'Steamboy' could, perhaps should have been a towering achievement in animation. For about the first 20 or 30 minutes I really thought it was going to be. The gorgeous recreation of 19th century Manchester, complete with accurate regional accents, the wonderful background artwork, the inoffensive blending of 3D and 2D animation, the obviously unique storyline, all seemed to bode very well. In fact I had the impression I was watching a sort of Mechano version of Miyazaki. Whereas Miyazaki's films have an undeniable feminine quality, 'Steamboy' is very 'Boys Own'. Additionally it avoided the pitfall of so much anime - utterly convoluted plot. It was sufficiently imaginative without being incomprehensible.
Somehow the charm started to tarnish a little as the movie continued and the action shifted to London though. The feeling I got was very similar to my first viewing of Miyazaki's 'Castle in the Sky', which I was convinced was going to be a masterpiece during the first 30 minutes, but which ended up being my least favourite of that director's films.
There is a great deal to admire about 'Steamboy', and a few minor gripes, but there is one complaint which for me spoiled the film, and it's not an unfamiliar one, because it's the same thing that spoiled 'Akira' for me fifteen years earlier. Namely, the climax lasts for the entire second half of the movie. The characters and plot become secondary to the spectacle of huge pieces of machinery, steam shooting everywhere, gigantic ponderous objects lurching about over London. At least, unlike 'Akira', it made sense, but it should still have been compressed into half the space, and if a two hour running time were still required, perhaps more could have been devoted to exploring the characters - particularly Scarlett, whose appearance in the film seems fairly pointless to me.
It's a must-see film for animation and anime fans, and many will be less critical, but no matter how brilliant it was in many regards, 'Steamboy' joins a growing list of animated films (particularly CGI animated films) which knock my socks off in the first half hour, and then slowly... lose steam.
Somehow the charm started to tarnish a little as the movie continued and the action shifted to London though. The feeling I got was very similar to my first viewing of Miyazaki's 'Castle in the Sky', which I was convinced was going to be a masterpiece during the first 30 minutes, but which ended up being my least favourite of that director's films.
There is a great deal to admire about 'Steamboy', and a few minor gripes, but there is one complaint which for me spoiled the film, and it's not an unfamiliar one, because it's the same thing that spoiled 'Akira' for me fifteen years earlier. Namely, the climax lasts for the entire second half of the movie. The characters and plot become secondary to the spectacle of huge pieces of machinery, steam shooting everywhere, gigantic ponderous objects lurching about over London. At least, unlike 'Akira', it made sense, but it should still have been compressed into half the space, and if a two hour running time were still required, perhaps more could have been devoted to exploring the characters - particularly Scarlett, whose appearance in the film seems fairly pointless to me.
It's a must-see film for animation and anime fans, and many will be less critical, but no matter how brilliant it was in many regards, 'Steamboy' joins a growing list of animated films (particularly CGI animated films) which knock my socks off in the first half hour, and then slowly... lose steam.