Steamboy [UMD for PSP]

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.

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.

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!

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.

...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.

Let me start by saying that this is a really good animated film (It is a bit of an acquired taste to begin with though). The attention to detail is amazing and the look of the steam-powered technology really does blend rather well with the somewhat victorian setting. Overall, it's a pretty impressive film, even if it drags in some areas. A five out of five for the movie by itself.

However, the dub is what really kills it. I would be willing to say that about 60% of the characters dubbed voices match the characters themselves. Yes, that includes Patrick Stewart and Alfred Molina. It's the voices of the young boys that kills it.

In the original Japanese film, women voiced the boys. This is a common practice, and actually in the Japanese version, the voices fit pretty well. It's the voice actresses they have for the English dub that don't even come close.

On a personal note, I had a very hard time buying into the idea that those were the voices of young boys. Sony should have played it safe and had young actors in that age group do the voices.

The main protagonist, James Steam (Steamboy), was dubbed by Anna Paquin. If the fact that her voice sticks out like a sore thumb doesn't do it, the bad british accent will.

This is definately one you will want to watch subtitled with the original Japanese voices. It makes the movie that much more enjoyable. I would reccomend it if you don't mind reading subtitles.

-Matt

The strangest thing about Steamboy is not that it's amazing, but that so much of the original was missed by european audiences.
I saw the original uncut japanese edition at a film festival when it first came out - I was astounded to hear how much shorter it was-
to explain simply, the english version (hitherto released as the standard on DVD) cuts twenty (yes, that's right) minutes off of the end. Twenty minutes which actually make it a decent ending, as opposed to a pathetically predictable one for persons so stupid they can't take an original twist on standard three-act structural narrative directions.
But, back to the film. In essense the film blends modern animation - both 3d and 2d - better than any previous film, making possibly the most visually stunning animation picture ever produced, to date- you never stop to think, oh, that bit's 3D, because it never is obvious.
A skillfully developed storyline means that unlike other anime blockbusters such as Akira, it never feels that the action is forced into too small a length of time, or that the storyline falls prey to a predictable and long setup, which seems to be the norm for hollywood cartoon films (bar pixar's work).
The story is a parable of science, the pursuit of power, and why americans shouldn't have access to the world's latest technologies (I don't think Japan's quite over Hiroshima yet). At the end of the day, don't listen to some fat manga-head who insists that the film isn't up to scratch in terms of their cultural preconceptions of what Japan is 'all about'. Like any film, this should be appreciated in it's own right, and in that, it is splendid. One of the few watchable manga films in the world.
Best on the largest screen you have.

Now to the release itself. The 'Directors Cut' is, in fact, the original Japanese version, replete with original 20 minutes missing from the "standard edition". If you watch it in english, be prepared for some of the worst voice-acting in the history of cinema, as americans laughably try to pass themselves off as cockney in typically terrible fashion. It doesn't work, and makes the film utterly ingratiating to watch. Ignore this. Listen to it in Japanese, you'll be fine. Nothing wrong with the Japanese voiceovers, as is usually the case. The quality of the sound is great, as it should be, and is one of the best aspects of this film, in my opinion. Image quality leaves a lot to be desired, but should be alright on a standard tv.
If you watch this on a lcd screen or computer monitor however, be prepared for a grainy, weak image quality. Why this should be is beyond me, but clearly the encoders haven't done their job particularly well. None of this matters during the later parts, which are usually fast-moving action sequences,
but it is fairly noticeable in the earlier sections.
Buy it. This film deserves to go down in recent history as one of the great modern cartoon films-
m@

