Reviews: "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" [4/4 - ]

[livingfruitvirus]

Here we begin the review thread for the Cowboy Bebop movie "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (which I o' so wanted to type in the title, but it'd be less correct :p). It opens in theaters tomorrow, so anyone who sees it, or has seen it already at a festival, well, here's your thread!

http://www.cowboybebopthemovie.com

Check for info and showtimes.

[Coollead]

*sighs* Only 1 theater in Chicago is showing it, and I just happen to be working during every showing this weekend. Why me? Anyway, to be nice, here are the showings.

Music Box Theater
3733 N. Southport,
Chicago, IL - 60613
773-871-6604

Fri: 5:00 7:20 9:45
Sat: 2:00 4:30 7:00 9:30
Sun: 2:00 4:30 7:00 9:30
Mon: 5:00 7:20 9:45
Tue: 5:00 7:20 9:45
Wed: 5:00 7:20 9:45
Thu: 5:00 7:20 9:45

[Infinity Blade]

I have only one comment.

*drops the Bebop onto whoever at Columbia decided to release this movie how they are*

<_<; Thank you, I shall now leave this thread.

[randomguy]

I'm going to see it tomorrow with about a dozen friends (we're a very pro-Bebop school). I already caught it at the Austin Film Festival, but that was six months ago and I need the refresher. I'll post a full review tomorrow, but here's the synopsis: good, but not great. Somewhat unsatisfying. Potential not lived up to... but still worth seeing. So there you have it.

As for Colombia's release... well, we are getting our English dub cast, and I'm confident that CB: The Movie will spread. Metropolis started out small too, if you remember, but eventually spread to have an even wider release than Princess Mononoke. And I'm betting money that Colombia's CB DVD will rock the house. So they're not doing that bad, although for those not living in one of the 19 cities currently being served, yes, it sucks to be you.

*Crosses fingers for soundtrack*

[nothing]

i can't believe it's not playing in atlanta. i'm so thankful i took the time to see it at BAAF.

to be honest, i'm surprised they didn't tack on a trailer for CB:The Movie on Spirited Away's oscar re-release. it didn't need to be a red band trailer, i'm sure they could have gotten away with a green all audiences one.

oh well, here's hoping the DVD release will have lots of kick ass extras.

**sixty and counting down**

[Meson]

I am going to see this movie in September sometime, like I am going to see SPirit away in a theater in a week or two.

[Shnay]

I'd like to ask everyone who's going to post a review in this thread: please use a spoiler box if you're going to give away any significant plot points. Thank you.

[RedBoot]

I'll definetly be checking it out at my local theatre as early as possible tomorrow...I got a free CB:The Movie postcard there the other day...

[Eddy]

The theatre showing it that's closest to me is about and hour and fourty minutes away... Sigh... I sure hope I can see it... :(

[Evil Dr. Reef]

I'm going to the Main Art Theater in Royal Oak, Friday night at 9:45. Look for the fatass in the Cowboy Bebop shirt and Waterford Mott varsity jacket.

[J.C.]

Have already seen the movie subbed, but going to wait till I see it in theaters before posting my thoughts on this. This is going to be my first anime to view on the big screen, so I'm really looking forward to it.

[outcastja]

New York Times gave the movie a 2/5, I wouldn't give them much credit when the reviewer wrote "the imposing but uninteresting cyborg Jet Black"

Currently has a Fresh rating at RottenTomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/CowboyBebopTheMovie-1116623/)

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Heh. Up here in Toronto, mainstream reviews pretty much follow the lines of, "It's no Spirited Away."

Myself, I've seen a while ago, and as a CB fan, I'd put it around 3/5. I can imagine for non-fans it might be much less entertaining. Sorry.

[jrh31584]

TV Guide gave it 3/5, saying that "fervent fans of the original Cowboy Bebop series...may be disappointed that the feature cuts to the chase and lets character development fall where it may." That was about the only negative I found in the review (http://www.tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=44549).

[tlsmith1963]

I will be seeing it tomorrow at the Ken Cinema in San Diego. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars, since I have seen the subbed version.

Tammy

[Y3k-Bug]

New York Times gave the movie a 2/5, I wouldn't give them much credit when the reviewer wrote "the imposing but uninteresting cyborg Jet Black"

Currently has a Fresh rating at RottenTomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/CowboyBebopTheMovie-1116623/)

I find no reason to disagree with that comment. Jet is woefully underused in the movie, as is every single member of the Bebop, sans Spike. While it was a very entertaining, I wouldn't say that Knockin' on Heaven's Door was all that good as a movie. And maybe its just me, but it felt overly long. I'd give it a 2.5/5

[Floydian Slip]

seen it long ago, it still rules
9.5/10

[Vekou]

I find no reason to disagree with that comment. Jet is woefully underused in the movie, as is every single member of the Bebop, sans Spike. While it was a very entertaining, I wouldn't say that Knockin' on Heaven's Door was all that good as a movie. And maybe its just me, but it felt overly long. I'd give it a 2.5/5
I think the reason he's complaining is because they call Jet a cyborg.

Even though I saw the premiere at Anime Expo (which was subbed), I will probably go to see the dub down at Ken Cinema in San Diego this weekend.

My local newspaper gave it 2 stars and a very brief review in which they don't even say their opinions of it, they just talk about the plot and how it's eerily reminiscent of modern times.

I give it a 4/5. Very good, but could have been better.

[Sheamon]

I think the reason he's complaining is because they call Jet a cyborg.


Maybe because he is a cyborg? :p One doesn't have to be completely robot to be a cyborg.

[randomguy]

Well, I caught a nice, quiet 5:00 showing, and I'm glad, because the 7:30 showing's line was long enough to sell out several times over. I saw it in a nice, small, intimate theater with a several friends of mine. It was definitely a nice experience, and I snagged an extra copy of the poster... a real "Woo-hoo!" kind of experience.

As for the movie itself, I saw it at the Austin Film Festival (dubbed) back in October, but I'm glad I saw it again- it was MUCH better the second time around. Change my rating from "satisfying" to "great". Not flawless, but hugely enjoyable if you're a Bebop fan. This whole thing is spoiler-less, by the way.

First I'll address the cast. The US voice cast is back, as well as the dub writer and director from the series, and I couldn't be happier. I always thought Bebop worked better in English, and the cast pulls off their best work yet. All of the original actors settle seamlessly back into their roles, as if they never left them. If I didn't know this was originally a foreign language film, I might have figured it an English picture from the beginning. The cast is that good. The new characters are excellently dubbed as well and fit in just fine with the standard cast. One character in particular is given a Guy Ritchie-ish accent, and it works surprisingly well. Oh, and the original voices are used for all of the cameo characters. I wouldn't want to spoil anything... The dub script is similiarly excellent, accurate to the original with a some flair of its own thrown in (much like the series itself). Really, you couldn't ask for more, and I'm glad Destination went to the trouble of reassembling the cast, because they really make the film.

The music... good God, the music. Unsurprisingly, it's superb, so good it almost draws attention to itself. Kanno's vocal pieces show a surprising diversity, and all are well-written, well-performed, and fit into the film well. The series' trademark jazz action sequence background themes are also quite good. The song that played over the end credits had to be good... and it thankfully is. I pray that a soundtrack sees release somehow.

The animation is solid but not spectacular. More important is the art and direction. The art really stands out- the cityscapes are spectacular, the character and ship designs are excellent, and the scenery is evocative and well-realized. Some VERY live-action-ish practices are used in the direction, and this approach works well. Dramtic pans, overhead shots, POV shots, and other camera tricks more common to live-action help create a very real-feeling world. The animation is fluid enough but not astounding... worth watching carefully for, however, are the lighting effects. Well-utilized shadows add a surprising amount to the atmosphere. Animation rocks when it needs to, though... the action scenes are spectacularly done, with the hand-to-hand fight scenes showcasing a fluidity and sense of impact in a manner unparalleled by other animes. Simply put, these martial arts sequences are some of the best ever put to film.

One sequence in particular bears mentioning, but I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't describe it. I will, howver, say that it showcases the most impressive moving-camera animation I've ever seen. Normally, anime uses a static camera or a panning motion to create a sense of movement. A more dramatic camera, such as the one used in live-action car chase scenes, is rarely used; to animate every single thing onscreen, with new objects constantly scrolling into and out of the frame, is notoriously difficult. Cowboy Bebop pulls off the single best usage of a dramatic, speedily-moving chase camera in any animation ever. It's spectacular, truly breathtaking, to view. You can see the animation budget melting away onscreen. Your mouth hangs agape.

As for the content itself, most everything is good. Although the movie is Spike-heavy, each member of the Bebop cast gets at least one moment to shine, while many of the series' recurring characters get excellently done cameos. The premise is a smart one... the bioterrorism angle isn't new to the Cowboy Bebop, but it's well-developed here, and a nice amount of conspiracy is built up around it. The plot ain't revolutionary, but it's multifaceted enough to pave the way for a solid mix of action, comedy, and drama, which is important. It builds well, and the scenes flow quite smoothly. It could stand to be a little shorter, but most of the content has some merit. The opening is mind-numbingly cool and slick, and the ending is poignant and appropriate (stick around through the credits or you don't get the whole thing).

The movie-exclusive characters are all quite excellent. There are two main ones, and a couple of supporting ones, and all are superbly fleshed out. Each posesses some amount of depth, and their dialogue and actions are consistent.

Action scenes rule. They don't fly as fast as I wish they would, and I would have killed for another space combat scene (with the Redtail or Hammerhead, preferably), but there's a fair amount of gunplay and martial arts.

A big accomplishment of the film is how immersive it is. It creates a very, very, intensely real worl. Cowboy Bebop was always good at that on TV, but the movie ups the ante. This realization of Mars is a living, breathing colony, populated with honest-to-God people. There's a cohesive feeling that you're in this world, equal parts fantasy and reality, present and future, and that's quite unique. Spike seems less like the center of the universe here and more like a guy who's just living out one of a million stories happening on Mars that week. It's hard to describe, but it's a compelling dynamic.

Similiar to eps like Waltz for Venus and Jupiter Jazz, there's an underlying tragedy here, and it's as well-done as in either of those eps, with some powerful symbolism thrown in to illustrate things even better. I don't want to give anything away, but this is a deep and thoughtful story, without feeling too heavy-handed or melodramatic. That is, in and of itself, an accomplishment. This is possibly the last piece of Bebop to ever be animated, and everyone involved knows that, so the whole film is imbued with a sort of bittersweet feel. There's also a few genuinely disturbing, tense, and haunting moments. These will make you uncomfortable, might surprise, and will make you squirm. None, however, are gratuitous.

There are, however, a few problems. Though Faye and Ed fill their roles nicely, Jet is massively under-utilized, and feels like an afterthought. Other than that... there's a bit too much exposition, the cool Japanese title is gone, and it lacks a certain, Cowboy Bebop flair. It doesn't always have that "spark". There's a few genuinely Bebop moments, but at times, it feels to plodding, and the massive, real-feeling world overrides the characters.

