Filipino by Birth Christian by Grace

Steamboy

I just rented Steamboy (2005), and it’s a great movie; I thoroughly enjoyed watching it! I enjoy anime, and the artistic style of this movie is similar in my opinion to that of Hayao Miyazaki’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky and especially Howl’s Moving Castle. Steamboy was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, director of the highly acclaimed animated film Akira. Unlike Akira, which is pretty bizarre, Steamboy is more realistic, being based around 19th century steam technologies. Both movies have their elements of science fiction, but Akira is more over the top with super-human powers and grotesque mutations - Steamboy had none of that. The animation was fluid and the backgrounds were beautiful, and like many modern anime features there were some interesting CGI effects.

I enjoy movies that are clean and appropriate, and Steamboy fits the bill with no foul language, vulgar jokes, or inappropriate sexual content! It is rated PG-13 for action, but anyone who’s seen anime will agree that this movie is graphically mild when it comes to action violence. The English voice overs are great too, featuring great talent such as Anna Paquin (Rogue in X-Men) and Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek, and Professor X in X-Men)! Interestingly, I’ve also heard Patrick Stewart’s voice on Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as well.

I really like this movie, and I think the critics (www.rottentomatoes.com) didn’t do this movie justice. The story and animation are great, in addition to the design and voice over talent. I can’t think of how they could have made it any better.

Synopsis:

The story is essentially about a young boy named Ray who comes from a family talented with engineering. Ray’s father and grandfather have made a new scientific and technological discovery that could be used for devastating military purposes. The movie takes us on a journey with Ray as he discovers his father and grandfather’s secrets, and makes tough decisions to do what is right. It does feel very much like a typical anime, with a young boy who has incredible talent and abilities, making him the only character in the story who could make things right. There’s also the side-line love interest who takes notice of him (no kissing or anything though). Overall, I highly recommend this movie.