Steam-punk is sort of the retro version of cyberpunk -- 19th century gears and punch cards instead of electronics and computers. It's 1866 and the Drs. Lloyd and Edward Steam, father and son, have invented the "steam ball," a soccer-ball-sized contraption that will contain and control steam pressure far greater than any boiler. (How it works and how you get the steam in there is brushed aside -- fortunately.) They use this fantastic new energy source, financed by the mysterious O'Hara Foundation, to construct and power the Steam Tower, now on display near the Crystal Palace at London's Great Exhibition. But the Foundation is really in the international arms business and the Steam Tower is their greatest weapon yet, including steam-powered-augmented armored solders ("steam troopers"), flying machines, submarines, and the Tower itself, which stomps around London like a gigantic metal godzilla. And who's to bring an end to this carnage? Why, Ray Steam, the adolescent scion of the Steam family and a genius inventor himself. It takes awhile before you figure out who are the Good Guys and who are the Baddies, and even then you're never quite sure. In fact, the moral of the whole story appears to be: Never trust anyone when it comes to corporate greed and weapons profits. There's lots of neat stuff here, including Ray's steam-powered omnicycle, and the enemy's huge iron waldoes, and especially Ray's makeshift quasi-rocket platform. My favorite character, though, is the arrogant, spoiled, egotistical, and completely self-involved Miss Scarlett ("Scarlett O'Hara" -- right) who wanders in and out of danger in pursuit of her own wishes. This film was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of AKIRA, and the pace and dialogue is spot-on, as is the quality of the artwork. The plot is a bit weak in places -- this is far from Otomo's best work -- but it's not bad. I'm told the English voiceover version featured Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, and other big Hollywood names, but I preferred to watch the Japanese version with subtitles.

This is a great movie by all means. I'm not a fan of anime but I watch some from time to time and in my opinion all the factors of a good anime such as high drawing quality, smooth motion and a great storyline all exist in this movie.
However, try to get it on a DVD because the one missing star was for the limited picture quality offered by the PSP, real movies look great on the PSP, but for this movie since it's animated some flaws like too dark frames and not very smooth lines are visible.

As far as Anime goes, Katsuhiro Ôtomo is a heavy hitter. This movie is not as grand and ambitions as anything he's done that I've seen, ok I'm comparing it to Akira. I enjoyed Steam boy, the story was fun and very interesting and the setting (1866 England) was very well done and added a certain depth and intrigue to the storyline and characters. I think this film does't have the "teeth" that Akira did but I'm not sure it need them or is trying to be that. This film is not depressing or sinical but up lifting and spited. Like many Amine's of recent memory the plot is very evolved and looses you in points of the film. All in all you know what's going on most of the time. This film has its flaws and some annoying character with some pacing problems. The action lags on at times but it's a good little movie for anime fans. Is it Spirited away or Princess Monake (sp?) not at all but it's good to see Otomo back in the saddle.

Absolutely loved this film and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of anime. The choice of voice-over actors was a wise call and the level of animation was second to none. Highly recommended!

Taken on its own, this is a dazzling film. Fans comparing various anime might find reason to cavil, but I probably like it for reasons others don't. It doesn't mix and match CGI effects or use up its bag of tricks. It's not given to constantly shifting camera angles merely because computerized cameras can do that, which still seems a novelty to live action producers. It stays largely to its color palette, the dark, forbidding tones of a Dicknesian Victorian England. By comparison I found the preview for Final Fantasy VII, which some fans probably consider state of the art, extremely boring.

Steamboy plays like a filmed book, very deftly showing more than it tells. When there is speaking, it rarely clears things up, but merely adds more red herrings to the story. The film obviously owes a lot to Sherlock Holmes, as well as the earlier mechanical (as opposed to later electronic) ingenuity of The Wild Wild West TV show. But it draws subtly from these inspirations. Steamboy ends as it has to, in the epic fashion of Jules Verne and all Victorian and Edwardian visionary novels. One scene is also quite similar to the visually arresting opening of Chesterton's 1905 novel, The Ball and The Cross, although the story line is entirely different. I expect that except for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the future visions of this era are largely unexplored as film territory. The ending also suggests that a sequel, or even a series could follow. But instead it does something else: depict the "continuing adventure" in poignant scenes behind the closing credits. Choosing one of the extra features runs this imaginative portrayl without the credits.

The main characters are all inventors, and all in the same lineage. The father and grandfather's long- winded speeches about Science are hard to take seriously, but the same optimistic view of a rosy future exists in numerous Victorian era books. The show also revolves around the London Exhibition and the famous Crystal Palace, then the showplace of British and world progress. But what else is the film? A parable? A puzzle? An exploration? Does the use of steam for military purposes echo other sorts of energy harnessed for destruction, as foreshadowed in the aeroplane sequences during the credits? Is the economic thralldom in which Britain was held in the nineteenth century meant to resonate in our own? If the denouement seems predictable and the ending somewhat forced, the issues that puzzle the characters nevertheless remain "live" questions in this visually spectacular and intriguing film.

