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List Price: $49.95 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 83303
Released: July 26, 2005 |
| Our Price: $22.48 |
| Used Price: $17.85 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The first feature Katsuhiro Otomo has written and directed since his watershed Akira (1988), Steamboy offers a fantastic, sepia-toned vision of the past-as-future. In place of the dystopic Neo-Tokyo of Akira, Steamboy is set in England in 1866. Young Ray Steam receives a Steam Ball, a mysterious, powerful device, from his inventor grandfather. Governments and businesses covet the Steam Ball, and Ray finds himself in a murderous conflict over its possession. He's also caught between his father, a 19th century Darth Vader who builds terrible weapons for an American arms merchant, and his grandfather, who believes science should improve people's lives. Otomo uses computer graphics to create dazzling visuals that few recent films--animated or live action--can match: monumental systems of gears and pistons; machines that dwarf the Tower of London; antique weapons of mass destruction. But the dazzling imagery can't disguise the lack of a coherent plot and the flimsiness of the characters.
Steamboy is being released in a dubbed version that's been shortened by 20 minutes, and a more satisfying subtitled version that preserves Otomo's original pacing. Both versions suggest that Steamboy is the work of an important filmmaker who can't quite shape his awesome visions into a effective narrative. (Rated PG-13 for action violence.) --Charles Solomon
Steamboy - Director's Cut (DVD Gift Set) Reviews:
don't believe the hype 
2008-10-03 - You won't find a bigger fan of Anime than me. I still have all of my old Streamline VHS tapes, including Akira. Mechanically, Otomo's attention to detail is extraordinary--the man explains everything. He's so anal about every little system that I wonder if he ever gets out and around real people. That would account for how intimately he knows machines, yet how poorly he's able to program real human feelings and situations into his work. With Otomo, Everything is so apocalyptic and gargantuan that the characters are reduced to atoms. Therein lies the problem with his movies. Akira, Steamboy, etc.-- the characters in all of his films are cardboard and generic. Otomo's films are overrated and he's overrated. Watching Steamboy is like watching an autopsy. If he could have put half as much effort into the characters, Steamboy would have been an ok film.
A Great Example of Steampunk Anime! 
2008-09-12 - I nearly skipped this film altogether after reading some of the more negative reviews, but I'm a steampunk fan so it was inevitable that I would see it. I'm glad I did.
While Steamboy has its flaws, I feel it does manage to convey the heart of what Steampunk is all about better than almost any other film, and better than many books. For example, Steamboy is far better than the horrible though much hyped 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'. Personally I'd be hard pressed to name a book that comes close - the slow and thickly-plotted 'The Difference Engine' is touted as the ultimate Steampunk novel, but in my view it somehow fails to engage the reader. In my view the only things that have achieved Steamboy's level of faithfulness to the genre are the comic book 'Scarlet Traces' and perhaps Michael Moorcock's 'A Nomad of the Time Streams'.
Having said all that, Steamboy does have its flaws, many of which have been covered by other reviewers. I was a little bothered by the character names - 'Ray Steam' doesn't seem like a very Victorian - or realistic - name to me, and Scarlett O'Hara, well, the less said about that the better. Also, there are some plot holes that you could drive a truck through, but the action is paced so well that they are easy to forgive. Finally, some of the voice acting (I watched the English-dubbed version) is patchy in places, but the actors had a very tricky job, considering that they were speaking in an accent (Mancunian) that was not their own (Patrick Stewart is from Yorkshire, so it wasn't too much of a stretch for him, but Alfred Molina is from London and Anna Paquin is Canadian), and considering that they were expected to achieve a level of realism that most Western animated films don't aspire to.
But all-in-all, Steamboy is a fine example of anime, and a fine film for both steampunk enthusiasts and for fans of anime. Some of the visuals are truly amazing and the film includes just about every steampunk contraption imaginable. These aspects, along with a story and characterizations that are truly engaging, will allow casual viewers to enjoy what would otherwise be a movie that might appeal only to a very small niche market.
excellent anime 
2008-06-18 - When I saw a preview of Steamboy and the obvious gorgeous animation I knew I needed to buy a copy. It's a nice story with an interesting 19th science premise and top notch Japanese animation on a par with the very best. There may be a few too many valve and lever adjustments here and there, but overall it is a gem. Beautiful music theme!
A worthy addition.
2008-04-05 - Any fan of Anime, or the work of Director Katsuhiro Otomo (you will most likely know him for his work on Akira), will appreciate this film. While not reaching the depth and intricate plot of Akira, this is still a worthy addition to your collection. There are a few missteps in the animation choices, but most viewers won't notice, and will find this a great voyage through alternate history. The vocal dubbing in English is superb, and the voices are provided by a stellar list of actors - including the renowned Patrick Stewart.
A good story...
2008-02-20 - ...with a great character driven plot, with characters who all have their own needs, wants, dreams and ideas for the future. Science can be a tool of mankind or a weapon and in this full length animated film the many sides, dangers and rewards of science is explored. Add good artwork, perfect voices and lots of cool steam powered machinery, lots of extras and you should have five stars.
But, and I say this knowing it will sound a tad whiny, it seems a tad long. Not very long, more like ten minutes long. The kind of long that editing a few seconds out of a scene here and there would have helped. Get it new or used, but if you are an anime fan you should see it once.