All in all, however, it's strongly reccomened. Sony's given it a respectable release, and I urge you to see it if you can.

[RedBoot]

I caught a 2:30 afternoon showing myself, I've been kinda mulling over the film all evening. I'm already planning on catching it again sometime in the next few days.

Anyway, it was great. I know some people have been kinda iffy on it, but I loved it. It's definetly the best anime movie I've ever seen, save possibly Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust (please note I prefer series to movies, so I haven't seen a whole lot. Plus I've never seen a Miyazaki film other than about 30 minutes of Mononoke).

The action scenes were great, as has been said. I too don't want to spoil much, but be sure and watch for a fight scene involving Spike, Electra, and a mop. The final battle between Spike and Vincent atop what I assume to be the Mars equivilent of the Tokyo/Effiel Tower was also great.

Jet was a bit underused, but I felt Faye, Ed, and Ein got ample screentime. Ed and Ein have a particularly entertaining sequence all their own. Jet did get a few scenes, but they were usually shared with someone else. He didn't get much solo time.

About the cameos...I saw:

Bob from the ISSP was in there, when he talked with Jet at the Western Movie. The three old guys were in it a few times, and they even got to play a small part in the final scenes. That indian guy popped up as well, though I suppose it wasn't necessarily the same guy...and, if you looked real closely during the Halloween Parade, you might just have caught sight of good ol' Samurai Andy.

Did I miss any?

Anyway, Bebop fans will obviously love this. Definetly recommended.

Also...I thought about the possibility of this being on AS someday...I think it could make it. The only language problem, unless I missed one, is an s-word near the beginning of the fim (one of the funniest parts of the movie, too). The blood would have to be toned down, but that's nothing new. Honestly, I kinda wonder why this was rated R. It probably could have barely grabbed a PG-13. Perhaps they just wanted to make it clear to parents that it wasn't a kiddie film. At any rate, the R rating is probably the only thing that would stop it from being on AS. After all, if AS can't advertise for R rated films, I doubt it could show one.

[Galaxia]

I just came back from the 9:35 showing at the Angelika Film Center - before I get into the movie, I just have to say this: what an awesome theater! The sound was just incredible! :sheep:

Anyhoo, this was my 2nd time seeing it dubbed (first time was at BAAF last August), and I loved each and every minute of it. My heart was racing during the whole movie, and I'm definitely seeing it again :) 10/10

[hs232]

I haven't seen the movie yet, but read many reviews. What really makes me angry is that most of the reviews compare CB:The Movie to Spirited Away or Metropolis. Those three are compelety DIFFERENT films. Would anyone compare Vin Diesel's XXX to Alice in Wonderland (although I did hear XXX sucks.)? They wouldn't compare the two. The critics don't know anything about anime so they just compare to recent anime movie releases.

[Amano Ginji]

*Just bought tickets to the 3:30 showing*

[Skynet2029]

ive seen in in subbed already before it was even annonced that it was gonna be in dub, I probably wont be able to see it because nowhere near me is showing it (ever hear of a place called north carolina ya retards at Columbia :mad: ) But it is a good movie and if they get it on dvd ill definatly get that.

[Ben]

I haven't seen the movie yet, but read many reviews. What really makes me angry is that most of the reviews compare CB:The Movie to Spirited Away or Metropolis. Those three are compelety DIFFERENT films. Would anyone compare Vin Diesel's XXX to Alice in Wonderland (although I did hear XXX sucks.)? They wouldn't compare the two. The critics don't know anything about anime so they just compare to recent anime movie releases.

I wouldn't be that hard on them. Metropolis and Spirited Away are the two most recent Japanese animated films to be released in the US market -- they invite comparison, especially since both Metropolis and CB are science fiction.

As I expected, I liked the dubbed version much more than the subtitled one (saw it at AX '02 and the Egyptian). However, I found that I looked at the film a different way this time. Now that I'm studying terrorism and mass war, I think I am more receptive to the ideas of the film now than I was before. The idea that being a part of an industrial-scale slaughter on Titan disconnected Vincent from reality came through to me much more clearly this time around. The film highlights the very real generations of people in this world who have spent more of their lives at war than at peace, and the filmmakers deserve kudos for that. Taken as a work independent of the series, Vincent and Electra really are the only main characters; the Bebop crew are simply narrative devices.

[Amano Ginji]

Wow, this was a really good movie!

I laughed pretty hard when I saw Ein with the pumpkin on his head

The fight scenes were very well choreographed.

I loved the scene when the army planes were chasing Spike, it really felt like you were actually there!

I give this movie a 10/10.


:D

[DanniB]

I saw it yesterday and now my life is complete. What can I say that hasn't already been said? We'll I must agree this was a shining moment for Spike and Jet was underused unfortunatly. I think they did the set up of the movie well. If you hadn't seen the series you'd beable to understand most of the movie but real fans of the show would be able to pick up on the small details and appreciate them. The movie could have been easily translated into a live action film and at many times I thought I was actulay watching one. The action scenes espeacialy.

[Vekou]

Maybe because he is a cyborg? :p One doesn't have to be completely robot to be a cyborg.
He has a cybernetic arm... that doesn't make him a cyborg.

Trigun Spoilers
Vash has a cybernetic arm... according to you, would that make him a cyborg?

[Amano Ginji]

>_<

I thought that this was a Bebop thread. WHY ARE YOU POSTING TRIGUN SPOILERS IN HERE?
I thought that since this was a Bebop thread, that there would only be Bebop spoilers....

I looked at the spoiler......

;_;

Please mark *Trigun spoilers* above that so no one else will have it spoiled.

Fixed it. -Joe

[Umino]

Just saw it today. My mom drive like a madman today just to get to the Lowes in NYC. :p I was so happy because I have never been to a theather in NYC and I was happy to see Bebop on the big screen. It was a very well animated movie. The characters were just the same as always. Faye the lazy one, Jet the wise one, Spike the guy, and ED the werido. The new characters were also great. However Electra's voice kinda annoyed me since she sounds like Sedusa (PPG). Also there were some down right funny ass parts too:
-"And you take to long to take a s***!"
-"I love the kind of woman that can kick my ass."
-Ed during the whole movie
-The gang walking away from Faye
-Spike greeting Electra in the jail
-Spike asking for a "cig"

Overall the movie were great. However I still question the title change, the title: KNOCKIN ON HEAVAN'S DOOR was the whole point of the movie, and it even sounds darn right cool.

Also what up with the "R" rating? I had trouble seeing it because of that! The movie was pretty "PG-13" to me...

[Opaque]

I have theJapanese version, so I knew what the story was about, but hearing it in english was amazing... 10/10, also I had to drive forty miles to see it and wait in line for three hours... good times...

[JeffTMBG]

Just got back from seeing the movie. I had avoided the fansubs for awhile, knowing how much cooler it would be to see it for the first time on the big screen. I'm glad I did. Excellent flick, and the dub cast was sensational. Stephen Jay Blum (aka David Lucas) and Wendee Lee put in especially impressive performances. Get out and see this movie now!

[Nik Jam]

OMG BEST MOVIE EVER 10/10

er.. in seriousness, it was great, VERY good, Its nice to see some more of my favirote show for once. Too bad Bebop's over. I've seen all of it. But its about time.

[Galaxia]

This is taken from The Jazz Messengers (http://www.jazzmess.com):

4/6/03 -- Box office numbers for KOHD. - Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cowboybebop.htm) has the weekend numbers for Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Currently it's got a $4,579 per theater average. An odd thing about this page is that it states that the opening date for the movie is April 11. I wonder if they know something we don't?

Very interesting....

[Pokejedservo]

It really was a great movie wasn't it? And personally I am one of the few (if not only) folks who think that Jet actually WASN'T overused he still had ample screen-time in the ship and his talk with Bob from the ISSP was a VERY nice touch. Could he have actually had MORE screentime you ask? It's quite possible but I wouldn't consider her now Faye & Ed & Ein wasted.

And I too hope that the movie will be getting a BETTER widescreen release cause I may've seen the flick subbed but I would also like to see it dubbed as well. (ESPECIALLY in theaters if possible.) And while it doesn't have the depth of episodes such as "Ballad of Fallen Angels" and the like this wasn't meant to be a character study of the Bebop crew all that much. CB did certainly have episodes that were character studies and others that weren't, this flick was just simply a part of the latter half. And besides it wasn't exactly all that lightweight itself.

And if you want you can rate the movie here at...

http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=7452

Pokejedservo

[Y3k-Bug]

I haven't seen the movie yet, but read many reviews. What really makes me angry is that most of the reviews compare CB:The Movie to Spirited Away or Metropolis. Those three are compelety DIFFERENT films. Would anyone compare Vin Diesel's XXX to Alice in Wonderland (although I did hear XXX sucks.)? They wouldn't compare the two. The critics don't know anything about anime so they just compare to recent anime movie releases.

While it isn't fair to compare the 2 films, there is something to be said for pitting films from the same genre together. As a mainstream American movie critic, my biggest grip with CB: The Movie would be its sometimes very silly exposition.

For instance, when Vincent is shot on the "Martian Eifel Tower", he goes into how he was planning on killing an entire planet filled with people because "I just wanted to find the door, but now I realise, there was no door..."

Or

The entire bit with the Native Americans after Spike is shot aboard the train.

Who knows, maybe I'm just not hip or cool enough to appreciate these moments, but I just find them to be hopelessly goofy.

[Ben]

He has a cybernetic arm... that doesn't make him a cyborg.

Trigun Spoilers
Vash has a cybernetic arm... according to you, would that make him a cyborg?

Actually, it does (http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00056598?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=cyborg&edition=2e&first=1&max_to_show=10). Technically if you wear prescription glasses you're a cyborg.

[tlsmith1963]

I saw it yesterday in San Diego. I had seen the subbed version before, but I really like the dub cast & they were great in this movie. We got a pretty good crowd in the theater, & people seemed to enjoy it. I would have been more bummed after the movie ended if I hadn't read the interview with Watanabe at the Calendarlive site in which he said that there will probably be more Bebop. I don't think that it would be so bad to have at least a little more. I'm so sick of the fact that so many of my favorites seem to be so short-lived, anyway.

Tammy

[Kali]

Boxofficemojo.com has a weekend estimate of $247,000.

I wonder how well it will have to do in order to expand to wider, to like Pokemon4Ever's number of 249 screens.

[Damien]

:eek: There's a movie?

[Cogliostro]

I'm going to the Main Art Theater in Royal Oak, Friday night at 9:45. Look for the fatass in the Cowboy Bebop shirt and Waterford Mott varsity jacket.

Your kidding thats the day, place AND time I went. I don't think I seen you but I didn't read your post before going. Perhaps you heard my friends complaining that they didn't get to see Faye's boobs? lol They liked the movie a lot just wanted to see more of Faye lol.