I loved Akira, Appleseed,really most everything Studio Ghibli has ever done (Kiki, Nausicaa, Spirited, etc), Cowboy Bebop, Gundam, etc.

This one didn't grab me. The animation is every bit as good as you would expect, but the story is just weak. I was really excited when I realized this was being released, but just ended up being disappointed. Some people love it, so DEFINITELY watch before you buy!!!

If you are new to Anime - this is not a good starting point and if you have already seen it and DID enjoy it there is a whole world of great movies waiting for you! Visually, my favorite is Appleseed (2004 - there are older un-enhanced anime series shows floating around). Storywise, pick up the Studio Ghibli movie pack. This contains Spirited Away and MANY more classics (I think mine has 12 movies and it cost me a whopping 15.00 on ebay plus shipping).

The hand-drawn artwork combined with CGI is simply stunning in this movie, it's a treat to the eyes.

The setting is 1800's England, in an alternative Steampunk past where machinery powered by steam has advanced civilization to a new age of reason - the promise of steam that if it would've maintained dominance in lieu of combustion, would've reinforced England's dominance. That's what steampunk is all about, after all, the investment that England made in infrastructure built for steam locked them into a future path that turned out to be weak and ill conceived in hindsight. It's a wonderful fantasy and when done well, it can be a rich alternate history. Tim Powers and Bruce Sterling create interesting Steampunk tales, and I can imagine if they'd written a story for Katsuhiro Otomo to direct, the combination would be magnificent. That said, the story just didn't work for me.

At first it was predictable, like stock parts off the fiction workshop shelf. A boy gets a powerful item of technology and has to fight his own father for the rights to assert his own will, his own ingenuity, and strike out on his own. There isn't enough background to allow the viewer to believe that this boy has the skills necessary to pull off his part in this story. There also isn't enough plot to sustain the believability of the entire story.

Bad guys are comical and wooden, good guys are stereotyped and predictable. If the movie hadn't been so pretty, I'd have given it a lower rating. Fortunately, with the volume off, it's a beautiful show.

- CV Rick

I'd almost be willing to give five stars for the background animation alone. The moody colors, amazing 3D drawn landscapes, and the detail in the steam machinery were incredible eye-candy, and will delight any fan of animation.

Unfortunately, the plot is nonsensical (even for anime), the characters are truly terrible, and the cell-style 2D character animation style jars horribly with the 3D backgrounds. The characters in *Steamboy* look like amaturish paper cutouts laid over the background of a completely different movie. Even the colors don't match. (Imagine Inuyasha appearing in a scene from *Full Metal Alchemist*, and you'll get the picture).

I don't really know how to review this movie, because I'm so astonished by how good the background animation is. It's some of the best I've seen anywhere, yet it has these horrible 2D characters that aren't even nearly as well animated and seem to be taken from a different movie. The plot, such as it is, seems to have tacked on at the very last minute, and has already been ably evicerated by other reviewers.

Not recommended except for technical animation fans. Too bad the DVD doesn't have a "remove characters and dialog" option. I'd seriously rate it higher, since the Victorian diorama-style backgrounds are truly remarkable.

As his follow-up to "Akira," Katsuhiro Ôtomo spent a staggering eight years producing "Steamboy," a stellar example of anime steampunk. It's full of detailed animation, solid direction and some really inspired action scenes, although the final fourth is extremely bloated. Dark, detailed, gritty and full of smoke, steam and grime.

In the mid 1800s, Dr. Lloyd Steam (Patrick Stewart) and his son Eddie Steam (Alfred Molina) are involved in top secret experimentation for the O'Hara Corporation. There's a disaster which leaves only one machine intact -- the Steam Ball.

Then Eddie's son Ray (Anna Paquin), a budding inventer, gets the Steam Ball in the mail -- and some thuggish Foundation men destroying the house to get the valuable machine. Ray escapes with the Ball, barely eluding the men, and ends up captured by a rogue zeppelin that tears a train apart. Great scene.

But the man in charge of this is none other than Ray's father Eddie, who was terribly burned and is now part machin. Eddie, who is still working for the Foundation, is in charge of the powerful Steam Tower and all the war inventions inside. Now Ray's loyalties are divided, as his father and grandfather battle in a war that has no clear "right" or "wrong" -- but which may wreck London, then the world.

