Product Details

• Actors: Alison Retzloff, Jerry Jewell, Colleen Clinkenbeard
• Directors: Justin Cook
• Format: NTSC, Color, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Language: Japanese, English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Funimation
• DVD Release Date: December 15, 2009
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002R0LRH6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,699 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In the third Case Closed movie, The Last Wizard of the Century (1999), diminutive detective Conan Edogawa (teenage ace sleuth Jimmy Kudo) tackles one of the most complex cases in his career. The mystery centers on a previously unknown Fabergé Easter egg, the last treasure the legendary jeweler created for Tsar Nicholas II to give the Empress Alexandra. Curiously, the golden egg is set with pieces of glass, rather than diamonds. Initially, Detective Moore, joined by Rachel, Conan, Harley, and the rest of the cast, is assigned to protect the "Memories" Egg from Conan's nemesis, the brilliant young magician, master of disguise, and cat burglar the Phantom Thief Kid (a.k.a. the Kaitou Kid), who debuted in season 3 of the long-running television show. But as the complications multiply, Conan discovers there's much more at stake, including a second egg and the only descendant of a long-lost Romanov princess. Director Kenji Kodama keeps the action moving while sorting through the layers of Kazunari Kouchi's intricate screenplay. Conan risks revealing his true identity after he saves Rachel from a would-be assassin, but the Kaitou Kid bails him out at the last second. Conan and Kaitou grudgingly admire each other's intelligence, skill, and imagination, and voice actor Jerry Jewell once again plays both rivals with almost tangible relish. Last Wizard of the Century will leave Case Closed fans eager for more mysteries in which, inevitably, "One Truth Prevails!" (Rated TV PG: suitable for ages 8 and older: violence, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

Product Description

A phantom thief is on the loose, and his explosive capers are knocking out lights all over town! His target is a priceless Russian heirloom that people are literally dying to get their hands on. Pint-sized gumshoe Conan Edogawa is on the case, but there’s more to this mystery than anyone suspects. The good guys seem bad and the bad guys seem good, and not even the boy detective knows who to trust. Worse yet, a rogue sniper is making sure anyone in the way catches a bullet dead in the eye. Things are heating up, and Conan’s gonna need help to uncover the Last Wizard of the Century!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Deviations from the Series and a Strong Entry to the Franchise, January 1, 2010

By 

ONENEO (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century Movie (DVD)

Surprisingly, the deeper I delve into the Case Closed Universe, the more impressed with the property I become. I was a self-admitted late adopter to the series (beginning with the 5th season oddly enough) then backtracked to some of the earlier examples of the mythos on account of how much I enjoyed the later ones. Now I've picked up a few of the full length feature films and am pleased to report that they dazzle as well as the popular television serial, perhaps even surpassing it at times.

The show, for those who have yet to experience it, follows a pretty formulaic structure whereby the title character happens upon criminal activity that requires a good deal of intelligence to successfully point the finger of blame. Sounds like standard mystery-genre fare so far but what's unique about Case Closed is that the lead is played by a 17-year-old (Jimmy Kudo) investigator who has been transformed, via an experimental drug, into a child. The kid goes by the made-up name Conan Edogawa after two popular mystery writers and goes to live with his friend Rachel Moore and her private detective father, Richard. If you're looking for back story, I strongly recommend considering Funimation's Case Closed DVD Starter Set as except for a narrated opening sequence, the films waste very little time retelling past events.

Coming in at a total runtime of 100 minutes, The Last Wizard of the Century spans a single DVD housed within a standard-sized clamshell case. The show wears an appropriate if not slightly conservative TV PG rating (due to a steady dose of cartoony violence rather than inappropriate language or nudity).

Language options are standard sub & dub, which means the viewer has the choice of the original Japanese dialog track (stereo) or an English dub (Dolby Digital 5.1) and the option of running English subtitles with either.

The story of The Last Wizard of the Century goes something like this: Two new (previously undiscovered) Faberge eggs turn up and the sheer value and intrigue surrounding the priceless gems makes them the target to a wide variety of international entrepreneurs, politicians, collectors and thieves. One thief in particular has his sights set on the eggs; the elusive Phantom Thief Kid. It initially kicks off with the Phantom Thief Kid's latest crime feat, which of course has the Metropolitan Police scrambling in panic.

When the Phantom Thief Kid provides an encrypted written note (boast) that he intends on stealing the egg out from under everyone's noses, the cops (and more importantly, Conan) decide it's time to get involved.

As with any solid mystery, there are more layers to this tale than in your average onion! Several moments play out as a sort of pseudo-Indiana Jones with hidden vaults, booby-trapped artifacts, and treasures that do far more than simply look nice. The remainder of the film plays just like any other episode of Case Closed with Conan being a step or two ahead of even the most deviant-minded criminal.