I really liked the movie and will post my thoughts on it in a little while when I have more time. But I will say right now that I really liked Vincent, liked him so much that I'm thinking of/started to write a prequel script/movie. Haven't written much of it and it is real raw but still got a pretty good idea that will have characters from Bebop in it but probably not Spike since it will be more centered around Vincent. Well I'll post the opening scene and my thoughts on the movie like I said later.

[Ikwig]

Well, I got to go see the movie on Friday at the Loews Theater on 42nd St. in Manhattan. I went to the 7:50 show, which was sold out; luckily, one of my friends was farsighted enough to do online ticketbuying! I went with three other people, one of whom, like myself, has seen the entire series. Of the other two, one had seen a couple unrelated episodes, and one had never seen any Bebop. When we walked out of the theater after the film, the one who had seen only a little Bebop turned to me and said, "That was surprisingly engaging." Believe me, coming from this guy that was a five-star review! :D

Personally, I was as drawn into the movie as I have been by many of the episodes. It had all the marks of quality which I have come to expect from Bebop: incredible music, three-dimensional characters, gorgeous artwork, and a script with no major, gaping plotholes. It flowed smoothly like an extra-long episode, with plenty of details for fans of the series to notice. However, unlike some movies based on series, it can also stand alone: my friend who had no acquaintance with Bebop whatsoever was still drawn into the plot and sitting on the edge of her seat by the end of the film.

I have to say that I disagree with others who feel that Jet was underutilized. In the series, different eps focus on different characters, with the other members of the Bebop playing supporting roles. In this big screen ep, the main focus was on Spike, and, somewhat less, on Faye; so of course Ed, Jet and Ein don't have as much screentime. But each character did get their own "moment". I think if they'd tried to focus on every person from the Bebop crew, it just would have made the movie confused.

I will definitely go to see it again, if it comes someplace a little closer to home (I was going to be in the NYC area anyway this weekend, in order to hang out with a friend who's moving to the West Coast). In the meantime, I'm giving it an A+.

[tlsmith1963]

I met someone at the screening in San Diego who loves anime but who had never seen Bebop. She ended up loving the movie & wanted to see the series. So I told her that it is on Cartoon Network, & also out on DVD. I think Bebop has another fan! :)

Tammy

[Cogliostro]

I met someone at the screening in San Diego who loves anime but who had never seen Bebop. She ended up loving the movie & wanted to see the series. So I told her that it is on Cartoon Network, & also out on DVD. I think Bebop has another fan! :)

Tammy

Good to hear! More the better. :cool:

[Evil Dr. Reef]

Your kidding thats the day, place AND time I went. I don't think I seen you but I didn't read your post before going. Perhaps you heard my friends complaining that they didn't get to see Faye's boobs? lol They liked the movie a lot just wanted to see more of Faye lol.
Heh... I didn't hear you guys, but I was sitting in the very back and center of the theater. If you heard someone say "Pele!" during the Ed/Transvestite scene, that was me. :D Anyway, onto the movie. The dub was great, the animation was great, and the music kicked ass. Overall, an A is what it deserves until I can write an expanded review later over at AI.

[Conekiller]

Perhaps you heard my friends complaining that they didn't get to see Faye's boobs?


Thank GOD I'm not the only fool who was put off by that bit of teasing (as if there wasn't enough teasing in the show) ^___^

I havn't seen it Dubbed yet, but I have "aquired" a subbed version of it and have seen it a few times. I'll fully review the movie when/if I cna see it in my area but I have this to say

it's kinda sad that Electra got more characterization that Julia did

Also, anyone with mechanical enhancements to their body is a cyborg. even if Jet only hat that little plate under his eye, he'd stiull be a cyborg.

Spike's a cyborg too, he's got a robo-eye.

I guess Ein's a cyborg too, isnm't his brian made with computer chips?

[Behonkiss]

Well, I borrowed a bootleg subbed DVD from a friend, and am ready to watch this weekend. Not as good as seeing the dub in theatres, but good enough. I'm quite excited.

[eek!]

Yeah, that movie totally rocked. I loved when Faye said that quip about the peeping toms. I'm glad she wasn't exposed, leave the humiliation to other things. What I love about Faye is that she is seductive and uses her sexuality as a device without actually using it. No need for degradation.

[R Chocolate]

I managed to see Cowboy Bebop:The Movie and really liked. I was surprised they didn't use the TV show's famous theme in the movie but on the whole I was satisfied. Some classic Bebop moments here and there; such as the scene with Jet and his police partner at the drive-in watching the old Western movie. The movie definitely had more action and was also more grimmer, philosophical, talkative than the movie so I can see why some people were put off by it. Though to me that only made the movie more interesting; more adult than the usual Bebop episodes on TV. It's a good movie I recommend seeing even if you're not a Bebop/anime fan.

[Char Aznable]

I love Bebop and I really want to see the movie but he's the problem:

I LIVE IN HOUSTON,TX AND THERE'S NO SCREENING OF THE MOVIE EVER COMING HERE! ALSO, I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JUNE TILL THE DVD COMES OUT! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

DragonBall Z ALPHA
http://members.xoom.it/dbzalpha

[randomguy]

Just drive to Austin, Char. It only takes about three and a half hours, two if you're especially saucy.

[Cyporiean]

Just found out its coming to the Universal Cineplex here in Orlando on May 9th, so I'm happy now finally get to see it on the big ass screen instead of a 352x240 mpeg file..

[tlsmith1963]

Just found out its coming to the Universal Cineplex here in Orlando on May 9th, so I'm happy now finally get to see it on the big ass screen instead of a 352x240 mpeg file..

Hey, maybe this means it's going to a wider release. That's fantastic!

Tammy

[livingfruitvirus]

according to Box Office Mojo, it's now in 23 theaters.

[Vekou]

I went Sunday at the 11:50 showing in Irvine. Was anyone else there? I cheered when the Sunrise logo came up.

Good dub as usual, and the movie was as good as I remember it from AX. I can watch this movie over and over again... the fight scenes never get old for me.

[David Lucas]

Galvatron, where in Orlando. I'm around UCF, and if I do not see this movie. I must jump off several buildings.

[Conekiller]

Galvatron, where in Orlando. I'm around UCF, and if I do not see this movie. I must jump off several buildings.

If it is, that would make sence seeing as UCF holds their JACO meetings there, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for them to rally up a buch of anime fans and field trip on over there.

[Taco Addict]

He has a cybernetic arm... that doesn't make him a cyborg.

uhhh yes it does... as dictionary.com defines it a cyborg is "a human who has certain physiological processes aided or controlled by mechanical or electronic devices." And that is pretty much exactly what jet is.


Trigun Spoilers
Vash has a cybernetic arm... according to you, would that make him a cyborg?

Yes that would make him a cyborg. I mean heck somebody with a pacemaker is technically a cyborg.

edit: heh oops forgot to say I saw the movie last saturday and it was awesome. So good i might go see it agian this friday. I give it a 10/10.

[wrenchien]

is this between the middle of the series and its end , this movie, as pertains to the continuity of the series?

cause at the end, ed takes off to be with her dad with ein in tow, and the other two are stranded on mars as spike has his final battle... with no chance of a reunion.

I still think jet (that cyborg ex-cop) and faye, the gambling addict, both probably starve.. but ed, finds daddy, yay.. if that series ever was continued past its end..

not really a happy ending, but not all stories seem to have them , even in rl .. :/

[Coollead]

I've said it before, I'll say it again. BEST. MOVIE. EVER.

The theater = packed, when I saw it at 7:20 on a Thursday night last week. Better than the show, if you ask me, and the show rocks.

Ask D.N.A. > Tank! x 200

Whats up, sweetcakes
Who's hip, anyway
Earth girls, are easy
Whatchu gonna do, little buckaroo
Hey you, better ask her nice!
All you gotta do, happy fool,
Is ask your mom.

[Galaxia]

is this between the middle of the series and its end , this movie, as pertains to the continuity of the series?

It's between episodes 22 and 23 :)

[Andrew]

Galvatron, where in Orlando. I'm around UCF, and if I do not see this movie. I must jump off several buildings.
You know where Universal Studios is, right? Loews Cineplex is in Citywalk, their shopping/entertainment area. Just hop on the East-West to I-4, then get off at Universal. Parking's free after 6:00PM.

You can find showtimes for it here (http://www.loewscineplex.com/nowplaying/index.cfm?state=FL&city=Orlando), though the schedule isn't updated that far yet. Check again about a week before May 10th.

And while you're at it, check out the free monthly midnight anime showing (http://anime.jyu.fi/~fleggett/nowshowing.html) at the Cineplex.

[Cyporiean]

Galvatron, where in Orlando. I'm around UCF, and if I do not see this movie. I must jump off several buildings.

what Mr. Eyebrows said is correct..



that and there seems to be a few Orlando folks around here.. creepy.. ^_^

[livingfruitvirus]

Just found out its coming to the Universal Cineplex here in Orlando on May 9th, so I'm happy now finally get to see it on the big ass screen instead of a 352x240 mpeg file..

is that the one in City Walk? i forget, do you have to pay a separate price to get into City Walk like the other Universal themeparks?

[Cyporiean]

is that the one in City Walk? i forget, do you have to pay a separate price to get into City Walk like the other Universal themeparks?

yea thats where it is, and I'm pretty sure City Walk is free to roam around in (like DownTown Disney)

[Kali]

I LIVE IN HOUSTON,TX AND THERE'S NO SCREENING OF THE MOVIE EVER COMING HERE! ALSO, I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JUNE TILL THE DVD COMES OUT! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

DragonBall Z ALPHA
http://members.xoom.it/dbzalpha


Don't fret. It'll be starting May 9th at this theater in Houston:

http://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/houston/comingsoon.asp

:)

Sonypictures.com has updated the theaters listings. New listings include: Madison, WI; Indianapolis, IN; Pittsburgh, PA; Montgomery, AL; Nashville, TN; Gainsville, FL; Sante Fe, NM; Tampa, FL; Tempe, AZ; Hartford, CT; Cleveland, OH; Columbus, OH; New Orleans, LA; etc.

It was postponed for some reason in Portland, OR. Was supposed to come out on the 18th, but will be starting here on May 2nd.

[David Lucas]

Holy tap dancing christ.

There's an ad for it in the UCF Newspaper. AMAZING

[Steven C]

Bebop the movie was awesome!!!!

[Andrew]

that and there seems to be a few Orlando folks around here.. creepy.. ^_^
You noticed that too, huh? ;)

Holy tap dancing christ.

There's an ad for it in the UCF Newspaper. AMAZING
I'll do you one better. Guess what trailer was played before X-Men 2 when I saw it at the Cineplex Sunday night? :cool:

[Kali]

You noticed that too, huh? ;)


I'll do you one better. Guess what trailer was played before X-Men 2 when I saw it at the Cineplex Sunday night? :cool:


Oh, wow! :) That would be so cool!

