Washington Post Reviews the Cowboy Bebop Movie

[Viceroy]

Today's issue of the Washington Post includes a mini-review of the CB movie (which is playing in one tiny art-house in the entire DC area) by reviewer Desson Howe. The review in its entirety:

"Here's the movie version of a well-established cult series. "Cowboy Bebop" began life as an anime (Japanese animation) television series in 1998. Fans will be glad to see the usual cast of animated characters figuring in the story: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward Wong and the Data Dog, Ein. These are the Bebop bounty hunters, and this time they are chasing down a mysterious adversary who has blown up a tanker in the middle of a major Martian city, causing bio-hazardous fumes to kill people by the hundreds. After a while, as in all too many Japanese animation films, the plot becomes convoluted and mentally wearying. But the atmospherics are wonderfully dark and film-noirish, if overly violent. Great fighting sequences, too. The movie also features the TV show's original director (Shinichiro Watanabe) and writer (Keiko Nobumoto)."

[RZetlin]

So does he like it or not?

I have read several reviews on Cowboy Bebop The Movie and most reviewers beat around the brush as to whether or not this movie is good.

[Zebi]

I wish I could see Cowboy Bebop, but it's only playing in one theatre in Toronto, and I don't live close enough to go. Here's a review from the Toronto Sun newspaper - they gave the movie a 3/5.

Wild, wild East (http://jam.canoe.ca/JamMoviesReviewsC/cowboybebop-sun.html)

Edit: Meta Critic has a list of articles reviewing the movie here (http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/cowboybebop).

[RogueMartian]

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/CowboyBebopTheMovie-1116623/

It seems that overall the bebop movie is well liked. I'm guessing that the Washington Post guy didn't like it. Not surprising, I've noticed that most washington post movie reviewers like to keep a giant pole firmly lodged in their backsides. Occasionally one of them will enjoy a "cult" film like Spiderman or Dude, Where's My Car? but that's only if it's a popular movie.


It seems that This Guy (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1116623/reviews.php?critic=columns&sortby=default&page=1&rid=1125007) really hated the movie. His review is kind of insulting.

[Blue]

I hope it's a good movie i've been wating for it a long long time.

[Mynd Hed]

I've noticed that most mainstream reviews of anime movies tend to be rather vague. Personally I think it's because the reviewer has no idea what he's talking about. (-: Think about it, most mainstream reviewers probably haven't seen that many anime movies, so they don't have much basis for comparison when they do review one. Reviewers build their entire careers on knowing more about movies than the readers-- otherwise, why would we bother to read their opinions? So when a reviewer knows less than squat about the genre of the movie he's reviewing, he's sure not going to admit it. Instead, he'll write a review full of heavily modified half-statements that ends up hardly saying anything at all.

[Barb Gordon]

Seems like a pretty short review, and he does seem to beat around the bush alot which would lend me to think he really hasn't a clue what the heck he's writing about. He should watch the series, then watch the movie. It seemed he just wrote pretty words in an attempt to sound intelligent when it comes to the anime genre, while still not knowing what he was doing. The movie, in my opinion, is pretty dang cool. People could probably get lost somewhere in the movie, but the storyline worked for me, and the animation is stunning.

~Barb

[Ben]

Cowboy Bebop discussion on the Adult Swim board, NOT the Anime Forum. Please.

[Aberration]

I'm kinda disappointed that Roger Ebert didn't review the movie this past weekend, since he's a high-profile critic, and usually gives thumbs up to anime movies (I'm sure there's got to be exceptions, but I know he liked "Akira" and the Disney-released Miyazaki films). And the movie WAS playing in Chicago, so I dunno what happened. Oh well...

*goes back to drumming his fingers on the table, waiting for the DVD release, since no place in AZ was blessed to have the movie...*

[Conekiller]

I remember reading that scathing review a while bakc, ouch.

