Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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92 of 95 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Miyazaki=Anime Excellence, November 11, 2001
One of my all-time favorites. I personally prefer it with the original Japanese dialogue, but the english dub included on this DVD isn't bad. Though I must say the English dub directed by Carl Maceck was better, if less literal. (Quickly dodges all the Robotech-haters out there...) (Carl Maceck's translation is NOT included on this DVD)Lupin III is a master thief. With his cohorts Jigen and Goemon and the unwitting help from his ex-girlfriend Fujiko as well as Lupin's self-proclaimed nemesis, Inspector Zenigata, they free a beutiful Princess from her evil captor who is intent on marrying the young princess to steal the family fortune. Like all of Miyazaki's other works, this film has gorgeous animation that compliments a very intricate and heartful story.
Fans of the original Lupin III comic by Monkey Punch may not appreciate it as much since the characters act a little 'nicer' than the fans may prefer, but Miyazaki's talent lies in weaving a good story together with beautiful animation, and it is clearly evidenced here. This film stands not just as a good example of whats good about Japanese animation, but as a good movie in general... Interesting characters, clever plot twists, amazing action, and a good dose of heart. I still stand surprised that some hollywood shmuck hasn't bought the rights to it and mangled it into the lame "blockbuster" live-action formula that America is currently plagued with. But I digress... I can think of no better introduction to anime than Hayao Miyazaki. Castle of Cagliostro is definitely one of his better works, and you will find yourself amazed at how 'real' this hand-drawn animation feels compared to the generic pocket-monster-giant-robot-half-naked-girls-with-guns-otaku-fanboy-teenager-boobshow stuff... in fact I'd say that's the only thing this film is missing. :) ... again, I digress... This work is a cut above and deserves a higher respect, as it's done by a man who clearly has more respect for the art.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not-so-"special" edition, August 20, 2006
Be warned: while the anamorphic video quality of this release is top-notch, and it has some great extras, Manga Video replaced the gorgeous, dream-like opening titles animated sequence with a series of still frames with English credits superimposed over them. This is a dreadful liberty taken with one of the greatest animated movies of all time.
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38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bond.... James Bond (Japanese style), August 15, 2004
Grown-ups and non-anime fans should not be put off by the cover art for this DVD. This is a great action movie that reminds me of a Bond movie. It has exciting car chases, a clever hero that gets himself out of precarious situations, and an evil super-villain.
But Bond with a big difference: ironically, this movie is LESS cartooonish than the real Bond movies! Bond has lots of gadgets that are incredibly specialized yet just happen to come in handy EVERY TIME, villains who are usually just too loony to be believed, and he has babes who want to jump in the sack with him after eyeballing him for 30 seconds. As a teenage boy fantasy movie, Bond rules; but if you want to see a fun, rollicking adventure/spy movie, then Castle of Cagliostro is actually a better bet.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is one of the earliest movies by a Japanese director named Miyazaki. Most Americans have never heard of him, but in Japan he's looked upon like Spielburg and Lucas rolled into one person. Many people have compared him to Disney, but I think that's not a good comparison. While Disney worked in the same medium, his films were much more child-oriented, and for better or worse, he established many of the animation formulas and cliches that have become the norm for American animation (with notable exceptions like the superb Iron Giant). Disney has become synonymous with dumbed-down and formulaic. No one would EVER use those terms to describe Miyazaki.
While it is really Miyazaki's later work, such as the incomparable Spirited Away, that earned him his reputation as a genius, this film is still very much worth seeing. In fact, what I generally tell anyone who will listen is that you can't go wrong treating Miyazaki's name as a sort of brand name: just rent or buy anything made by him and you're guaranteed to see a movie that is well made, thoughtfully written, a visual feast, and most of all, wonderfully original. How many directors can you think of that fit that description?
The main character of this movie, Lupin, is from a long-running series. But I haven't seen any of the other episodes, and I assure you that you don't have to see any of the series beforehand to be able to enjoy this movie: it stands on its own.
In closing, let me mention that there is a persistent myth perpetuated on various Internet sites that Steven Spielburg called this one of the greatest adventure movies ever made. As far as I can tell, he never said that. Still, this wonderful movie doesn't need any made-up endorsements. See it, and you'll see why.
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