If you're going to spend almost a decade working on a movie, then people expect a masterpiece. And while "Steamboy" won't change anime the way "Akira" did, it's still a prime example of the steampunk genre -- Victorian English surroundings, but with steam-powered tanks, subs and other technology.

The main plot is basically about a family's conflict over different ideas about how technology should be used. But Katsuhiro Ôtomo includes a deeper meaning to the conflict -- there's no clear-cut villain and hero here, since both Eddie and Lloyd have good intentions, though one believes in peace through power, and the other knows that power corrupts.

And the animation is amazingly detailed, so you can see every puff of steam and smear of grease. No big watery eyes here. It makes the action scenes -- including a zeppelin and train almost smashing into Victoria Station -- all the more compelling. In between, we have some solid character development, such as Ray getting to know the bratty O'Hara heiress, and experimenting with primitive subs and machinery.

But every movie has a flaw, and "Steamboy's" is that the last fourth is bloated. It's a brilliant battle -- especially the flying soldiers -- and the end itself is satisfying. But it's too slow and meandering, and has too many lingering shots of the bulbous tower over London. Fortunately it regains its footing in the last few minutes, especially when Ray takes control of the plot.

Ray himself is one of the most compelling child-heroes ever -- he's genuinely smart, resourceful and mature, but he's still young. He's only learning that not everything in life (even your family) is what it seems. And the supporting cast is also good, with a subdued Molina as Eddie and Stewart as the feisty Lloyd, who seems like an older version of Ray. And then there's Scarlett, a spoiled brat who is pretty annoying up until the final battle.

"Steamboy" suffers from a rather slow finale, but the movie itself is a brilliantly-animated, solidly-plotted adventure. Definitely worth checking out.

I heard a lot of buzz about this movie... even Ebert & Roper were like "Hey this is cool, check it out... two thumbs up... yea!" Ok, thats not an actual quote, but I do remember them saying good things about it when it came out. That stuck in my head for a couple of years, and I so I finally got around to buying the movie. I should have rented.

I couldn't tell you what happened after the first few scenes. I tried, but this movie sucked the life out of me. Actually, the first 30 minutes were great, but then it all went down hill after that.

I heard this movie took like 10 years to make. What a waste of time for both the creators and the audience.

Patrick Stewart does the voice of the old guy, and his character is like... manic meets whacko. Not at all what I had hoped for Patrick Stewart. I dont know how they got him to do this. He is completely out of place here.

The character of Scarlett... holy crap... what was the deal with her? Why was she even in this movie? I think they put her in here just to completely annoy the audience or they just needed to fill their quota of a sterotypical obnoxious anime-girl-with-a-parsol-and-a-pretty-dress-with-a-bow. She is the equivalent to Jar Jar Binks. Her character pretty much ruined this movie for me. Actually, had she not been in the movie at all, it would have not changed anything about the flow of the movie itself. She is a pointless character who is given way too much attention, which just added to the length of this bore-fest.

I would not recommend this movie to anyone. This movie is completely pointless.

Others have mentioned Spirited Away, and I have to admit, I really liked that movie... even though I shouldnt admit that, as a 31 year old male. That movie was sorta pointless too, but at least it was entertaining while it drove you to pointless city. Sometimes good anime movies catch my attention... I thought this would be a similar experience. It was not.

I give it two stars. One for great cinematography, and one for successfully duping me into paying hard earned money for this garbage. Good job, guys! Look for my copy on Ebay now!

I don't know about you but to me Steam Boy looked amazing if i could've kept my eyes open, Damn that was one boring movie but if you can stay awake to see all the intricate designs for the machines and weapons you well be amazed however in lack of the story, buy the special version so you can get the art book which is jaw dropping.

I've seen quite a bit of Anime, both good and bad, but this one does not deserve to even be called Anime. It appears to copy all the worst characteristics of modern US tradigital (2D/3D) formulaic animation techniques, and is similarly bad-- devoid of the plot intricacies, interesting characters and expressive character designs usually associated with Anime. While there are plenty of interesting steam mechanisms, that's about all it has going for it-- any sophistication ends there. The plot is simplistic, the "science" too laughable to even make decent fantasy, the character designs typical US stereotype-mannekin-formula and the personalities unengaging. The whole thing seems designed by draftsmen or accountants rather than creative artists, just like recent US produced fare. Would likely appeal only to the undiscerning youngest of kids.