I'm sorry he finds mature story telling "convoluted and mentally wearing" ;p

but I was still wondering whether or not he liked it, or even watched it. the info he divulged about the movie could sounds like ti was ripped right from a PR package

[Jade_GL]

Am I the only person who will stand up for this guy, at least in the "convoluted and mentally wearying" sense.

Yes, anime movies can be tedious, especially when you're just coming to them. A lot aren't, such as Fatal Fury the Motion Picture, which is a lot of action and doesn't really get to hopped up on weird imagery and symbolism.

However, Akira, one of the most popular anime movies, IS convoluted and mentally wearying. It's long and the story devolves into a mish mash of images. I assume it's because they took a huge phone book sized set of manga and tried to cram it into a movie.

This reviewer has not had, or does not seem to have had, any exposure to the series, but that's not his job. He is a movie reviewer who reviews movies that come out, and if that movie is dependent upon knowing about the TV show, well that stinks for the movie. The Cranky Critic believes that you should be able to go into a movie and enjoy it without necesssarily knowing the source material. Soooooo, I am not holding not watching the series against him. If it were an anime movie review site, of course you could say that, but just your normal, everyday American reviewer is paid to review the movie, not watch a season (or a bunch of seasons) of material before he goes to the movie. I certainly don't expect every reviewer who went and saw Daredevil to first go and read the comics and then somehow, through comparing and contrasting, write a review. That's for specialty sites, not your normal newspaper.

In all, he wasn't positive or negative. He complimented the movie on the atmosphere and animation, but said the story was convoluted. Ok, maybe the story is. I don't know, I haven't seen it. But don't dog on him because he's doing his job and trying to understand something that may be completely out of left field for him. Not only that, but needing to watch the series first is stupid for a movie that comes out in general release. It just closes off people who would like to watch it, but can't get past the details that may be explained in another medium. Again, I like the Cranky Critic's opinion on source material.

However, I do have the Utena Movie, which works better when viewed in context with the series. But, and this is the important thing, if Ebert reviewed it and gave it a horrible rating because he said the plot was confusing and convoluted, I couldn't argue with his assessment, because I know that it's not a stand alone piece of cinema necessarily. But if he said it had horrible animation, I could argue because animation is for the most part universal and anyone with half an eye can see good animation and give proper kudos to it.

So yeah, I'm defending bad reviews. I mean, you'll go and see it anyway, so why bother moaning about what one or two people say? It wasn't made for those reviewers, it was made for people who like the series, and that's you. So if you like it and buy the DVD and see it in the theater, who cares what a couple of newspaper reviewers say? I don't. Heck, I thought Daredevil was great but it got bad reviews by the truckload. Oh well. Such is life.

Oooooh look. A negative review written by a Bebop series fan, and someone who has seen the series. And it's negative. Goes to show you that not all Bebop fans are pleased as punch. Oh well. http://www.filmthreat.com/Reviews.asp?Id=3550

[lostrune]

Am I the only person who will stand up for this guy, at least in the "convoluted and mentally wearying" sense.
Well, I was going to, but you beat me to it. I suspect Ebert didn't review an anime this time because he may have felt he couldn't give the film a fair shake as a standalone movie.

Myself, I like the film. But applying what they say with free speech here, I may not agree with what he's saying, but I'll defend his right to say it, as long as it's logical.

So yeah, I'm defending bad reviews. I mean, you'll go and see it anyway, so why bother moaning about what one or two people say? It wasn't made for those reviewers, it was made for people who like the series, and that's you.
Well, a lot of anime movies are actually like that. Except for kiddie anime, anime studios typically don't aim for wide acceptance - there's usually no "blockbuster money" in Japanese theatres anyway, much less anime, so why try. Instead, they target their audience, just like they do with their TV series.

On the one hand, such practice makes it possible for them to release TV-connected anime movies and short 30- or 60-min double-billed movies. Those are for the fans; the rest doesn't matter. Yet, that's also why anime movies typically don't gross all that much money. Even the Cowboy Bebop movie didn't earn that much in Japan - it wasn't expected to.

