I did not enjoy this movie. The highest budget anime movie ever made? It doesn't seem like it.
From the beginning, it felt like it was trying to be a Studio Ghibli movie. And that's not a bad thing, of course. But it didn't even come close. Overall, it wasn't very interesting to look at. Yes, the animation was nice, but sometimes, it was also ugly. It wasn't colorful at all. Most of the movie was dark and I couldn't really see anything. Steampunk doesn't have to be dark/brass all the time, you know. And I know almost nothing about Steampunk.
That being said, if you like lots of padding, then you'll be happy because you get a lot of it. For most of the movie it seemed like it was just talking and explanation and more talking. I found myself glancing at the clock every few seconds to see how much time had passed as the characters kept talking on and on. Also, even with all that talking, nothing is ever explained. Noting is ever shown. It's all just steam. Pictures of wheels turning and steam. That's what this movie is about.
Now, you may think that would be a good thing, since the movie is called Steamboy, after all. But unless you're really into Steampunk, I don't think anyone would care much. It is interesting to see all the machinery that they make. I've always been interested in things like that. But I've seen it done better in other movies. The plot makes no sense. There are so many questions left unanswered. The characters are terrible. There is not one single likeable character in the whole movie. Except for maybe the main lead, who, at best, is dull, and the girl who is stereotypically an annoying useless whiner until the very end of the movie. The best part of the movie was when the boy flew around with the jet pack thing, and that was the very last few seconds.
I also didn't appreciate how the girl's dog had been abused and then forgotten even before the halfway mark of the film. Hitting that poor dog twice on its head. Yeah, that's what I wanna see. Animal abuse.
So, yeah, overall, a pretty bad movie. Could have been much better. Unless you like steam, and lots of it, I wouldn't watch it again or recommend it to anyone else.
Anime Steam, Steam Everywhere
I did not enjoy this movie. The highest budget anime movie ever made? It doesn't seem like it.
From the beginning, it felt like it was trying to be a Studio Ghibli movie. And that's not a bad thing, of course. But it didn't even come close. Overall, it wasn't very interesting to look at. Yes, the animation was nice, but sometimes, it was also ugly. It wasn't colorful at all. Most of the movie was dark and I couldn't really see anything. Steampunk doesn't have to be dark/brass all the time, you know. And I know almost nothing about Steampunk.
That being said, if you like lots of padding, then you'll be happy because you get a lot of it. For most of the movie it seemed like it was just talking and explanation and more talking. I found myself glancing at the clock every few seconds to see how much time had passed as the characters kept talking on and on. Also, even with all that talking, nothing is ever explained. Noting is ever shown. It's all just steam. Pictures of wheels turning and steam. That's what this movie is about.
Now, you may think that would be a good thing, since the movie is called Steamboy, after all. But unless you're really into Steampunk, I don't think anyone would care much. It is interesting to see all the machinery that they make. I've always been interested in things like that. But I've seen it done better in other movies. The plot makes no sense. There are so many questions left unanswered. The characters are terrible. There is not one single likeable character in the whole movie. Except for maybe the main lead, who, at best, is dull, and the girl who is stereotypically an annoying useless whiner until the very end of the movie. The best part of the movie was when the boy flew around with the jet pack thing, and that was the very last few seconds.
I also didn't appreciate how the girl's dog had been abused and then forgotten even before the halfway mark of the film. Hitting that poor dog twice on its head. Yeah, that's what I wanna see. Animal abuse.
So, yeah, overall, a pretty bad movie. Could have been much better. Unless you like steam, and lots of it, I wouldn't watch it again or recommend it to anyone else.