Pages

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

The adventure is continued for the crew of the Bebop in this feature-length installment that takes place during the main story and sets the crew on a new mission.  After chasing down a bounty on a young hacker, the plot takes a twist when there's an explosion on a major highway.  A new bounty comes up for the culprit to stop him and his plot to release more of an unknown nano-weapon on Mars during the Halloween celebration.  This results in a race to stop him between Spike's group and the pharmaceutical company responsible for creating the illegal weapon being used.  The chase heats up as Halloween draws near and the story unfolds surrounding the mysterious Vincent and the past that he has apparently lost.  As the story unfolds you'll enjoy more of the same humor, action, and depth that defined the series.

This movie was probably one of the most well-executed feature-length anime features I have ever seen done.  Instead of feeling like an afterthought or some way to continue to cash in on the franchise, it actually added to the story and although many of the characters you see outside of the crew don't come from the series, they feel visceral enough and carry enough weight and depth to where they don't feel like they were just tossed in to start a new story.  Vincent comes off as your typical "silent but deadly" type of guy, but throughout the story he'll talk about how "Halloween is the only night a soul stuck in purgatory can get into heaven," and the like.  These all offer brief peeks at what exactly is compelling this man to do the things he's doing without completely lifting the veil and removing the element of mystery that draws you to keep a close eye on him.  Like the series, the greatest moments of the movie don't fully show themselves until it comes up on the climax, resulting in fast-paced, EXTREMELY well animated action, and more of those scenes that'll leave you pondering the true depth of what was being said.  Another strong point for the movie was the music. The original series had phenomenal music, and the movie is just as good.  The upbeat, heart-pounding music for the chases and action scenes; along with slower, more thought-provoking songs for when the scene calls for it.

All-in-all, "Cowboy Bebop: the movie" serves as a fitting feature film to complement one of the greatest anime series of all time.  With more of what you love, the series shouldn't disappoint anyone who enjoyed the original series, and if you didn't watch the original series, and are looking for a more condensed peek at what "Cowboy Bebop" is all about, then this should serve as a good way to find out what you're missing.

The Good:
-More laughs, more heart-pumping action, and more charm.
-Same depth of character and story that made the original series great
-A fitting addition to the franchise with great new characters that felt like they had a place in the story

The Bad:
-Well if you didn't like the original series, I suppose you won't appreciate the movie.  If that's the case I'd have to say that you're no fun at all.  See? look what you made me say.  I don't enjoy saying mean things but when you don't like the things I like it makes me feel bad.  It's ok, viewer, let's just agree to disagree.... and that you have no taste.

Scully Rating: 10 out of 10 
Watch "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" at: http://www.justdubs.net/article/Episodes/1460