[SirLemming]

"The rod up that guy's butt must have a rod up it's butt!" -- Superintendent Chalmers, The Simpsons

My local newspaper (Newsday) had a pretty negative review in it. And like this one, it was pretty short -- but a little more clearly opinionated (as a review should be). However, after a certain point it seemed like the reviewer was just making things sound bad without actually explaining why they make the movie bad (like exaggerating how Edward's full name is difficult to pronounce -- it conveys a bad tone without actually saying anything bad).

I hate when something you love, but never gets much recognition, is finally recognized... by the most picky people in the universe. Kinda like Titan A.E.

[Galaxia]

My local newspaper (Newsday) had a pretty negative review in it. And like this one, it was pretty short -- but a little more clearly opinionated (as a review should be). However, after a certain point it seemed like the reviewer was just making things sound bad without actually explaining why they make the movie bad (like exaggerating how Edward's full name is difficult to pronounce -- it conveys a bad tone without actually saying anything bad).

I saw that too!
And here's the article in question. (http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/ny-etcowboy3205212apr04,0,4445098.story?coll=ny%2Dmoviereview%2Dheadlines)

This part really gets me, too:

Fans of the Cartoon Network series "Cowboy Bebop" should not bother to read further. If the new feature-length expansion of the popular Japanese anime show gives them more of whatever it is they like, they will only conclude that this critic dude just doesn't get it. o.O;

[Conekiller]

Am I the only person who will stand up for this guy, at least in the "convoluted and mentally wearying" sense.

Yes, anime movies can be tedious, especially when you're just coming to them. A lot aren't, such as Fatal Fury the Motion Picture, which is a lot of action and doesn't really get to hopped up on weird imagery and symbolism.

However, Akira, one of the most popular anime movies, IS convoluted and mentally wearying. It's long and the story devolves into a mish mash of images. I assume it's because they took a huge phone book sized set of manga and tried to cram it into a movie.


Ok, Akira, and as Lostrune mentioned Utena ARE convoluded and mentally wearing, I'm fairly confidant saying that Bebop AIN'T.

[Jade_GL]

Ok, Akira, and as Lostrune mentioned Utena ARE convoluded and mentally wearing, I'm fairly confidant saying that Bebop AIN'T.

I have read a few reviews form Bebop fans themselves that say the story is not that good, in fact saying the movie is even bad. Does that mean that they are wrong as well?

I see your point, but American reviewers go in to see movies alone, and if one out of the many that saw it said that he believed it was convoluted, that's his opinion. I disagree with reviewers all the time, its a subjective, thankless job. Poor Ebert got dissed by fanboys when he said the ending to Spider-man stunk, and no matter what someone says, no one will be happy.

I am going to makea slightly blanket statement, and I don't mean this as an insult, but aren't all of you being a bit too harsh on the bad reviews? Every movie under the sun has bad reviews, and this is no different. In fact, it got 70% on the tomato-meter, which means it's liked by almost 3/4 of the people who go to see it. Can't you just be happy with the majority that liked it and saw it't merit instead of focusing on a few bad reviews? A few bad reviews, by the way, that are also written by some very miffed Bebop fans themselves.

Just a thought, but I think that there is some huge over-reacting going on here. I mean, reviewers always use terse and witty attempts at insults or jabs at the movie with things they don't like. Just read any reviewers opinion of Freddy Got Fingered and I;m sure you'll find similar quotes about "If you like Tom Green and his antics, don't bother reading any further...." or whatever the reviewer decides to use at that moment.

It doesn't mean they're singling out an anime film. Frankly, I think this whole thread is a little bit of "too much drama" going on by people not realizing that this movie is much better reviewed than most of the films coming out these days.

[Opaque]

the review was more convoluted than the movie was, that's for sure...

[EightOh]

they will only conclude that this critic dude just doesn't get it.Because you don't, dimwit.

Hey, did anyone else know Jet was a cyborg? That was one hell of a secret for them to keep through the entire series!

The guy's appraisals of the voice acting and plot are equally as clueless.