I saw it on May 3rd. The dubbing was wonderful! It was wonderful! :) The only downside was the parking nightmare for the respective theater. It's moved to a Regal cinema for this upcoming weekend, and I plan on seeing it again. :)

Oh, and oregonlive.com picked it as its #2 (out of 5) movie picks of the week for last weekend. This weekend its at #4 (Behind the opening Mighty Wind, X-2, and Raising Victor Vargas.)

[Anarky]

I read Bebop is screening at Universal CityWalk. It was reviewed in this weekend's Calendar section. (May 9th). Is it subtitled or English?

Glad I don't have to go to Gaineville to view it.
CityWalk has a rep for bringing in "other" stuff, I heard they presented Transformers: The Movie. I'd love to see Batman: Mask of the Phantasm again.

[Jimmy Kustes]

Coming to Louisville KY this week! The best showing in the whole United States!

[livingfruitvirus]

anyone living in South Florida might like to know it's playing in Ft. Lauderdale and South Beach.

[Jimmy Kustes]

They gave out Pocky to everyone that went to the show. The guy tearing tickets had the actual Vash sunglasses and outfit. You would have thought it was the Trigun movie. They had Trigun playing on the TVs in the lobby. Someone even dressed up as Wolfwood.

Everyone was into it, they clapped at the end. Everyone laughed at Spike saying, "you take too long to take a ****" and Ed hanging on to Spike's leg.

My friend laughed at how the guy called drugs, "imagination enhancers" I liked how Ed balanced the computer on her head.

I got pictures of us dressed up. I don't know when I'll scan them.

[Conekiller]

I wish I could have gone, maybe MEET some of you people (IU'm headig back up to UCF for JACON tho! I'm the affro wearin Nabeshin)

I hope it's still in southbeach, now that I've got matrix out of my system (or is it the other way around?) I'll probably see it Dubbed (finally) this weekend

[SpaceCowboy]

I saw the movie back in April at a theatre in New York.
Having seen a fansub of it earlier, I was impressed how good the dubbing was. I'm glad the same director and cast was assembled as the TV series dub.
Although, I wonder why they decided to give Samson a British accent.

For some reason, the print was pretty grainy. Maybe I'm too used to watching films on TV. Looking forward to the DVD! :)

[JustJack]

I saw it about a week ago...I've just been speachless all this time. My only complaint was the theater my girl and I saw it in...the seats wern't made for cuddling. I kinda got my arm into a position so that she wouldn't be leaning on the arm-rest all night...but then I couldn't drive for about 15 minutes after it was over...heh...anyway. Onto the film!

Leave it to those Bones guy's to out-do the series with some of the best imagery possible. It's always those unnecessary details writen in, which gives the entire thing a little extra umph. Like the butterflies.
Vincent was a great character...loved the design...loved who and what he was. It wasn't played out like all amnesia stories are...it had something else to it...maybe just the fact that he didn't complain about it?
Good to actually see a little bit of fear in his eye's as Vincent flung him out that window. It was also kinda weird to see Spike actually flirt. It really didn't bother me, infact it was pretty funny...but it always seemed to me that Spike would never show any affection towards anyone other than Julia. Oh well...speaking of her, Spike's one Julia speach in the film actually worked. I assumed that any attempt to have Spike make reference to her in this movie, wouldn't work. But it was just right. Loved it.
Electra...I can't describe it, but there was just something amazing about her character design. She just lit up the screen whenever she came on....hmm.
I kinda found it funny that Faye is kinda concidered the pinacle of fanservice, yet we never ever see her nekkid. And while her shirt was cut...we never saw anything. In my opinion...that's brilliant, and friggin' hillarious. She's a tease in so many way's.
The action sequences were brilliant, as they always are in Bebop. They wern't drawn out too long...they were fun, serious. Spike and Vincent just ripped into eachother at the end. I've always loved the shakey camera effect.

Overall...I loved it with a passion.

[Aurochs]

I missed my one chance to see this movie, and am direly bummed, so I don't have any real review of the movie, but I do have to vent about the reviews the mainstream has been slopping out. All of the Cowboy Bebop movie reviews in the papers are so asinine. On the one hand there are closed-minded jingoists who can't concieve giving anything a higher rating then a two that didn't originate from America and doesn't fall under one of the pre-set American genres and formulas who say things about it being "boring" and "pretentious", who condemn the movie to otakus because it's from Japan and use outdated slang like "Japanamation". And on the other hand there action movie fetishists who blindly praise the movie without knowing anything about it, because they enjoy proverbially masturbating to action movies. Cowboy Bebop isn't an "awesome wild ride" or whatever the hell cheesy catchphrase they want to use. Cowboy Bebop is only superficially an anime, I think people should take into account the dialogue and poetry of the show. They did have to go to a school to become film critics, after all. And then there are pretentious faux cosmopolitans who fellate Spirited Away throughout their review of Cowboy Bebop, comparing the two films blindly. What does Spirited Away have to do with anything. I find the Tripple X/Alice in Wonderland analogy apt. (Although if we want to get technical, the Alice in Wonderland story is British) This may sound pretentious, but I say Americans shouldn't be allowed to review things. I think our taxes should go towards importing French, Japanese, and Indian people into America to review movies for us.

Alright, I'm done venting. But a question; Is KOHD's dubbed version out on DVD yet?

[Amano Ginji]

Alright, I'm done venting. But a question; Is KOHD's dubbed version out on DVD yet?

June 24th.

[Amano Ginji]

You can buy it at Amazon.com for $20.21.

Here. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JMBJ/toonzone03/102-3520693-5820120)

[Jimmy Kustes]

My pictures didn't develope right :(

[Jimmy Kustes]

They mentioned the movie on Adult Swim Monday.

[Spastic Minnow]

It's finally coming to Milwaukee.

The Cowboy Bebop movie plays for one week only at the Landmark Oriental Theater starting Friday June 13.

[Steven C]

It's finally coming to Milwaukee.

The Cowboy Bebop movie plays for one week only at the Landmark Oriental Theater starting Friday June 13.

and its gonna be on DVD a week and a half later!

[Jimmy Kustes]

I was able to get my cosplay pictures. i'll be sure to show them.

[Chris Wood]

Finally saw the DVD, and it was pretty cool. It does feel like an extended TV episode, but it's a very well done one. I prefer the Japanese dialogue as usual, but the voices for Faye and the kid are incredibly grating. The final fight on the tower has to be the best choreographed hand-to-hand combat I've ever seen in a cartoon.

I was left with a few questions though:

What's up with that aerial battle near the end?? There is no explanation, other than Spike saying the soldiers have too much time on their hands. Does the military have a price on his head? This scene looked extremely cool, but didn't seem to connect with the story.

What happens between Faye and Vincent? Is there a rape there, or do we see the whole story?

And not really a question but it seems rather unlikely that the haphazard method of spreading the vaccine would succeed in protecting everyone from the virus.

[Chris Wood]

All of the Cowboy Bebop movie reviews in the papers are so asinine. On the one hand there are closed-minded jingoists who can't concieve giving anything a higher rating then a two that didn't originate from America and doesn't fall under one of the pre-set American genres and formulas who say things about it being "boring" and "pretentious", who condemn the movie to otakus because it's from Japan and use outdated slang like "Japanamation". And on the other hand there action movie fetishists who blindly praise the movie without knowing anything about it, because they enjoy proverbially masturbating to action movies. Cowboy Bebop isn't an "awesome wild ride" or whatever the hell cheesy catchphrase they want to use. Cowboy Bebop is only superficially an anime, I think people should take into account the dialogue and poetry of the show. They did have to go to a school to become film critics, after all. And then there are pretentious faux cosmopolitans who fellate Spirited Away throughout their review of Cowboy Bebop, comparing the two films blindly. What does Spirited Away have to do with anything. I find the Tripple X/Alice in Wonderland analogy apt. (Although if we want to get technical, the Alice in Wonderland story is British) This may sound pretentious, but I say Americans shouldn't be allowed to review things.


You're right. "Pretentious" doesn't even begin to describe that rant.

[randomguy]

For those that might be interested, Best Buy has it on sale this week for $18.

[DianaGohan]

Is the advertisment from Best Buy a reason to sticky this thread once again?

[The Drizzle]

Is the advertisment from Best Buy a reason to sticky this thread once again?

I think there should be a seperate thread for reviews of the DVD.

EDIT: Nevermind. I see this one's been stickied again. :sweat:

[Steven C]

i bought mine at BB for 17.99 :D

[randomguy]

I picked mine up today, and it's a solid DVD release. The video quality is pretty good, although the blacks could use a little work. The extras are great- each of the character-centric featurettes has great interviews and genuine insights into the Bebop crew. There are 100 images in the concept art gallery, and some of them are quite interesting. The storyboard comparisons are fascinating (if only to see which characters Watanabe can draw and which ones he can't), and the textless opening and ending themes are appreciated. I'm also glad to see the theatrical trailer... I rather enjoyed it. Worth noting are the menus, which replicate the interior of the Redtail in flight. Very nifty.

Plus, all of you that hate the cover art, take note: Although there isn't a reversible cover, the insert (which features the Japanese poster art) can be laid nice and cleanly over the front packaging, creating a cover that's 500% as cool. All it takes is 5 seconds of effort.

[Rei]

I picked up the DVD yesterday, although I didn't even know it was out. I just walked in to my local Suncoast looking for Big O volume 2 notice quite a few Bebop DVDs and since there was no Big O, bought it instead. The movie itself was fine, as I expected it to be. It played out as a much longer episode. The action sequences specifically with Spike and Vincent and camera work stood out the most. Lots of great extras too. Bios on the Bebop crew (well except Ein) featuring interviews with both English and Japanese voice actors. Storyboards, conceptual art designs, features on bringing it to the big screen. Plenty of extras make it worth buying,even if you already saw it.

Edit: I went back to the mall today and stopped by Suncoast again. I noticed that what had been about 10 or 12 copies of the movie was now around 3. Which is saying something considering there aren't too many anime fans in my mall.

[Dark]

I picked up my copy at best buy on release day and was pleased to notice the stock was pretty much gone. Hopefully thats telling of how well the movie sold. Good quality on the packaging except on my DVD Faye looks as if she has green skin. Ick. The animated menus were nice if a little busy and the DVD had good extra features and a solid Dolby audio track. The dub cast continues to be one of the best assembled for an anime, IMO. Obviously the visuals stand up to the standards set by the series, but I felt that the show was a little lacking in character development, especially because that's what made the series stand out. Overall, a great action flick, but thats about all it was.

[Mynd Hed]

I just saw it last night. Overall I thought it was a pretty good movie, but it did have its flaws. First, there were some pretty serious pacing problems. I thought it seemed pretty obvious that the crew was used to working within the constraints of a 30-minute television show. In the show it's okay to spend lots of time on what is essentially filler and pace things slowly, because an episode is only thirty minutes so the audience won't get bored because they know that there'll be a badass action scene in the third act. In the movie, on the other hand, things seem to drag a lot in certain points.

