Search - Submarine 707R - The Movie (Limited Edition) on DVD

Entertaining genre film

Lindsay Murphy | Bloomfield Hills, MI United States | 12/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the near future, human colonization of the oceans has resulted in an unparalleled era of peace and prosperity. However, not all is well in this brave new world - a group of undersea eco-terrorists, known as the USR, seek to end the exploitation of the seas by force of arms. To combat the terrorists, the UN commissions a peace-keeping navy, but when disaster strikes, the only vessel left to face down the USR is the Japanese Navy's advanced sub 707-R, commanded by "old-school" submariner Capt. Youhei Hayami.

The animation is outstanding; the submarines look exceptionally realistic, as do the underwater special effects. (Look for a great scene where the subs dodge in and out of a thermocline.) Colors are crisp and well defined, and the animation flows smoothly, without any skips or freeze-frame shots during action sequences. In the sound department, you have your choice of Dolby 5.1 English dub or Japanese with subtitles; the Japanese voice actors sound a bit better in their roles than the English, but the English track does a better job with ambient noise and the "atmosphere" of sound in a submarine. It's your preference as to which you like better.

All in all, "Submarine 707R" is a decent genre flick, in the spirit of "Silent Service" and "Run Silent Run Deep," and those who remember the first season of "seaQuest DSV" will find more than a few parallels. (Whether the captain of the UX makes a better Max Scully or Marilyn Stark is your call. :)) It's got amazing battle sequences, a decent premise, and a sprinkling of comedy - a little something for everyone. Cons include a few massive plot holes, a rather flat ending, and the transition from Part 1 to Part 2, which is somewhat jarring. However, if you like submarine adventure, you could do far worse than to spend your evening with the 707."

Promises much, delivers little.

D. Williams | Birmingham, AL United States | 01/31/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I really wanted to like this one. It gives the refreshing promise of an anime without goofy love triangles, mecha, or crazy fight scenes involving lots of screaming, powerups and little actual fighting. However 707r can't decide wether it is going to be a military drama, a comedy or a suspense thriller. Too many plot devices are introduced without any follow through, and it is over before you know it and you are left feeling empty. The main Bad Guy (TM) is your typical sociopath bent on ridding the sea of violence and war and he goes about this by destroying all other submarines. Makes sense, huh? Plus he has unlimited resources and no explanation for his motives. The Good Guy (R) is out of place because in contrast to all the serious looking characters, he looks like a goofy cartoon character and is seemingly drawn by another anime team. Yet his skills are far more then they seem and outweigh the fact that his sub (even the later improved one) is supposedly not very cutting edge. The fighting scenes between the subs are well animated and gripping and reminded me of my favroite sub movies like Crimson Tide, Hunt for Red October and Das Boot but in the end, too many plot elments are touched upon, but never explored in depth. I have a feeling this was the pilot to a series that was never produced."