Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Steamboy - 85%


Ok, this is a DVD review. Kinda late I know, but never too late for a good movie right? Steamboy is a great animated feature. This is a Japanese anime created by the maker of "Akira" and is touted to be 10 years in the making. Well, what struck me about this anime is not how detailed the drawings are or how technologically awesome the movie is. I mean yes, it is visually stunning. And mind you, considering that Disney has all but given up on 2D hand drawn animation, this one still has all that in spades - and they are very well done.

However, the great thing about this anime, is its story. It is a story about a little boy in a family of inventors who specializes in steam technology. One day, he received a package from his granddad, a steamball, and which triggered a cat and mouse chase between himself, and some men with evil intent. The little boy undergoes a growing process, where he is exposed to the vileness of human nature and trickeries of men to gain what they want. He sees how men are seduced by power and how fine a line it is between self righteousness to serve mankind and the true altruistic desire to change society.

This is a good story beneath a beautiful wrap of stunning visual treat. It is not as technically impressive as Appleseed, but the story beats it hands down anytime.

1 comment:

E.A. said...

Without going too much into it, Steamboy’s story left much to be desired. For example, why exactly did the steam turn to ice at the end of the movie? And why did it fall apart—all of it—when a boy touched it, gently? There are more than a few holes in Steamboy, and it is unfortunate that I don’t have more than a few minutes to detail them all. Other than that, I like your blog—I just got here a day ago, because I’m an animation fanatic, and I hope to see you update on, at least, a daily basis.

Cheers!