Don't waste your time with this, just about anything out there in Anime is better.

I only recently became a fan of anima dew mainly to two movies, Spirited Away and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I love these movies with a passion, and since seeing them decided to see all f Miyazaki's movies. Well, I've seen all his movies that my local rental store has, so what now? I decided to expand my view of anima, see something else, and see if anyone can possibly be as good as Miyazaki. I saw Grave of the Fireflies and loved it.

But then I saw Steamboy. All I have to say about this movie is, well, it isn't Miyazaki. Sure the animation looks great, nothing Miyazaki has ever made looked quite this good, not even Spirited Away. But this movie lacks the fun and awe of Miyazaki's works. Miyazaki's movies have great, and I do mean GREAT, stories and some of the best characters ever made. Steamboy lacks both of these. The story here is pretty stupid overall. We are apparently supposed to sympathize with Ray's granddad, but he was crazy. I'm telling you he belonged in a loony ill, and Ray's dad seemed to care about him, instead of just using him like the grandpa did.

And I never found myself actually likening these people. Ray didn't know what he wanted to do, his dad was too, what's the word, Darth Vader like, and his grandpa was crazy and preachy. Who's left? Miss? She was a brat, and a stupid one at that. Unlike in any of Miyazaki's films, these people were just. . . there.

If you want to see some great anima, see Spirited Away, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, or any of Myazaki's movies. Also check out Grave of the Fireflies.

I just watched this, and I must say it was very well done. It has great characters and good action. But, this is not very, oh, how should I put this, "anime-ish." At least, it doesn't feel like it to me. However, this is still a great movie that a fair amount of people will enjoy. I'd say rent it first. (BTW, first "anime" feature film for me.....I crave more!!!)

I don't believe that this a ground-breaking animation feature as has been suggested. The animation was good, but certainly not great; that said, the sepia tones were effective in translating the viewer through time. The concept was certainly inventive, but all the characters were classic archetypes with little to no originality in their personalities/actions.

It took two sittings for me to finish the movie. I almost passed on the second "sitting" because I knew how the story would end. (I turned out to be right.)

The Japanese should stick with making Street Fighter and Dragon Ball Z movies. At least those are good and entertaining.

Making a boreing movie like Steamboy doesn't help anybody. It is made worse by the fact that it is over 2 hours long. I watched the entire 2 hours only because I was hopeing to be entertained at the end, unfortunately I was NOT.

DON'T BUY THIS MOVIE!

Not a big Anime fan, but happened to pick up this movie and was very satisfied. Lush cityscapes, shadowy agents, and industrial espionage centered around the the World's Expo in dirty, grimy, 1890's London. Some of the best animation I have ever seen!

I loved this movie. Maybe some people are let down because they liked Akira so much and thought it would be similar. It's not. Which is fine with me because I honestly did not like Akira. Akira was a little over my head and not to mention nauseating in some parts. This movie was easy for me to understand. I felt what the characters felt. The little boy having to choose sides in his own family-how heart breaking. In the end I believe the father and grandfather both prove to be nuts. But it shows the humanity of people-how flawed we all are. Just about everyone in this movie seems real-down to the bratty little girl. She's spoiled rotten but how else would she act when everyone treats her like a little princess. There's a lot of action but it's never monotonous like some action movies are. I was glued to the screen the whole time. It really kept me interested and I get bored really fast if I think a movie is going no where. I don't know how anyone was bored watching this movie. If you are a fan of Miyazaki movies-you'll probably like this one too. I definately plan to buy it.

Made by the same creator of the hugely popular, and genera revolutionizing, Akira. Strangely, this film is set in England during the industrial revolution. Sepia tones make for an excellent mood, and the visual effects alone make this movie worth watching. Yet, what makes this film so intriguing is how it sets up a unique juxtaposition between the `old feel' of 19th century England, and the `new feel' of high paced, technologically extravagant, modern day science fiction film... Sort of like Charles Dickens meets The Matrix.

