Darn! Missed it. Was a big fan of Star Blazers back in the day (along with Voltron and G-Force). Might have to borrow the DVD off you Goki :)
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Darn! Missed it. Was a big fan of Star Blazers back in the day (along with Voltron and G-Force). Might have to borrow the DVD off you Goki :)
SPOILERS, for those of you who missed it and are planning to see it.
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It started out promising, but I was disappointed by the end of it.
I know that the original Japanese cartoon had a heavy theme of the tragedy and death of war, by killing off some of main characters (censored from the American Star Blazers cartoon)... but by about three-quarters into this movie and most of the main cast dead, I was getting a bad feeling about how it was going to end.
I'm kinda surprised that the producers or financial backers approved the script, as it meant that no matter how successful it might be, there was no chance for a sequel.
As the Yamato is about to destroy the Gamilon missile at the end of the movie, I was actually expecting one of the alien laser blasts to destroy the plug on the front, allowing the cannon to fire without destroying the ship... and we have the same ending, but with the option for a sequel (if they hadn't killed off almost all the main cast in the process). After all, the Gamilons are still out there, and so is the Comet Empire.
It was nice hearing the classic music, but it did start to feel like a Michael Bay movie... somewhat confusing, rushed and disjointed, but without as many explosions.
If you didn't have an understanding of the original series, the plot and outcome would be hard to follow. It basically condensed a year of the cartoon into one movie, but then dragged on in so many places with the characters interacting a lot more than it was needed. I guess it added to the tragic element when they are killed off, but it seems that the alien plot was sacrificed to accommodate it.
Keeping the alcoholic doctor (another thing censored in the US cartoon) should have been used more for the comedic effect it was originally intended for... but then, I guess you'd be questioning the sanity of the people in charge (like the Captain), for allowing an alcoholic be ship's doctor (always carrying around a bottle of sake).
Changing the doctor and a couple other people to females from the original cartoon had a certain Battlestar Galactica feel to it. Sure, those 70s shows were only male dominated because of the sociological climate of that era, but changing genders to appease modern-day critics can affect the tone of the story, that made it appeal to people in the first place.
Imagine if that had happened in the 2007 Transformers Movie, with half of the Autobots and Decepticons portrayed as females.
The song from the trailer and closing credits was sung by a familiar voice... and at the end of the credits it said it was by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith - who also did that song for another movie about space-rocks crashing to Earth (Armageddon). On this occasion, it was just a solo song of his, one of only three he has recorded so far (he's more popular with the band).
Looks like a couple more unrelated BSY movies might be in the works, both in Japan (animated though) and in America (Disney did up a script in the late 90s, in which the resurrected battleship was the Arizona, but the project was abandoned... so now Skydance productions are looking to produce one instead).
I watched this a few years ago. It Kinda feels like they tried to cram about 3 seasons of the cartoon into one movie. Which was a shame. They could've easily stretched it out some more.
Yamato is popular in Japan and there was the Yamato 2199 (?) something 99... Cartoon made fairly recently which is pretty much the original story newly animated.
I was interested to see how Starblazers differed from Yamato by a fair bit. Yamato spends a lot of time going on about the ship, whereas Starblazers is more character orientated. Personally I prefer the english dandy voice of Desslock over his boring 'old man' voice of Yamato.
The series is "Space Battleship Yamato 2199" - I highly recommend it. It is the same as series one of the original from the 70s but with deeper tones to the storyline and many more aspects developed, as well as completely new material to provide the viewer with the perspective of the average Gamilan citizen. If you loved Starblazers back in the day, definitely graduate up to SBY2199!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy
Got bored when it started and watched Appleseed Alpha instead
You obviously had higher expectations than me :)Quote:
Originally Posted by griffin
@Ultra Mackness: Hmm. Gonna have to track down 2199 now. Yet another show to add to the list of shows I don't have time to watch :)
Sure thing. Give me a buzz if you have time this week or next to swing by for a visit. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by 5FDP
Thanks Goki :) If I can't get to you (I don't have any time off over the school holidays) I don't mind waiting until the next fair in Nov. No hurry.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
watched the complete series, at animeflavor. Love this better than the original for some reason hehehe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultra Mackness
Apparently Yamato 2199 is airing tonight on Tokyo MX. I'm torn between whether or not I should tune into Yamato 2199 or Attack on Titan on SBS. Though I'm not sure I get Tokyo MX ... I get other Japanese stations like the NHK channels, TBS, Fuji TV, TV Tokyo, and even stations from Osaka and Kansai, but I'm not sure I get Tokyo MX. Hhmm... do you get Tokyo MX in Yokohama?Quote:
Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy
P.S.: Just as I thought, I don't have Tokyo MX. Watched Attack on Ti instead. :o