Second, while Vincent was certainly "cool" enough, I felt he lacked motivation. Sure, they went into his past and how he was part of the bloodbath that was the Titan war, but I still ended the movie thinking to myself, "Umm... so why did he want to kill everyone on Mars again?"

Third, there were a couple of fairly obvious plot holes, i.e. "Why are those military jets attacking Spike again? Oh, because we need to have a badass dogfight scene now? Oh, okay."

Fourth, and this is just a minor gripe mind you, did Jet's English VA seem just a little bit... off to anyone else?

Now, don't get me wrong, the movie had some good points as well: top-notch animation that improves on the show's animation without drastically changing the style (a la the Escaflowne movie), an absolutely AMAZING score by the always-wonderful Yoko Kanno, and fight scenes that rival anything the live-action American film industry has done in a while.

However, I did end the movie thinking that I was expecting something more. I felt that the plot could have worked just as well-- if not better-- as a two-parter in the series.

Folks who are already fans of Cowboy Bebop will enjoy this, just as I did. But if you're not into the series, there's nothing in the movie that will change your mind.

Overall Grade: B+

[Steven C]

SPOILERS
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I have a few questions about the movie.
1-How did Spike know to wander around the streets w/o any clue on whats going on besides in bioterrorism?
2-How did Vincient get the nanomachines again?

[Amano Ginji]

SPOILERS
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I have a few questions about the movie.
1-How did Spike know to wander around the streets w/o any clue on whats going on besides in bioterrorism?
2-How did Vincient get the nanomachines again?

Vincent was a test subject for the counter-nanomachines. So, I guess he could have been exposed to the nano-machines. It makes sense that he could have gotten the machines if he wanted to.....

So...that's how it happened...I guess...

[Cogliostro]

Second, while Vincent was certainly "cool" enough, I felt he lacked motivation. Sure, they went into his past and how he was part of the bloodbath that was the Titan war, but I still ended the movie thinking to myself, "Umm... so why did he want to kill everyone on Mars again?"

Third, there were a couple of fairly obvious plot holes, i.e. "Why are those military jets attacking Spike again? Oh, because we need to have a badass dogfight scene now? Oh, okay."

Fourth, and this is just a minor gripe mind you, did Jet's English VA seem just a little bit... off to anyone else?

Overall Grade: B+

Vincent's wanting to kill everyone...hmmm I'm not all to sure but wouldn't you want to kill everyone if all you seen was butterflies....I think so :p

Spike broke out of a military chemical base with knowledge about the nanaomachines and stold the cure to their "weapon". You don't think they would try to chase him down and kill him?

Jet's voice was sorta off at times but nothing big, better a little off with the right VA then getting a new VA for Jet.

[Dark]

SPOILERS

I have a few questions about the movie.
1-How did Spike know to wander around the streets w/o any clue on whats going on besides in bioterrorism?


Remember, Spike was born on Mars and I assume thats where he did most of his work with the Red Dragons. This is his home turf. Hence he knows all about who to contact in the underworld to find out about "beans".

[Chris Wood]

Why do the military planes attack Spike, other than to provide a convenient action sequence?

[randomguy]

Why do the military planes attack Spike, other than to provide a convenient action sequence?

My guess is that they tailed Spike and Elektra back to the Bebop and were intending to finish off what they were unable to do when the pair escaped from Cherious Medical. Remember, they wanted to wipe both of them out.

I'd agree with most everything Mynd Hed said. The pacing is all kinds of wonky, and there's a gaping plot hole or two. I'd say the film's biggest problem is that it does a terrible job trying to make Vincent sympathetic and explain his motivations. He works well as a stylized, imposing villian- I kinda wish they hadn't even bothered with trying to add depth to him. That, and the movie lacks a certain Bebop flair. It just doesn't jump off the screen the same way the series did.

[Steven C]

Remember, Spike was born on Mars and I assume thats where he did most of his work with the Red Dragons. This is his home turf. Hence he knows all about who to contact in the underworld to find out about "beans".


Oh yeah that was the other question I was gonna ask. Where did he get the idea to look for "beans"??

and did anyone noticed even the letterboxs flickered during the scene where jet and bob was watching the western

[Mynd Hed]

My guess is that they tailed Spike and Elektra back to the Bebop and were intending to finish off what they were unable to do when the pair escaped from Cherious Medical. Remember, they wanted to wipe both of them out.

I had forgotten about that-- that does make a little more sense. Although it still doesn't seem totally logical, since it seems like if they tracked them to the Bebop it would've been easier for them to try and take them on there rather than after Spike left, and that they probably would have tried to hassle Jet and his antique planes as well, but at least it makes more sense than random military jets just appearing out of nowhere and attacking Spike because they're bored. (-:

[Rei]

Fourth, and this is just a minor gripe mind you, did Jet's English VA seem just a little bit... off to anyone else?

His acting did seem fairly average for Beau Billingslea. Then again Jet didn't have too many memorable moments to show his acting talent in the movie. I felt that Ed's VA was off a bit. Not quite sure why, just didn't sound as good as in the series. Aside from that though everyone else sounded great. The only minor complaint I had was with Electra, but that's because I can't stand Jennifer Hale.

[uhhuhioi]

I think time was a major factor in why some of the voices sounded a little different. I remember the japanese voice actress for Ed said something like, "The production was delayed so long that when it came to record for the movie, I had forgotten how I had done Ed in the audition and show."

[Chris Wood]

My guess is that they tailed Spike and Elektra back to the Bebop and were intending to finish off what they were unable to do when the pair escaped from Cherious Medical. Remember, they wanted to wipe both of them out.
.

But if I understood the story correctly, the military at large was not involved in the virus project. It was begin run in secret by Cherious, which was a contractor for the military. So, the military should have been busy hunting down the Cherious people and Vincent and not cared about Spike. Or am I missing something?

[God_of_Death]

[-Removed-]

P.S. Edward's VA(s) is(are) majorly cute...damn...

[outcastja]

[-Removed-]
P.S. Edward's VA(s) is(are) majorly cute...damn...[-Also Removed-]

[The Landstander]

Check the FAQ; no talk of the Lucas/Blum thing.

[ClockStomper]

I'd agree with most everything Mynd Hed said. The pacing is all kinds of wonky, and there's a gaping plot hole or two.

I think the problem is that they stetched it another 30 minutes longer than what was in the original script.

I'd say the film's biggest problem is that it does a terrible job trying to make Vincent sympathetic and explain his motivations. He works well as a stylized, imposing villian- I kinda wish they hadn't even bothered with trying to add depth to him. That, and the movie lacks a certain Bebop flair. It just doesn't jump off the screen the same way the series did.

I just think, as much as I like dubs, that it makes more sense in the japanese version. Vincent wasn't just generic gruff evil dude, his japanese VA made him seem lost, confused and depressed (in the english he was portrayed more like "quiet and scary" in the early scenes.) They didn't really portray how screwed up he was.

I think the movie, while retaining the same VAs, is hurt by having a different production team behind the dubbing. without the same voice direction the rest of the series got, I think some of the better nuances are lost. And I agree almost all the returning voices were off (maybe except Wendee Lee.) Again, probably because of different production for the dub.

But yay for Jennifer Hale being in the movie. :anime:

[Cogliostro]

Hmm how odd that a thread about the reviews of the movie has turned into its talk back thread...Anyways one thing that sorta bugged me and wasn't explained at all is how did Vincent like disappear not ONCE but TWICE? When he jumped off the bridge he was on when he had the tanker/truck explode and Faye seen and how did he disappear while holding a grenade in his hand and letting it explode? Sure you could say he jumped in the water but what about the first one?

[Nobuyuki sama]

I think the movie, while retaining the same VAs, is hurt by having a different production team behind the dubbing. without the same voice direction the rest of the series got, I think some of the better nuances are lost.
It's the same director, too. ;)

[Duelist]

I rented the dvd from my local non-Blockbuster video store the day it came out (surprised they had it) I give it an A+. Always great to see da bebop crew in new stuff. Oddly, the dvd was not write protected (color blips in and out when recorded) so i was able to. :shrug: :sweat:

[Eddy]

Well, I just saw the movie last night now having the DVD.

I must say I was rather pleased with the film.

I however do prefere the title "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" over "Cowboy Bebop the Movie." It was still very entertaining and also very, very, very long.

Edward was great, so was the rest of the cast. Faye rules.

What the hell was that hacker playing? It looked like a Pikmin shooting gallery...

The music was great, especially the first song "Ask DNA."

I really don't see why the movie was rated R. It wasn't too much more violent then a regualr Bebop episode and only a few cuss words.

[saladdays]

I think time was a major factor in why some of the voices sounded a little different. I remember the japanese voice actress for Ed said something like, "The production was delayed so long that when it came to record for the movie, I had forgotten how I had done Ed in the audition and show."

I thought she was talking about the production being delayed from the audition to the show, not the movie. Perhaps I misunderstood, but I'm pretty sure that's what she said.

[Mynd Hed]

I thought she was talking about the production being delayed from the audition to the show, not the movie. Perhaps I misunderstood, but I'm pretty sure that's what she said.

That's what I got out of it as well. Which is not to say that there WASN'T a good long break between the voice recording of the series and the movie, too, but if there was I don't think anyone specifically mentioned it in the special features.

[The Landstander]

Mondo bump.

With the movie airing on AS, discuss it here.

[livingfruitvirus]

Haha. Wow, this IS old. Hi, banned members!

[Meson]

A little more than 2 years. That's some necromancy. :D


I can't wait to watch the movie again.


As always, Toon Radio will run a comentary track for it. :)

[Beat]

Let's just say a few things before the film starts.

If you want more backstory about Vicious and Julia, wrong movie.

If you want to know more about the backstories of the other Bebop members, wrong movie.

This is just another case for the crew of the Bebop, but that's far from a bad thing.

[Spike Mcdougal]

Let's just say a few things before the film starts.

If you want more backstory about Vicious and Julia, wrong movie.
Although one of them is mentioned briefly

[Timmay]

This movie is awesome, thought i'd point that out.

[Demonic Raven]

I've seen part of this movie, but not the whole thing. From what I saw, it was excellent. I've been really looking forward to seeing the whole thing for a while now.

[shoujoaifan]

Let's just say a few things before the film starts.

If you want more backstory about Vicious and Julia, wrong movie.

If you want to know more about the backstories of the other Bebop members, wrong movie.This is just another case for the crew of the Bebop, but that's far from a bad thing.Amen. And it totally rocks as that! :D

One thing that might seem kinda weird to notice, but when I was going into it when buying the DVD, I was expecting the 2 hours to be filled with lots of filler time like alot of anime movies that long are. (They're normally either short half hour to one full hour long films, or really long with lots of filler.) But not CB:KOHD! It was really well paced, with pretty much equal part of action followed by equal amount of drama, then action, then drama, so on and so forth.