Like many others, Akira was my first viewing of anime' (then, "Vampire Hunter D"), so when I heard this movie was done by Otomo ("Akira"), I entered the viewing with high expectations. I was let down. The animation flows well, but is rather bland. Unlike most anime', which is futuristic (even post-apocalyptic), this story is based around the turn-of-the century 1900. Steam was the main form of power for many engines, and engineers were working on newer & better forms of steam technology. How lame is it to have the main character's family name be "Steam"?
There are some interesting concepts in the story, but over all, it's a snooze-fest for most anime' fans. Akira this is not. Rent the movie before you decide to buy it (unless you find it on clearance for $3 like my husband did...at least that was cheaper than a rental fee).
I think the other "in depth" reviews go over all the important points- my review is just a simple way of saying that this movie is quite a let-down. The very end of the movie is the only thing that salvages it and I give it two stars instead of one. The end is an unexpected twist on what the grandfather had planned the steam-balls for. That, and watching the snotty-little-girl's dream house in England go Ka-BOOM! are the best parts of the movie (you'll have to watch the movie to understand that part, so I don't think it's a spoiler). JMHO.
MeOw!
>^..^<

A gorgeous steampunk adventure to be sure, but ultimately this feature suffers from the sameness of many anime titles: uninvolving characters and lack of plot direction -- plus the ol' "teen boy saves the world" chestnut. YAWN!

While the English dub is technically fine, the voices themselves are grating. As with many cartoons, a female voices the lead young boy. She consistantly sounds like a girl, which is distracting. Similarly, the lead girl is completely obnoxious -- she is voiced with zero charm or subtlety. She's a one-note brat you want to push off a moving train after five minutes of listening to her!

On the plus side, the DVD includes a nice featurette on the computer graphics used in the movie. Visually, this movie is fantastic! At the end of the day, it's simply too long and dull at more than 2 hours!

The animations, illustrations and design of the visuals in Steam Boy has to be one of the top-notch in any ani-movie. The movements and settings of every character was rendered with the utmost care, with dramatic instrumental music to go with it.

Although the animations surpasses many other ani-movies, its lack in emotions and character development takes it quite far down the list. The story itself was confusing, not because of complexity, yet because the film had too much in too little time, giving the viewer barely any time to sum up the information. In short: too much, too soon. The film focuses a little overboard on the animations and effects instead of the story and characters, resulting in a totally non-emotionally driven film at all. If compared to other films of its own genre, such as AppleSeed, Steam Boy fails in many developmental and spiritual aspects. But if you are a fan of kick-arse animation, then this is the film for you.

Excellent, breathtaking scenes and good old classic music makes this film a must-watch for any fans who liked APPLESEED, or Akira.

Taking a whole decade to materialize, Steamboy should perhaps be considered as Katsuhiro Otomo's ("Akira") magnum opus. It was the rage when we went to Japan last April, as our arrival date coincided with Steamboy's Japanese DVD release. Practically all the anime shops and subway stations had Steamboy banners, posters, and various promotional materials plastered all over. There were even TV plugs ever so often during the few times I would tune in our TV at the hotel. Tokyo had Steamboy fever, and I was all but clueless as to what the fuss was about. Whatever it was, I was not willing to shell out 10,000 yen for the Steamboy Memorial Box everyone was drooling over.

A few months later, I get my R1 DVD copy of Steamboy. Good thing it didn't cost me anything near 10,000 yen. Visually impressive as Steamboy was, I couldn't help but think "...that's it?" right after I watched it. A young boy is caught in a family conflict and is eventually forced to take sides. In this case, Ray Steam has to decide which ideal to work for: the ultimate power for mankind, as his father Dr. Edward Steam is pursuing; or peace, happiness, and the greater good for mankind, as his grandfather Dr. Lloyd Steam believes in. Amidst the falling out between his father and grandfather, Ray gets to dodge bullets, fly around using a steam-powered apparatus, and save a damsel-in-distress. I admit, I was sort of let down by the flat and unevenly paced plot. When the characters are not discussing steam and its many uses (steam ball, steam tower, etc.), they're busy turning valves and shouting, or they're trying to escape dangerous situations. I don't know why but I could not really feel excited even as the mechanisms threatened to explode and all. While there's no shortage of vigorous action scenes, the film felt strangely anti-climactic. Take note that the end credits show a lot of interesting still images, "photographs" of events which I assume take place right after the whole steam ball fiasco. A nice finishing touch, but that's about it. Steamboy actually reminded me a little bit of Otomo's animated short "Cannon Fodder" (featured in "Memories") for some reason.

