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A Major Disappointment

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Anime, for those unaware, is a form of animated films that hail from Japan, most often based on various manga (Japanese comic books) and more often aimed at adults rather than children. They tend to have story lines that are more in depth than most children would enjoy, often take place in outer space and at times carry adult themes throughout.One of the most successful of these animated outings was based on a series of stories by Leiji Matsumoto concerning a space pirate by the name of Harlock. The character resembles his title of pirate as he roams the cosmos in a ship guaranteed to inspire fear in his opponents with its skull shaped front piece. A comic first and then a TV series the film was finally given the CGI treatment in 2013 and is making its way to DVD here through a release by Twilight Time. Thank goodness because it is truly inspired and fun.The story involves a future, the year 2977. The earth was unable to sustain the number of humans who were on it so many of them went off into space with the intent of colonizing the far reaches of the universe. But life wasn't as easy there as expected and many returned only to find they were no longer welcome. A space war broke out that was eventually settled by the Gaia Coalition who keeps the peace across the galaxy. Earth, caught in the middle of things, has been determined a human free zone that no one may enter.Into this mix we find Logan, a young man eager to join with Capt. Harlock and his crew about the space ship Arcadia. When presented the chance he must pass a test to join, which fortunately he does. What the Captain and crew aren't aware of (but we know early on) is that Logan is actually a spy for the Coalition, working in tandem with his brother Ezra to take down the Captain once and for all. But is the Captain really unaware of his intentions or does he have plans for Logan? On track to return to earth no matter what the Coalition says, Captain Harlock and his crew are determined to pass through the blockade and return to humanity's last hope. Secrets are held close to the chest by not just Logan but various crew members as well as the Captain and Ezra. All of this unfolds as the film progresses.In addition to the well thought out story presented here we also have plenty of action on hand. Space battles between different styles of spaceships happen often and the Arcadia is one of the most gorgeous looking vessels seen on screen in some time. The way the animators and story tellers have combined the classic pirate saga with a futuristic vehicle is amazing. The skull headed spaceship is one that would indeed inspire nightmares if you were to see it aimed at your own ship. That it uses that front as a battering ram of sorts plays into the old pirate mythos as well as the futuristic science fiction theme.Let's be honest, CGI can only accomplish so much at this time. Facial expressions are the weakest points of CGI films and that remains true here. But scenes of hand to hand battles, shootouts and space battles are glorious to watch. Once again I can't praise the look of the Arcadia enough. I've seen several all CGI films that steer clear of the Disney/Pixar mold of cartoony looking characters but this is the best to date. The movie is a great action/adventure film that will entertain and delight all who give it the chance.Twilight Time has done another bang up job with this release. Not only do you have the movie itself available but they also have a 3D version of the film included as well. It's enough to make me consider buying a 3D TV soon. In addition to the 2D and 3D versions of the film there are a number of extras on hand as well, more than usual for a Twilight Time film. Included in the extras are an isolated score track from the original Japanese version, interviews with Harlock creator Leiji Matsumoto, director Shinji Aramaki, and adaptation/screenwriter Harutoshi Fukui, a making of feature, highlights from the Venice Film Festival World Premiere, storyboard galleries, TV spots and the original theatrical trailers.Fans of films like "STAR WARS" will find plenty to enjoy with this movie. It may not inspire them to seek out the original or the manga of the story being told but it will be a movie they can enjoy in the meantime while waiting for the next SW film to come out. Then again who knows, it may be enough for them to become fans of anime, a good thing indeed.One last note, as with all Twilight Time features, there is a limited quantity on hand for this edition of the film. The good news is that rather than the usual 3,000 there are 3,500 copies available. If you're willing to take the chance on this title then order before they're gone.

From the moment I began to watch I knew the visual design was going to be epic, and it was. The computer Generated animation that I seen in the latest video games was use to make the thing look as real as possible, while creating a Fantasy world that portrays a far futuristic space opera.the story told was really slow and I did not think I would like it because of that but I did. If this was a live-action movie I would think differently most likely (but no way a film studio would shell out the 300 million dollars it would probability take to make this epic melodrama). This story was perfect for animation.It reminds me of movies like Dune and Blade Runner. If you like those movies you should check this one out.

Fans of the late 1970s Japanimation series Star Blazers will welcome Harlock: Space Pirate, an animated action feature rebooting yet another Japanese series of the same era, Space Pirate Harlock (see what they did there?).In less than two hours of viewing, the audience receives thrilling depictions of steampunk-imagined spacecraft, visually arresting animated characters, and plenty of the action, turnabouts, and potboiling that anime is reputed to consistently supply.This Harlock is rendered in 3D CG motion capture animation, leaving it occasionally astounding visually, occasionally off-putting in the way The Polar Express left us feeling, and occasionally looking like a coming attraction for PlayStation 5.The backstory is interesting, but not much running time is given to fleshing it out. After a brief expository sequence to open, followed by an election scene that puts the young leading man, Yama, onto the (badass) ship of the dread "space" "pirate" "Harlock," we're off and running into action sequences and (non) relationships as simple as a Chow Yun Fat crime film (the ones where Chow carries not one but two guns). And it all works, because everything looks cool. Well, maybe not the bird resting on the pirate captain's shoulder, which to my tastes looks a little too Seussy to be acquainted with pirates. The dialogue, more or less pedestrian, is the film's weak point. Perhaps after spending a reported $30 million on the 3D CG animation, the studio decided there weren't any doubloons left for rewrites or line polishing.

Another movie that is completely destroyed by the poor quality of the chain of events. The absurd numbers of side changes the main character has, the big speech from the captain that clearly goes to another movie, the commercial poses of everybody, the plot, the plot itself is a huge waste of time. Character develop is a joke in this movie.In other hand, the visual photographic scenes are very good, that brings the necessary balance to watch this movie till the end.It seems the tried to make a change to normal workflow, by putting the main fighting scene at the middle of the movie, in an action film that is a big risk if you don't have enough plot to make a comeback. This film just fill the space after the fight with useless words, with character introduction, its a mess....I would NOT recommend this to friends