[Umino]

Pan n' Scan. =(

[Umino]

Wow. That edit was bad. Should've just redubbed the whole line.

WOAH. KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR LOGO!

[delariean]

But het..they kept the original title of the movie instead of CD the Movie

[shoujoaifan]

Wow. That edit was bad. Should've just redubbed the whole line.

WOAH. KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR LOGO!It didn't seem too bad, but that've might've been because I was trying to remember if he orinigally said dump or the s-bomb :p (It was the s-bomb, right? I need to watch the dvd again, its been too long.)

And man do I love that song and scene:

"What's up? WHAT'S UP!?!..."

[livingfruitvirus]

Pan n' Scan. =( WOAH. KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR LOGO!
So it's the version Encore Action aired?

[bishop083]

So, who else likes the intro song besides me?
Oh, and I'm a little disappointed with AS for not going with the widescreen edition.

Add: Oh, and I love the song choice for when Fey shows up.
2nd Add: Oh, and incase anyone was interested, the intro song is Ask DNA by The SEATBELTS. If you don't know who they are then, well... I can't help you, you poor, deprived person.

[MattThomasM2B]

Movie is alright, but I think the middle drags on too long.

[shoujoaifan]

So, who else likes the intro song besides me?
Oh, and I'm a little disappointed with AS for not going with the widescreen edition.

Add: Oh, and I love the song choice for when Fey shows up.I like the intro. But was that Faye's song on the other versions? Damn, I really need to watch the dvd again (ALL RIGHT, I'll stop saying that :sweat: I normally don't watch a new dvd that many times when getting it, so I've only seen it 4 or 5 times since a year or two ago when I got it.)

[Temple Fugate]

Wow. That edit was bad. Should've just redubbed the whole line.

WOAH. KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR LOGO!That was pretty much exactly what my post was going to say.

This is a very hard movie to pan&scan. I actually feel sorry for whoever had to work with the squishes and letterbox intro and pans across appropriate sections of the full widescreen composition. To be forced to butcher a work of art like this...eh, well. That's why we have DVDs. ;)

Come on, AS, you only made ONE bump to play through the entire movie?

I like the intro. But was that Faye's song on the other versions?Yes.

[delariean]

I like the intro. But was that Faye's song on the other versions? Damn, I really need to watch the dvd again (ALL RIGHT, I'll stop saying that :sweat: I normally don't watch a new dvd that many times when getting it, so I've only seen it 4 or 5 times since a year or two ago when I got it.)
Cosmic dare?? yeah it was and is on the other versions....

[G1Ravage]

Wow. That edit was bad. Should've just redubbed the whole line.

WOAH. KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR LOGO!
Yeah, that was a bad edit. Sounded like a cheap copy and paste.

[Timmay]

I didn't catch the edit, someone say what it was?

[shoujoaifan]

Yes.Cosmic dare?? yeah it was and is on the other versions....Thanks!

[Temple Fugate]

I didn't catch the edit, someone say what it was?(In the convenience store)
Jet: Deception is crucial for both enemies AND allies.
Spike: Don't you pull that "art of war" crap on me!
Crook: Hey!
Spike: AND YOU TOOK TOO LONG TO TAKE A -crap-.

Very bad job. I would rather have heard a beep or just silence. I thought the same thing G1Ravage suggested.

[shoujoaifan]

Apparentally in the future they look back at our times and earlier as times where hacking was at one time pioneering what could be done with computers, yet supposedly easier being the first time around, MUCH like how we view the past pioneering of new lands as exciting yet easier.

Apparentally Coke, Kodac, and Pac-Man survive into the future.

[Umino]

Wow, Billy's mom sure can't get along with anyone. ;)

[Movie-Brat]

I saw the movie on DVD, it's awesome; it's now one of my all time favorite movies.

[G1Ravage]

Is this another discrepancy of editing standards between Action and Comedy? Comedy can have TV-MA ratings and bleep out bad language, but Action can only go as far as TV-14, and bad language has to be muted or redubbed?

Rediculous.

[shoujoaifan]

"I love a woman who can kick my ass."

"There was a woman there with the same tatoo as Vincent. And Ihere was something else about her."
"What?"
"She was really beautifull."
"Just what we need."

Heehee...

[livingfruitvirus]

Even dubbed, this movie sure is a bore. There's just SO MUCH TALKING.

edit- ok now it's getting better

[Timmay]

Now The Truth Is Revealed

Ed Is A Girl!

[Umino]

Aw, no Faye boobies for us.

[livingfruitvirus]

Aw, no Faye boobies for us.
This movie comes very close to showing them on a couple occasions, but never makes it.

[Lord Dalek]

The problem with KOHD is that in the confines of a 25 minute show Cowboy Bebop is able to sustain it's rather lightweight premises. However, as a 90 minute movie, you begin to see stretch marks on the material.

[Seiken Izumi]

EDIT: that civilian was shot in the head

[Seiken Izumi]

*missed* was the train scene, bullet in spike's heart editted?

[G1Ravage]

Wow, this movie is getting BUTCHERED.

[Umino]

What else was edited besides the swear, and Faye in the shower?

[email2003]

Hell yeah. They edited the scene were Vincent shot Spike on his chest or stomach and then a gush of blood went flying once he threw him out that train. Oh well, I have the DVD anyways.:sweat:

[shoujoaifan]

Wow, this movie is getting BUTCHERED.Its doing pretty okay, just the stuff listed above and a few words. The only real big problem its had so far is the pan &scan, such as the close-up's a person's enitre body in a shot look off-center, likes the whole doctor/officer discussions looks horribly off-center.

[Seiken Izumi]

Hell yeah. They edited the scene were Vincent shot Spike on his chest or stomach and then a gush of blood went flying once he threw him out that train. Oh well, I have the DVD anyways.:sweat:
Yeah, I think everyone has the DVD.

[Beat]

Char's Counterattack is still my favorite Adult Swim movie, but that's probably because this film has too many edits for its own good.

[Seiken Izumi]

EDIT: slight nudity during electra scene

[Umino]

That wasn't edited... was it?

[Seiken Izumi]

That wasn't edited... was it?I'm pretty sure it was...hmm.

[Mr.E]

I saw the movie, I think it drags a little and there really isn't any good explanation why vincent wants to kill everyone on Mars, but, its a good movie.

[SirLemming]

Bebop is definitely in its purest form as a TV show, but it's a pretty good movie anyway. And the action scenes, well, they're just unbelievable. The fighting is beautiful.

[Umino]

I'm pretty sure it was...hmm.
It looked untouched. No reason to edit it anyway, you can't see anything.

[livingfruitvirus]

Ok. I'm bored again. Now I'm only watching to see what short shows up after this.

[email2003]

This is going to overun the time shedule isn't it!?

[Killtacular]

I hope Kyle Pope or other people don't think WILLIAMS STREET made this edit.

[G1Ravage]

I hope Kyle Pope or other people don't think WILLIAMS STREET made this edit.
They didn't?

[Karl Olson]

I hope Kyle Pope or other people don't think WILLIAMS STREET made this edit.


I'll inform of that the next time I see him.

[G1Ravage]

Is anyone keeping count of how many times the Naruto promo has aired during this movie?

They're REALLY pimping it to the Cowboy Bebop crowd, it seems.

[Killtacular]

They didn't?
Obviously it was a syndication version made by Sony.. pan and scan, edits that aren't tailored to Turner's standards, redubs (which WS never does). Made to be pitched to multiple networks. And it has if I'm not mistaken.

As for why Metropolis didn't have a syndication version... I don't know. But Sony was a lot newer to the game when they had Bebop and were very clumsy handling anime (example: Cyborg 009).

[livingfruitvirus]

This is going to overun the time shedule isn't it!?It's scheduled to run to 2:30.

[SirLemming]

I should also mention that this movie probably has the best Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, which is saying a lot. Especially the CD, which has several awesome songs that didn't make it to the movie (like "No Reply", the spiritual successor to "Call Me Call Me").

I hope they show the full credits, because "Gotta Knock a Little Harder" is a real killer.

[Anime Freak]

Obviously it was a syndication version made by Sony.. pan and scan, edits that aren't tailored to Turner's standards, redubs (which WS never does). Made to be pitched to multiple networks. And it has if I'm not mistaken.

As for why Metropolis didn't have a syndication version... I don't know. But Sony was a lot newer to the game when they had Bebop and were very clumsy handling anime (example: Cyborg 009).
Wonders why Bandai couldn't have gotten the movie...

[G1Ravage]

Obviously it was a syndication version made by Sony.. pan and scan, edits that aren't tailored to Turner's standards, redubs (which WS never does). Made to be pitched to multiple networks. And it has if I'm not mistaken.

As for why Metropolis didn't have a syndication version... I don't know. But Sony was a lot newer to the game when they had Bebop and were very clumsy handling anime (example: Cyborg 009).Makes perfect sense to me. But if this Sony's official hand in creating a syndicated version for networks, I can't believe they somehow allowed the opening credits to keep the "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" original Japanese logo, when to Sony, this movie is, and always will be, "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie". Which is on the opening sequence on the DVD.

[email2003]

Well at least SONY gave us the original voice actors in this movie cause at the time when this movie was going to be dubbed, we Bebop fans were afraid of a possible different voice cast.

[Killtacular]

Makes perfect sense to me. But if this Sony's official hand in creating a syndicated version for networks, I can't believe they somehow allowed the opening credits to keep the "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" original Japanese logo, when to Sony, this movie is, and always will be, "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie". Which is on the opening sequence on the DVD.
I don't know why Return of the Joker aired on Toonami as "Batman of the Future" either.

[Umino]

Was there a cut while Electra and Spike were in the jail cell? I could've sworn it was longer..

[Karl Olson]

I don't know why Return of the Joker aired on Toonami as "Batman of the Future" either.

I thought that's cause they got it via their UK division or something screwy like that.

[Delthayre]

Doubts and misgivings aside, 'Gotta Knock a Little Harder' all ways makes it worth it for me.

So, of course, it's sped up.

Oh well, I'll just listen to the OSTs then. Take that! Advertisers.

[Martianinvader]

I have the DVD and I'm at a loss to explain how the MPAA could find something in it to rate it R. Anyone else want to take a guess?

[Iridium128]

Good God do those sped-up credits look weird.

EDIT: Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me! They sped past Spike's last line.

[G1Ravage]

Wow.

Great job ruining THE ENTIRE ****ING ENDING, Sony!

[email2003]

That was stupid indeed.

[G1Ravage]

I have the DVD and I'm at a loss to explain how the MPAA could find something in it to rate it R. Anyone else want to take a guess?
Some strong language, and very bloody violence.