The audio visual aspect is where Steamboy truly shines. It's obvious that no expense was spared in preparing this magnificent smorgasbord for the eyes and ears. I can't even begin to describe how meticulously detailed every single scene is. I was awed by just about everything onscreen. The beautifully portrayed English countryside looked like a landscape that had come to life, while the city of London came off every bit as authentic and industrialized as that time period would allow. Character designs are more realistic than animesque, giving Steamboy an almost live-action feel. Animation is smooth as silk, a perfect merging of 2D and 3D, cel and computer imagery. I can guarantee even non-anime fans would be very much overwhelmed by the whole spectacle. The English dubbing is commendable. Anna Paquin does a good job of playing a teenage boy, albeit her supposed-to-be English accent is rather wanting. Her co-stars all do wonderfully though. I enjoyed listening to Dr. Edward, Dr. Lloyd, and Scarlett deliver their lines. I actually felt the English dub track suited the film better than the Japanese track did.

Steamboy is typical family entertainment fare -- except for the fact that Otomo infuses an extremely simple and straightforward story with philosophical angles that serve little purpose but to make things seem more complicated than they actually are. Really, no amount of pondering can make Steamboy anything more than what it is -- a visual tour de force, but not much else. Overall disappointing and over-hyped, but still worth watching.

ok...i waited forever for this movie to come out what with the budget problems and the massive delay in production and id like to say it was worth the wait...but...it wasnt. it looks great, sounds great, the concept is good and all but, well, it could have been better...and dare i say...longer? the character development was not there, the technology seems to be overshadowed but the drawn out over simplified plot. i tried to watch this movie three time and fell asleep twice. the little girl...scarlet ohara...i mean come on. must have ran out of the money in the creative name budget. i may have to give it another chance in japanese with subtitles because this voice over was almost as painful as princess mononoke. patrick stewart was the only real talent in the entire voice over cast. not enough. all in all...what had potential to be an awesome movie turns out to be a drawn out over simplified, under explained, extremely high budget animated movie that left me feeling cheated. i dont know what happened with this film but maybe he should have given up at the first sign of problems.

While visually stunning, STEAMBOY suffers miserably for being a plot driven film with poor character development. Action, action, action, all at the expense of an interesting story.

A boy's scientist father and grandfather are at odds over a weapon they've devised, and the boy is thrown in the mix, conflicted, attempting to resolve who is right and who is abusing science.

Unfortunately, the film's story develops at a too fast clip, spending more time loving itself for how great it looks. It's a shame, because the design and production values are top notch.

It's worth watching from an animation enthusiasts point of view, but know going in that it's a yawner. Action without emotional investment from the viewer amounts to boring viewing.

As Akira is one of my favourite anime films, I was excited to hear that Katsuhiro Otomo was making another anime flick. I was very curious about Steamboy for a long time and knew it wasn't going to be as good as Akira. I was right. Steamboy is not as good as Akira but what a film it is. With fantastic visuals and a great story, Steamboy has what a Japanime needs. The concept of setting a time in a futuristic 1930s, is a genius idea. Where robotic technology is steam powered.

Steamboy is an instant classic and a very enjoyable film that resembles Akira. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested.

A movie that starts slow but good and builds to a massive scope of action and imagination, "Steamboy" is yet another example of how vast the field of anime has become. Set in a London of 1866 just like the one in history books and set on the metaphorical eve of events that will change human history and cause the world to diverge from 'our' future. Most of the movie's main characters are members of the Steam family (fourteenish-Ray Steam is the title character), and the father and grandfather of the family, away for years working in America, have discovered a method of harnessing steam power to far greater yields than anything ever seen in 'our' world. This new technology puts the two against each other and starts the ball rolling toward the 1866 London Industrial Fair, and a sudden turning point in the world's history that occurs in a few hours of a single day. Much of the movie is spent trying to decide which side one, as the viewer, wants to be on, what the true motivations of the various characters really are, and who is telling the truth about what. As with the rest of the movie, this angle of uncertainty is very well done. A tour-de-force of visual imagery and epic ideas, masterfully animated, this one in my opinion far outdoes director Katsuhiro Otomo's previous full-length anime "Akira". One thing of special note: you'll want to stay for the full end credits and watch the background's changing stills-imagery for astonishing glimpses of the future world of "Steamboy", far more than enough to make a powerful case for a sequel as soon as possible.

