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Directed by: Shinichiro Watanabe Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Unsho Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara For those not in the know about Cowboy Bebop: it's an anime series that ran back in 1998. Together with Berserk and Trigun, it forms the triumvirate of series from the late nineties that almost approached a level of mature storytelling and content. The huge popularity of anime back then meant that the law of averages would eventually kick in and produce something of cultural value. Cowboy Bebop is probably the standout among those three, both because it had a accentuated visual style and a background score consisting of jazz, slide guitar and blues instead of cheesy synth music. The main characters are bounty hunters Spike, Faye, Jet and their trusty sidekicks: the genderless hacker Edward and the genetically manipulated dog Ein. Cowboy Bebop didn't have a continuous plot from episode to episode. It was more of a loose selection of assorted stories, and most of the episodes would stand on their own. This movie is like a long episode of CB, and I assume that most people without any prior knowledge about the TV series could go into it and reasonably be expected to follow the storyline. The plot deals with Vincent, a mad ex-corp who has stolen a suitcase of deadly nano-machines he is planning to use on Halloween and the efforts of the crew aboard the Cowboy Bebop to stop him. It's not the greatest thing ever commited to paper, but it's sufficient and it never feels cheesy or incomprehensible, two prominent problems with most anime scripts. Visual excellence permeates this movie. Characters are triumphs of style and design, and move with fluid, realistic movement. The action sequences are fantastically animated, with the camera moving along with the characters, as if the entire thing was filmed with shakycam and rotoscoped afterwards. It's something you really have to see to believe. Yoko Kanno's background score emphasizes what's happening on-screen perfectly, and her influences range from world music to country to blues to heavy metal. The brilliance of it cannot be understated: this is perhaps the best score of any animated movie ever, and definitely the best that feature-length anime has to offer. I'd go to see Knockin' on Heaven's Door for it alone. Whatever prejudices about anime you may have, this movie is worth your time, money and attention. It's a great half an hour of entertainment with an unforgettable score and fantastic animation. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Good animation, action, music and voice acting. CONS: Not as good as the TV series, cookie-cutter plot. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275277/
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Mar 28, 2005 18:26
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 10:35 |
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Pretty good movie for anime. Of course it doesn't compare to the actual series, but I'll give it a 4/5.
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Apr 2, 2005 17:07
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Pretty good movie, though the plot is a bit of a throwaway. It was well written despite the story, and the soundtrack is up there with Kill Bill. 4.5/5
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Apr 2, 2005 23:28
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Good movie. Has one of the best english dubs I've ever seen in any foreign film. It's still not as good as the series, but that doesn't mean it's not good. 4/5
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Apr 3, 2005 06:52
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The strongest point of this movie is, in my opinion, that it's really accessable for people who don't even like anime. Also, it's a really fun movie to watch. 5/5
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Apr 3, 2005 11:51
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 10:35 |
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Loved the series to death, somehow bored by the movie. Just didn't do much for me. 2/5
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Apr 4, 2005 01:46
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