[HanaKirei]

Have to admit, crappy as the ending ended up... the super sped up credits made me snicker a bit. ^^; *easily amused*

[livingfruitvirus]

This movie was a sea of subcontracting. I saw studios like Xebec, Gainax, DR Movie, Anime House, and Bee Train to name a few.

[email2003]

Well, theres something I haven't seen for next week, ESCAFLOWNE the Movie.

[FlyByNite77]

Doubts and misgivings aside, 'Gotta Knock a Little Harder' all ways makes it worth it for me.Yea, Yoko Kanno is just so great. Gotta Knock a Little Harder reminds me a bit of Kagiri Naki Tabiji from Turn-A Gundam, another series Yoko did the music for. It's definitely not as jazzed up, but some of the tempo in the beginning of it just always makes me flash back to it whenever I hear one or the other.

[livingfruitvirus]

Good God do those sped-up credits look weird.

EDIT: Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me! They sped past Spike's last line. What was it?

Wow.

Great job ruining THE ENTIRE ****ING ENDING, Sony!
That was probably CN's fault. Go back in time and fix it.

[shoujoaifan]

DAMN!

WHILE that is a good song, I could care less if an ending theme song is sped up. Won't make or break a show/movie.

But why, WHY did they have to screw up the actual ENDING?

I'm sure people who type faster have already posted it before I even get finished with this, but basically after the song they show Spike waking up and you hear his narrative from the beginning, saying how a man lived in dreams (don't recall the exact wording). You could POSSIBLY get it with the "Are You Living In The Real World?" statement, but its a long sho.t (Although truthfully it helps if you have seen the whole show, like everyone here, to understand the full revelance it has to Spike, so it would be a bit confusing to people who have never seen the show, even IF the ending wasn't screwed.)

C'MON Sony, it wasn't just the song, you screwed up the ACTUAL ENDING TO THE WHOLE MOVIE. Really.....

[FlyByNite77]

DAMN!

WHILE that is a good song, I could care less if an ending theme song is sped up. Won't make or break a show/movie.

But why, WHY did they have to screw up the actual ENDING?

I'm sure people who type faster have already posted it before I even get finished with this, but basically after the song they show Spike waking up and you hear his narrative from the beginning, saying how a man lived in dreams (don't recall the exact wording). You could POSSIBLY get it with the "Are You Living In The Real World?" statement, but its a long sho.t (Although truthfully it helps if you have seen the whole show, like everyone here, to understand the full revelance it has to Spike, so it would be a bit confusing to people who have never seen the show, even IF the ending wasn't screwed.)

C'MON Sony, it wasn't just the song, you screwed up the ACTUAL ENDING TO THE WHOLE MOVIE. Really.....Yea, then you see Spike reaching at one of those butterflies flying around above him don't you? It adds to the whole mind-set of Spike during the last two episodes of Bebop's show.

[SirLemming]

I have the DVD and I'm at a loss to explain how the MPAA could find something in it to rate it R. Anyone else want to take a guess? Intense gun violence. That's what I've always thought it was. It's not very R, but it's also a little steep for PG-13.

[Iridium128]

What was it?
"It was just... he was always alone. No one to share the dream." (Not verbatim)

Spike then sees a single butterfly above him, grabs it, and opens his hand to see that it's gone.

[livingfruitvirus]

"It was just... he was always alone. No one to share the dream." (Not verbatim)

Spike then sees a single butterfly above him, grabs it, and opens his hand to see that it's gone.
Oh. That's all? Whenever everyone ***** their pants and rapes a woman about these things I expect it to be some big important mindblowing scene that's absolutely necessary to the story. Disappointed again.

[Juu-kuchi]

I'm quite unhappy that the credits were sped up, but then again that final scene with Spike would have also worked without the dialogue. I just wished that they didn't do that.

It's been a hell of a long time since I last watched anything Cowboy Bebop, and I forget how freaking cool it was. You know the kind of cool that 10 years from now when all the Speedy Boris Jrs. the Matt Wilson Jrs. and hell even the Hyper Sensei Jrs. watch something on TV (be it anime or not) what they think is freaking cool, the Srs. would just shake their heads, and say that wasn't freaking cool, but Cowboy Bebop was.

...Provided that their children aren't girls, or they decide to become men of the cloth, or if their reproductive organs are made incapable.

[RD!]

Ask DNA is the same beat/melody as Beck's "Where It's At"

KANNO IS A GENIUS WHEN IT COMES TO STEALING MUSIC, EH?

[Sketch]

Those redubbed lines sounded really unnatural...

It felt like this "YOU TOOK TO LONG TO TAKE A crap". Such a drop off and it was just... strange sounding and also very unsatisfying. I don't care much for swearing but that line always makes me smile...

[JetMaster5]

Man, that's some great animated fighting scenes. But this movie always felt longer than it should've been.

Ah well, a nice movie, and a last hurrah to a nice anime series.

[Youko Recca]

Good movie. And it goes without saying how freakin' nice the fights were. Especially Vincent and Spike at the end.

[Brent Long]

Did anyone notice the police sirens that sounded just like the ones in Akira.

I doubt it was an homage, and it's just that the Japanese poilce sirens sound like that, but this was still very cool.

[Meson]

Cowboy Bebop is always good. The movie would of been better without the editing. :/

[Nyarl]

This was the first time that I've seen this movie. It was pretty good, though I think that it was overly long and slow at the beginning. (A couple of the “evil corporate conspirators/idiot law enforcement” scenes could’ve been cut or condensed.)

[RADRAD]

This is my first time seeing it too, and I loved it. Especially the UnBebop-ish music tracks. They went all over, using some country and some techno.

And Vincent's definitely the star. "I do not fear death... it just means dreaming in silence... A dream that will last for an eternity."

[SirLemming]

"Gotta Knock a Little Harder" is the kind of song that really can't be cut up. You don't get the full impact of it. It's got a structure that sort of carries you through the whole thing.

I'm not complaining, just saying.

Ask DNA is the same beat/melody as Beck's "Where It's At"

KANNO IS A GENIUS WHEN IT COMES TO STEALING MUSIC, EH? You've got to be kidding me, right?

It's similar, but it's hardly theft. The melodies are completely different.

[Crimefighter]

Dunno what the deal was with Sony, but the DVD release had the credits in English...what's the deal with the kanji?

[Master Moron]

I really felt insulted by the way they tried to make you sympathize with Vincent. The guy kills hundreds of people with little motivation and then you're supposed to feel sad when he dies at the end? The guy's a complete scumbag. I thought death was too good for him. I'm not saying it's impossible for a terrorist to be sympathetic, but this movie failed at it completely. The terrorists in Steven Seagal movies are given more motivation than Vincent. I mean, I was just disgusted that the hundreds of people he killed were just an afterthought in the film because "Vincent was lonely." The fact that Spike actually thinks he has a connection with a scumbag like Vincent makes me respect Spike a lot less.

Anyway, I thought the train scene was rather implausible. I mean, first Spike manages to outrun a train, then he manages to survive getting shot and thrown out of it. I mean, I know he managed to survive getting shot and thrown out a window in the series, but he was bandaged up from head to toe after that. Here, he seems to be back up and on his feet the next day.

So, the beginning of this film was excellent, the parts with Ed were okay, but most of it was rather dull. I didn't care for Electra or Vincent, and I didn't buy their relationship at all. Also, since I've already seen the series there's really no sense of danger in this movie at all. I mean, you know Faye and Spike aren't going to die in this movie because you've seen the rest of the series. And everyone's already mentioned the pacing problems...so, yeah, this movie wasn't that good...

[True Noir]

I'm one those who had also only seen parts of it. It was a really nice movie I must say. Better than I had thought it was going to be. I honestly thought Ed was a boy for the first half of the movie.

[RD!]

You've got to be kidding me, right?
BOTTLES AND CANS JUST CLAP YOUR HANDS, JUST CLAP YOUR HANDS...

[Golgo13]

I really felt insulted by the way they tried to make you sympathize with Vincent. The guy kills hundreds of people with little motivation and then you're supposed to feel sad when he dies at the end? The guy's a complete scumbag. I thought death was too good for him. I'm not saying it's impossible for a terrorist to be sympathetic, but this movie failed at it completely. The terrorists in Steven Seagal movies are given more motivation than Vincent. I mean, I was just disgusted that the hundreds of people he killed were just an afterthought in the film because "Vincent was lonely." The fact that Spike actually thinks he has a connection with a scumbag like Vincent makes me respect Spike a lot less.

Anyway, I thought the train scene was rather implausible. I mean, first Spike manages to outrun a train, then he manages to survive getting shot and thrown out of it. I mean, I know he managed to survive getting shot and thrown out a window in the series, but he was bandaged up from head to toe after that. Here, he seems to be back up and on his feet the next day.

So, the beginning of this film was excellent, the parts with Ed were okay, but most of it was rather dull. I didn't care for Electra or Vincent, and I didn't buy their relationship at all. Also, since I've already seen the series there's really no sense of danger in this movie at all. I mean, you know Faye and Spike aren't going to die in this movie because you've seen the rest of the series. And everyone's already mentioned the pacing problems...so, yeah, this movie wasn't that good...
You should've realized it by now that all the crazy anime people go goo-goo-ga-ga over dark, psychotic, good-looking, angsty, emotionless and wooden characters. That wasn't a surprise to me.

As for the action sequences, it's rare in this day and age that'll you'll find plausible action sequences. Because the only way to keep up with today's typical audiance is to either do action scenes extremely well (rare cases) or go overtop. And since it's animation and you can do just about anything, I think you can guess which one they went with.

And you might have gotten a sense of danger from the film IF the presses stopped stating that the film takes place between episodes 22 and 23 just to please those stupid fans who demand continuity closure.

[Tenku]

Jesus, I fell asleep on another movie again. >=[
Not that was boring, no no.

I liked the movie (though the Naruto promos were bugging the hell out of me), loved the animation; so fluid. Since I didn't see the Vincent vs. Spike fight, I liked the other fights.

They still sped up the credits huh? Darn. =[

[RD!]

I really felt insulted by the way they tried to make you sympathize with Vincent. The guy kills hundreds of people with little motivation and then you're supposed to feel sad when he dies at the end?
I didn't feel sad for him...
Also, since I've already seen the series there's really no sense of danger in this movie at all.
This is unfair to say, because honestly, the series is 26 episodes long--did you feel any danger for Spike in episode 4 when he fell out of a window, or later when he's holding his breath in space, or all the gun fights that you knew Spike would live through because it isn't episode 26?

I think it's a very good movie.

[Temple Fugate]

And you might have gotten a sense of danger from the film IF the presses stopped stating that the film takes place between episodes 22 and 23 just to please those stupid fans who demand continuity closure.How would not knowing where it took place during the series add to the sense of danger? We all know how the characters turn out at the end of episode 26, and we all know the reasons why this movie couldn't possibly have happened after episode 26. Because Big Shot was cancelled in ep 24. What, you thought I'd come up with some other reason? ^_^

[KojiroTakenashi]

Wow, and here I was thinking Cowboy Bebop wasn't another one on the "Anime Gnostic Train" :P

Of course you're not living in The Real World, Spike! You're living in a TV show. Deal with it.

