C 08/06/2023 The identity of some of the characters, as they grow older, was a little hard to follow. On the hole, however, the artwork was pretty good, and the story was very good. See more Read all reviews
The First Slam Dunk

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi % % Blue Lock the Movie: Episode Nagi Watchlist Jerry & Marge Go Large 67% 79% Jerry & Marge Go Large Watchlist TRAILER for Jerry & Marge Go Large Summer Night 55% 22% Summer Night Watchlist TRAILER for Summer Night Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Shohoku's "speedster" and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball. In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
Director
Takehiko Inoue
Producer
Toshiyuki Matsui
Screenwriter
Takehiko Inoue
Distributor
GKIDS
Production Co
Dandelion Animation Studio
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Anime, Sports
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 28, 2023, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.2M
Runtime
2h 4m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos
Most Popular at Home Now