Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I’d like to thank everyone who turned out for last night’s preview of STEAMBOY at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Personally, I had a blast, and I’ll be writing my review a little later this week. Paramount Pictures was kind enough to offer up several big boxes of swag, so before the film, Dennis Bartok (the chief programmer of the American Cinematheque) and I stood by the door handing out out WAR OF THE WORLDS t-shirts and hats to everyone who came in. That was just a nice little bonus to the main event, though. Seeing STEAMBOY in that theater, with that sound system... holy cow. It felt like the theater was going to come down around us during the giant action scenes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a surround mix that was quite so effective in that particular venue.
Everyone I spoke to after seemed to have a pretty good time, and this is the first e-mail I’ve gotten about the film:
Wow - I'm sure you're inundated with these, but here goes:
I love the Egyptian (shameless plug) and their monthly schedule (anyone in LA should go out of their way to attend!), but my hat goes off to last night's STEAMBOY preview. AKIRA was THE animated movie of my teenage years, and its been a long decade since waiting for another. Now that I've seen STEAMBOY, what's there to say except "Thank You"? Such a wonderful adventure movie, especially after the lackluster APPLESEED (also at The Egyptian here in Hollywood!).
For anyone who loves animation, its a blessing. So much detail in the world, and I'm amazed at the personality given to the hand-drawn cast. There's a genuine charm to everyone, and the light-hearted atmosphere really adds to the experience. Honestly, I can't wait for the dub, if only because the very British tone seems to clash with the Japanese dialogue, and English voices will help sell the reality. I have no doubt that Doc Ock and Picard will do a fantastic job.
I don't think I've said "Oh SHIIIIIIT!" out loud so much since Godzilla:Final Wars, or Spiderman 2 (Yes yes, both also Sony productions...) There's so much derring-do and split-second escapes, that I really felt like it was written by a Stevenson or Verne. From train-chases and zepplins, to spies, rocket (steam?) packs and flying fortresses, the detail is astounding and full of intricacies- but my first realization at the level of craft on hand was when a large steam engine smashes into a house, and I could see EVERY SINGLE SHINGLE on the roof fall to the ground. Incredible! Unlike the recent Metropolis, where there was too much detail for me to take in on screen most of the time, this film feels balanced and the product of a single vision.
Best of all, its a kids movie, and the protagonists in STEAMBOY remained children throughout it all. This is its most distinctive trait from AKIRA (the film's worst enemy). Nothing will top AKIRA's opening scenes for sheer spectacle, so Otomo wisely takes it slow and builds into the story. Possibly my favorite moments in the film involve Ray Steam, protagonist and heir to the Steam legacy of inventors, meeting the snooty "Princess Leia" character of Scarlett O'Hara (there are plenty more delicious literary references, including an R. Stevenson). At first she is a vicious bitch, but then there is a fantastic scene where she runs to the top of a tower overlooking all of London. She calls Ray up to look out at the city, and for a moment I also shared their sense of wonder, and the bitch gave way suddenly to a sweet, young woman.
Later, there is a charming moment where Scarlett and Ray sneak into the World's Fair and she attempts to get his affection that is priceless, and reminds me a bit of GREAT EXPECTATIONS. Its as though the Kaneda/Kai relationship of AKIRA is inverted, with the young woman playing the antagonist. I guess I'm too used to Miyazaki's spunky, but still self-doubting pre-teen girls, not such a 'she's going to be trouble for every man she meets once she hits puberty' kind of girl, in my anime.
Unfortunately, there's no Tetsuo to advance the narrative's conflict, relying instead on a generation of men's different perspectives on the industrial revolution, and the young hero's burden of responsibility. The 'villain' is equal parts Darth Vader and The Phantom of the Opera, but he remains a constant throughout. In fact, once a character is introduced, there are very few surprises in store for them, they simply play their parts against the flawless setting. Then again this is a children's adventure, and its a thrill to see Otomo tap into a different youth culture. Ray proves a hero throughout the adventure, and even when the film devolves into characters parading around debating the benefits/folly of scientific progress, it never is as dull as the worst of anime can get (think aforementioned APPLESEED) and much like Spiderman 2, no moment of character development is too quiet to suddenly be interrupted by a dynamic action sequence that catches you off guard.
The other surprise was HOW funny Steamboy was. Its the same kind of dry humor as the scene in AKIRA where the grenade introduced during the interrogation detonates suddenly in the background. These are mostly scenes involving technology run amok (the scuba-troopers' inability to climb steps evoke shades of ED-209 in the stairwell, and the flying soldiers' lack of faith in his DaVinchi-esque contraption being chief in my mind), but such satire is welcome. If the finale devolves into Otomo's beaurocrats vs. youth and apocalyptic visions, he directs it expertly and the payoff is unexpectedly beautiful and uplifting, combining the best elements of MEMORIES: CANNON FODDER, ROBOT CARNIVAL and AKIRA's second hour. I don't want to ruin the effect, but it is the one-of-a kind spectale that only animation allows so vividly.
That kind of imagination is why I love animated films, and after a few years of disappointment in anime I'm thrilled to finally have a bona-fide classic at hand. In many ways, it is a much better film than AKIRA in terms of narrative development, and the credits sequence along makes me lust for further adveneures. If this was from any other director, it would be a revolutionary masterpiece - as it stands, STEAMBOY is simply one of the best animated features of the new millenium, and as good a reason as any to keep watching Anime.
Thank you AINT IT COOL, for giving me the opportunity to see it on the screen where it belongs, and I cannot wait for whatever else you've got cooking out here.
~Hal Solo
I agree with Hal about wanting to see the American dub now. We were originally going to be screening that version, but that's scheduled to have its World Premiere at the Children's Int'l Film Festival in NYC on March 5th. Instead, we were lucky enough to see the original Japanese version instead, subtitled. When the film is released theatrically on March 18th, you’ll be able to choose between the two versions for yourself. The subtitled version will be playing exclusively at Landmark Cinemas, while the dub will be booked wider. Either way, you’re in for a visual feast.
"Moriarty" out.