Phantom Thief Kid represents a wonderful addition to the mythos with his enigmatic and charming way offering a counterpoint for Conan's (and his friends') bubbly enthusiasm. Best of all, his appearance in the final few moments of the film is nearly worth the price of admission in and of itself.

Aside from the longer runtime there are some notable differences between the film and the series. Among them is a reliance upon revealing pieces of pre-Conan life for Jimmy Kudo as threads with which to solve the mystery as well as mysteries that are themselves more complex (involving half a dozen key clues to solve rather than the one or two common of the series). Also Richard Moore is portrayed as being far-less dopey and actually contributes to the case's conclusion on multiple occasions; so dramatic is this change that the gimmick of Conan knocking Richard out via a tranquilizer dart then using his voice-changing bow-tie to reveal the solved case in the end is omitted entirely!

There also tends to be a greater focus on Conan's pal and fellow-age-reduced Anita Hailey, Dr. Hershel Agasa and the gadgets he invented to aid Conan on his mission.

As is always the case (no pun intended) with this show, the artwork and visual style aren't extremely rich or polished. Instead the animation is fairly simplistic but gets the job done. Focusing on the show's beauty (or lack thereof) is truly missing the whole point of what makes Case Closed so special. This is suspense-driven story telling that goes the extra mile to make sure each motion picture provides sufficient resolve. I consider myself a competent wannabe detective, but failed to solve this one prior to Conan's unraveling of clues at the end!

The English dub is pure first-class Funimation all the way, which means it just nails the little language details that make the original mystery fun. I can only imagine the work, planning, and translating this must require to get right. The effort pays dividends though when you view the finished product and literally forget that this wasn't originally written in English. That said, this is an example of a film that offers great acting value in either language choice.

In all, quite an entertaining addition to a solid franchise and perhaps the best of the films (at least of the ones I've enjoyed so far). I found it thoroughly entertaining and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to existing fans and neophytes of the franchise alike.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome movie, August 15, 2010

By 

Jonét - See all my reviews

This review is from: Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century Movie (DVD)

A good movie that I stumbled upon when my boss (i work at a daycare) asked me to go to the library and get a kids flick for the kids. I haven't Case Closed in years. This movie has gotten me back into the spirit (just like with Pokemon 3 the movie and the Pokemon series) and I've already ordered the fourth movie because this one had a trailer for the fourth. I can't wait. I wish I could keep this one but I have to return it to the library.

Nice plot, I was guessing who the Scorpion was all throughout the movie and in the end I was SOOO wrong. I still can't believe who the killer was, what a shocker. And the end, yeah, that guy is definitely the last wizard of the century, I wish something like those eggs existed.

I recommend this to anyone who likes anime, Case Closed or just detective and suspense movies. I also advise to check out the rest of the movies, I'm sure they're just as great or better! There're 14 in all as of this year (1 more than Pokemon who's 13th recently came out).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars great movie with a few problems, December 1, 2009

By 

Bryce Campbell "just another anime fan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century Movie (DVD)

I just got this movie today. Yes, it is the R1 release. I got it from Rightstuf. Well, now that is out of the way, I will start my review.

In the Last Wizard of the Century, Mr. Suzuki (Mr. Sebasitan(spelling?)) has a rare treasure known as the "Memories Egg", which Kaitou Kid (Phantom Thief Kid) has his eye on stealing. However, on the night he attempts to steal it, somebody shoots him. Now, it it is up to Shinichi (Jimmy Kudo (aka. Conan Edogawa)) to find out not only the mystery concerning the egg, but also who shot Kid.

The movie was great and just as exciting as the Japanese release, but I have two problems. First, this is an English adaptation, but one character says it has been a while since she spoke Japanese. I have heard Japanese before and I think that line should have been changed. Second, Haibara's English voice did not sound good. Of course, it may just be because it was the first time she made her appearance in the American dub of the anime in this movie, but she sounded too old. Seriously, if people think Ran (Rachel Moore) sounds too old, they should look at Haibara's voice actor. Other than those problem, the movie is definitely good.

The good thing about this movie though is that they have it take place in Japan, instead of America, like the television show.

As with most dubs, this is probably not the best translation out there, but still acceptable.

Also, as a spoiler, this is the first movie where Conan and Kid help each other. It is not just Kaito Kid's first appearance in the movies.

If you prefer the Japanese voices, you can switch the audio track to Japanese and watch. I would recommend this to just about everyone familiar with Detective Conan (Case Closed), but certainly not everyone.