On another note: Earth Girls are Easy (Technically this song WAS stolen...but remade oh-so-well, I bet NONE of you have heard of that movie)

[PickHut]

The action scenes were cool, and the music was good, but man, the movie just dragged on forever.

I giveit a C+.

[Master Moron]

I didn't feel sad for him...

This is unfair to say, because honestly, the series is 26 episodes long--did you feel any danger for Spike in episode 4 when he fell out of a window, or later when he's holding his breath in space, or all the gun fights that you knew Spike would live through because it isn't episode 26?


Actually, there were a few spots in the series that I thought really felt like Spike was in danger, like in "Pierrot Le Fou."

[Kagetsu]

I've only watched this from dvd, seemed kinda silly to record it :shrug: And it will take me forever to go through 10 pages, so I have no idea what was said in the beginning.:sweat:

Great movie, great music. The only parts that really bugged me was that Vincent was impervious to a grenade in his hand and a 20 meter fall :sad:

[Chosen Raven]

I really wanted to love this movie. After all, I love Cowboy Bebop, so why wouldn't I love this? But instead I found this movie very average. It was very slow in parts. I also didn't care for the characters of Electra or Vincent. Speaking of Vincent, they should have tried to go the "Evil Villian" route instead of the "Sympathetic Villian" one. After all the stuff the guy did, you just didn't feel for him. As a result, the ending, while obviously trying to be sad, just fell flat. Vincents blabbering on about dreams and such was a bit annoying too. What saved the movie from being bad were the TV characters and and the fight scenes. That's it really(I didn't even find the music that great).

[Golgo13]

Speaking of Vincent, they should have tried to go the "Evil Villian" route instead of the "Sympathetic Villian" one. After all the stuff the guy did, you just didn't feel for him. As a result, the ending, while obviously trying to be sad, just fell flat. Vincents blabbering on about dreams and such was a bit annoying too.
Yeah, why can't we just have villains that are evil just because they're evil?

[Seiken Izumi]

Yeah, why can't we just have villains that are evil just because they're evil?
Because how realistic is it to have such a static character?

[Youko Recca]

All a good villain needs, is a good motive. Or not to try and have one from the beggining. So I can understand the tough talk towards Vincent, since his motive was near non-existent. But I think he was able to fill in the antagonist role well enough.

[Golgo13]

Because how realistic is it to have such a static character?
So you'd consider the Joker static?

Besides, when you've got a movie like this where people can survive being shot at point blank and a gernade going off in your hand, you can pretty much throw realism out the door.

[Beat]

If you need a really nasty unrepentive villian, look no further than Vicious in the TV series. The idea I believe was not to make Vincient a Vicious clone.

['Stute Fish]

On another note: Earth Girls are Easy (Technically this song WAS stolen...but remade oh-so-well, I bet NONE of you have heard of that movie)The very first thing that popped into my head when I heard that lyric was "Earth girls! Are eaaa-sy! Earth girls! So eaaa-sy!" and Jim Carrey howling out a car window.

Anyway...I do think a couple of Kanno's pieces hew a little close to some other musicians', but it's not enough to turn me off listening to her entirely. Though now it's tempting to hunt down "Ask DNA" and play it against "Where It's At". After the third lion roar.

The film itself felt like a slightly overlong episode than a movie. On the one hand, the animation (particularly on the fights and credits) were amazing and the crew was doin' what it does do best. On the other, I've got to agree with people that think that, butt-kicking abilities and butterfly musings aside, Vincent just wasn't that compelling (although the butterflies did set up Spike's upcoming mindset well). Also, needed more Jet.

I honestly thought Ed was a boy for the first half of the movie.When Ed first speaks off-camera, the subtitles said "[boy]".:D

[Chosen Raven]

Because how realistic is it to have such a static character?
Plenty realistic. People don't like to think about it, but there are some truly bad dudes out there. People who enjoy killing innocent people for the fun of it and have no remorse for their actions. There are people that do things even worse than that for no other reason than their own twisted desires. Having an evil character is every bit as realistic as having a character with sypathetic motives.

[GregX]

And some of us like our bad guys to have motives beyond "Bwa ha ha ha ha! I am evil! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!" If you want that, there's always card board cut outs like Cobra Commander, Skeletor and the Shredder.

In my opinion, the great villains need a lot more than that. Was Vincent a great villain? I thought he was a good villain, he did what he needed to do for this story quite well. But Vicious in the series was a much better villain, and honestly, I think he had a believable motivation (Spike leaving the Syndicate, stealing his woman, betraying him, etc).

There's nothing wrong with understanding, or even sympathizing with the villains.

[Dark Soul]

This was the first time seeing the movie I thought it was great. I loved the action and the music. Vincent's plan to destroy the world was actually the best plan I've heard from a villian.

The movie dragged a bit but I think the commercials made it seem like the movie was long. I think Vincent needed more of motive, I thought his motive was somewhat weak.

Other than that it was great. I give Cowboy Bebop: The Movie an A-

[Mr.E]

This movie reminds of "Lupin III: Mystery of Mamo" in some ways.

[KojiroTakenashi]

You know, it really seems to me that the only people who really sympathize with characters with memory issues are people that have experienced it themselves...

[Kagetsu]

I think one of the reasons the movie seemed aliitle slow or over long was that it was a first movie. they were trying to bring all the background character elements from the series and still make them understandable for people who never saw it (hard for me to believe but it seems some here haven't seen the series) So they added the Indian, the three old men, and some details of how things are why they are. I think they blended it well but it makes for a lot of extra stuff.

The way Vincent died at the end reminded me a little of Sympathy for the Devil. Of course Spikes answer to him was, "As if"

And Ed's gender is supposed to be a bit,,, questionable. It was not until the end of the show that introduced Ed, that Faye was heard to say, "wait, you're a girl?" :D

[Wolfie~Giri]

Oh this is just great...I bought it thinking AS would never air the movie...but once again proved wrong... I hoped you guys enjoyed Ed. Meh Vincent still is okay...as for Jet he really didn't get out that much in my opinion..

[Freedom Fighter]

I was too tired to watch the movie last night, so I made up for it by watching the DVD version earlier today.

I like the fact that all of the original dub cast was brought back for the movie. That each of the main cast members got some time in the spotlight. That the battles were more intense, especially between Spike and Vincent.

The one caveat I do have is in regards to the exposition part that kicks off the final third. Where Spike spills the beans and bears his soul to Electra, while simultaneously Vincent's doing the same to Faye. Although needed, this part just drags on a bit too long... matter-of-factly, I remember nearly falling asleep when I saw the movie the first time. Exposition can be done... but it doesn't help that Spike and Vincent are so monotone and low-key in those scenes.

Otherwise... 8 out of 10 for BeBop the Movie.

[ClockStomper]

What makes the movie a dissapointment is pace. On the show, nobody ever stood around talking for long, but in this movie there's a lot of long dialouge sequences that only serve as padding. The same goes for the swordfish chase, pure padding. You know the movie's been overstuffed when in the entiriety of a two hour movie, the hero and villian only appear onscreen together for about 7 minutes.

The movie should have been 75 minutes, since that's how much good material is there. Everything else is filler.

And I hated how they edited in Spike calmly saying "crap", in place of him shouting "*****!". That was the best line in the movie, and considering how long it's een out, couldn't they have gotten Blum in to re-do the line?

[silvanoir]

Wow, you people are harsh critics. I saw it for the first time on AS and I enjoyed it, in spite of how tired I was. Not much a fan of the music, I like the regular CB music better. The villain, plot, aniamtion, and action were good, though, to me. Yeah, it bothered me that people can fall from such heights and explosions and barely have a scratch ... but this is not only a movie, it's an ANIME movie, one shouldn't expect realism, just sit back and try not to think about it too much. :sweat:

I don't think it was that much of a stretch that Vincent went evil after being a soldier who was experimented on, saw most of the people die around him on a nearly deserted moon and had hallucinations/parts of his memory erased... a real soldier would snap after conditions like that. It makes for someone semi-sympathetic, but he was so bad that I don't think anyone except his ex girlfriend there was really sorry he died. He needed to die. So the ending was good for me.

[AkirQueen]

Apparentally Coke, Kodac, and Pac-Man survive into the future. Don't forget McDonald's.

"Gotta Knock a Little Harder" is the kind of song that really can't be cut up. You don't get the full impact of it. It's got a structure that sort of carries you through the whole thing. Exactly. I'm rather disappointed they sped it up or whatever they did (I didn't see it) to it. Just kills the "cinematic" feel to it, for me.

You know, I was in NYC the day they were showing this as part of BAAF, and I had no freaking clue it was showing (or that there even was a Bebop movie in existance at the time [hell, I wasn't even that big a fan of it at the time]). I just saw a postcard with the movie poster on it and picked it up and brought it home with me. (its now on my wall). A year later, I found out that the movie premiered at BAAF and that I was THERE and completely MISSED it. T___T Also missed seeing Yoko Kanno, Steve Conte, Mary McGlynn, and Dave Wittenberg there too. *whimpers*

But man...this really has to be my favorite anime movie ever...I don't give a hoot what others say about it- I love it to itty bitty microscopic pieces and always will, no matter how many times I've seen it.
Halloween day (after the dvd was released), I watched the movie for pretty much as many times as I could. I've also lost count as to how many times I've watched the Featurettes on the dvd (which were like a damn God-send to me, being the voice-acting nerd I am).

10/10.

[Hyper Shadow X]

Now why couldn't of Vincent have been the main villian for the t.v. series.

[Umino]

Now why couldn't of Vincent have been the main villian for the t.v. series.
Because Vicious is alot cooler?

[Kagetsu]

I have to agree, Vicious was the better villian. But having all that history with Spike in the syndicate really helped. I found Vincents total invincablity a little boring. Granted, someone wanting to destroy everything knowing they would still continue on in the nothing is cool. But then again, it was just Mars, the other worlds would be left, kinda looses the psychotic edge with people still around. :shrug: Still was a great movie.

[spidl]

I was really disappointed the movie wasn't show in widescreen.

[Speedy Boris]

I didn't actually catch the Adult Swim airing, but I bought the DVD yesterday.

Great movie. Though some parts lagged, particularly in the second half, there were also plenty of moments of character development to keep you interested in the slower moments. And the action sequences, yeah! Good stuff. One of Cowboy Bebop's main strengths is making the fight scenes, whether gun-based or hand-to-hand, look realistic and yet unbelievably wild at the same time. Of course, the solid visuals only help this.

Add to this comic bits that worked, a cool plot, and toe-tapping music, and it was a good watch. Kind of an abrupt ending after the many scenes leading up to it, though.