Search - Patlabor WXIII - The Movie on DVD

Different but interesting view of Patlabor

waveworks | Los Angeles, California United States | 03/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"True, it is a slow-pace movie. However, that aspect is major part of the story. In this movie, action is not the genre. So if you assume this is another mech action flick, it will disappoint you so badly and make you say it aint worth to buying or even watching. Because unlike other 2 movies and TV episodes, camera focuses on two detectives not 2nd team of labor department to lead.Pro:
1. Beautiful and stuning visual
2. Nice study of biology
3. Detail background of both surroundings and characters
4. Great story line
Con:
1. No memorable music score
2. Mixed genre to may confuse most American audiences
3. Less action than any otherI waould say this is another master piece from Patlabor saga, and give it 5 stars without any question.
This review is based on theatrical release."

Marginal Patlabor, but intriguing

stch639 | Pittsburgh, PA United States | 11/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like other reviewers, I agree that this anime is only marginally Patlabor, but that is not to say that it is not intriguing. A typical concept about the evils of genetic engineering is given a spin. A mother's love for her dead daughter leads to the creation of a horrifying genetically engineered creature, with the added angst of a young police detective who is attracted to the woman but has to finally confront the unavoidable fact that his object of attraction is responsible for a scourge of death and horror.
Design wise, this film can take its place with some of the best of modern anime. Camera angles, movements once again, make one forget that this is animation. One of my hallmarks of good anime is that the story, design, animation and music draws one into the STORY. Those of you who like me, love the Special Vehicles Group, might be disappointed that they dont make an appearance until the climax, but give this anime a chance. One more note, the music score can take its place with the first two films, some really beautiful cues are simply heartbreaking make this another winner. As I only have the import DVD, i cannot say who does this score, but its sounds mighty like Mr Kawai, who also did the first two films score. If you are the cautious type, by all means, rent this before buying."

Superbly Animated

JL1984 | Athens, GA | 02/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This edition to the Patlabor saga adds a well-crafted, visually striking, and throught-provoking look at two detective's case on a biogenetically constructed monster who is on the loose and is destroying submarines and airplanes left and right. The movie is very slow-paced, and will leave some viewers shaking their heads at the lack of action and violence, however it must be noted that this edition of the Patlabor saga is not for the hardcore fan of nonstop action which previous episodes may have accustomed them to seeing. The action, though not nonexistant, is sparse and often short in its duration. However, to fully appreciate the beauty of this masterpiece one must break out of the need to have action and look at the deeper aspects of the movie.The psychological problems that a mother of a recently deceased daughter and husband endures propels her to use some of child's cancer cells in order to "revive" her daughter into the form of a monster capable of regenerating its body parts. One of the lead detectives investigating the monster's rampage has trouble believing this paradox at first, but soon realizes that her isolation has pushed her to the brink of insanity towards the end of the movie. This, in turn, leads to the cataclysmic ending in which we see some startling revelations as well as the final confrontation between the monster and the police who're trying to stop it.Throughout its entirety, the movie is extremely realistic. I was pleased to see that the characters actually resemble Japanese people with a darker skin tone rather than a bleach white color. The fact that the movie most completely revolves around the investigation makes it a little boring, however this only adds to its climax and can fully be appreciated and recognized as a mature anime. In sum, this edition to the Patlabor saga ultimately has to be the finest of them all. The caliber of its animation and the way in which the director was able to keep the storyline realistic while using a bit of fiction with the monster really helped to deveop a top-notch plot. For those looking for a great anime minus the forced humor via sexual puns and overly exaggerated emotions, then by all means check this out."

Great Movie, bad DVD :(

Michael | GA | 04/10/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, first off, let me stress that I LIKED THIS MOVIE! I found it to be enjoyable in a B-movie style, but I would have liked more character development(then again, I love as much of this as I can get) and overall length. I'm a big Production I.G. fan, so I was anxious to see how this one would turn out. I rushed out to buy this DVD and found it to be pretty annoying for two reasons:1)The animation "runs"(or glitches, it is a weird error) quite a few times during the movie. This isn't something it is supposed to do, it is a messup in the coding as far as I know, and I've never had another high quality anime do this(non-high quality being some hong kong knock-offs I mistakenly ordered).2) The Japanese 5.1 audio track isn't synched with the video, so you have every sound happening about 1-2 seconds after the motion occurs on screen.These may seem like small things to gripe about, but I've come to expect better anime treatment from Pioneer, and I was hoping for better transfer quality on a 52$ set.I checked it through 2 different DVD players, and both problems occured in both players.If it weren't for these technical flaws, i would have scored it as a 4 or maybe even 5, but they really bummed me out. The extras are cool, if you're an I.G. or Patlabor fan, they are something you can really dig. My biggest problem was that although I love cool extras, I buy a DVD for the movie above all. When the transfer is so flawed that it noticeably distracts me from the movie, I get ticked. :("