Space BattleShip Yamato Review (Movie)
The very first randomly* selected item off of the ‘to watch list’. Space Battleship Yamato turned out to be a fortunate first choice, as I hadn’t seen it yet, plus it was a rather recent purchase of mine, so I was doubly excited to watch it. =)
The movie was actually based on a very popular Japanese anime series that started its run in the early 70s. I am not familiar with this series, was a bit before my time, so I can’t speak to the movie remaining true to the original.
Though there were a few animated movies released in Japan associated with the series, this is the first Live Action version.
I didn’t actually know any of this before watching it. All I really knew was that it looked like a fun Space Sci Fi Action movie. That’s certainly how the trailer sold it.
But like most Japanese movies, it managed to thwart my expectations. There were lots of really decent space battles and good CG, but ultimately I think this movie is really more of a character study. It reminded me of one of those movies that Hollywood actors would do to try for an Oscar.
The story follows Susumu Kodai, a depressed fighter pilot, as he resurfaces to save the world. An incredible journey ensues, in which he heroically redeems himself. But the voyage is steeped in emotional turmoil, as the Yamato is the Earth’s last best chance for survival.
In retrospect I can see how this would have made a great anime series. Quite a bit of back-story and personal relationships were packed into the movie. Enough to flesh out the story and create a quite compelling plot. I really did enjoy watching it, but it did have quite a few more tears then I was expecting.
I would be really interested in watching the animated series, because I thought they made some odd choices for the space ship. The main weapon for example was fired using a phony semi automatic gun that rises out of the dash.
The main actor was quite impressive in his role. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he chose it specifically for the challenge. It certainly didn’t look like an easy role.
Though I don’t speak Japanese and can’t attest to their accuracy, I found the subtitles to be relatively easy to follow and they managed to keep me caught up with the story and the dialogue. In the end, that’s all I can really expect of them.
Also love the costumes. Would be really fun cosplay outfits. =D
Release Date: December 1 2010 (Japanese release)
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Battleship_Yamato_%282010_film%29
In the end the movie was just a bit more emotional then I wanted. I did really enjoy it, but couldn’t really get invested in all the Japanese angst that was so prevalent. Maybe this is due to the condensed nature of a movie setting, but I probably could have used a bit more time with the characters. I found the computer graphics quite good and the acting superb. And the movie has left me curious enough that I now want to investigate what the anime was like.
* We ended up using the World of Warcraft random number generator. /random 155. My husband was already logged in so it was the most readily available option. It was also the most expedient way to pick. Plus we always had to the choice to reroll if we really didn’t feel like watching the pick at hand.
Tags: action, adaptation, anime, cosplay, japanese, robots, romance, scifi
March 5th, 2012 at 12:21 am
Interesting! I also have problems with movies made from anime series. The Escaflowne Movie is such a bizarre mutation of the series that it was almost a totally different show. The characters had the names and roughly the same relationships, but all the little nuances were gone in favor of broadly defined caricatures. Characters did incomprehensible things that made sense when you had followed the character for 6 episodes in the tv series, but not when you just met them 5 minutes ago in the movie. Whoever greenlight the idea to do a movie version should be ashamed of themselves.
One of the only successes that I can think of is the Cowboy Bebop movie which was basically just like an extra long episode. I guess the Evangelion movies are a bit like that too (from what I hear) although I haven’t seen them. Hmm, speaking of finishing stuff, I really should finish watching that series at some point. I think I’ve seen it about 2/3rds of the way through, but that was over 10 years ago.
March 5th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
This is why I am intersted in checking out the anime. I feel like I missed a bunch of stuff. But then, had I been familiar with the anime, I might not have enjoyed the movie as much as I did.
Maybe if I had seen the Escaflowne movie first I wouldn’t have disliked it as much. This one is on the list of things to watch. Should be interesting. Cowboy Bebop too!
March 5th, 2012 at 11:17 pm
Oh lordy the Escaflowne movie is a terrible introduction to the series. Although it does contain many of the major themes so if you didn’t care for that, you may still not care for the series. I love it but it was one of my first animes that I really fell in love with. I even ran an Escaflowne one shot rpg at my college gaming group’s yearly gaming convention. Considering how much I hate GMing, that is proof of how much I loved it. It’s not the best, but it’s got a lot of nostalgia going for it. If you ever want to borrow it, I own the series. And the soundtracks (yes plural). Cowboy Bebop is pretty great. It doesn’t have quite as much personal resonance with me in terms of story, but it’s a lot of fun and has a great aesthetic. One of my favorite soundtrack songs is from Bebop (Greenbird).
If you like Bebop, you should try Samurai Champloo. It’s way goofy but also really well done. Take feudal Japan and mash it up with hiphop styling and random beatboxing. It’s weird but it works. I own it.