I am an animator myself and a fan of animation when it is good, but I am not an anime fanboy. I don't care to read subtitles. If something comes from Japan that does not automatically make it more special to me, but I know quality when I see it. This is a quality piece of work.

The artwork is smooth, the camera moves are brilliantly devised and the style and detail are appropriate to the subject. In fact, the attention to detail is stunning.

This is a story that could be classified under a recently recognised genre of speculative fiction, or science fiction called "Steampunk." This term probably derives from the novel, "The Difference Engine" co-authored by William Gibson, noted cyberpunk writer. In that novel, Babbage's Analytical Engine or Difference Engine, a mechanical computer which operated by a series of gears, more like an adding machine than today's electronic computers, came into common use much earlier than it in fact did. Another movie that might fall into this category is "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Like "The Difference Engine," this movie has technologies (robotics, powered flight and similar concepts) coming into existence much earlier than actually happened, but under the power of steam thanks to a revolutionary advance in containing great pressure.

19th century England is well-rendered here with fantastic attention to setting and detail. Amazingly, I believe that most of the cultural icons used are very well handled. Even the sermon by Steamboy's father about the awesome power of science fits very accurately into the period.

It is also true that to the western audience some of the conflict between the father and grandfather will come across as childish and grating. Particularly the obligatory platitudes about how bad and petty a thing earning money is. As if movies weren't made to make money. I would probably lose my lunch if I had to say some of the lines that Patric Stewart did. Though at least the warmongering state gets shown for what it is when it tries to take control of the source of steam power in its turn. The movie concludes with a very Japanese seeming melancholy and confusion about the effects of technological power rather than the unbridled triumph more common at the end of western adventure movies. But between Steamboy's hopeful attitude an excellent closing soundtrack and a sequence of images that I suppose is meant to hint at the future adventures of the characters it leaves you with an overall positive feeling.

The English dub is done extremely well. Far better than most of the foreign movies I've seen in the last two years. Anna Paquin does a fantastic job on the lead character and Patric Stewart adds believability (He is a native of the region his character is supposed to have come from.) to another very prominent character. So far as I could tell the exact same words were used in the dub as in the subtitles included in this version.

There are many elements that are handled well and the examination of the dawn of the 20th century in the west through the Japanese lens all help to make this a fresh and unique movie experience. The dub and the musical score are fantastic.

The movie was just as promised. Also the movie itself was very good. Excellent artistry and plot. Very enjoyable

It's a common law that only gets broken rarely: the more anticipated something is, the less likely chance it'll meet or exceed expectations. A new cd by a band you love might not be that great. The follow-up to a director's past masterpiece falls below expectations. Steamboy is one of those kind of films where there's an obvious enthusiasm and passion involved, it's just not what it should've been.

We're in the mid 1800's right smack in the middle of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. Steam is the big thing so when Ray Steam(very lazy name) gets his hands on an odd "Steam ball", he soon becomes a target for the O'Hara Foundation. They want to harness the power of the ball for their own needs(which obviously don't benefit anyone) so Ray has to keep the ball away from people who would want to use it.

One thing that made Akira enjoyable was that the story just seemed to unfold without any hiccups(even if you couldn't understand it). Steamboy's pacing is incredibly off since it feels so SLLOOOWWW. So much happened yet I was only 40 minutes in. It doesn't help that there's not much to the story either. The moral of the story it seems is that technology for personal use is bad while technology benefiting everyone is good. Granted you could say it's something else but the film is so black and white that you'd have to say it like that. Many technology we use we actually use on our own or for our own needs.

The characters aren't really that interesting either and don't go through much change. Ray is your typical hero that saves the day when he doesn't exactly possess the skills to do so, it's more through luck. There's Scarlett, your very typical spoiled brat who wants things her way and for us to answer everything or criticize when we don't know it. Usually in films they learn their lesson but here, she's still bossy and spoiled. The only one that really goes through any amount of change is our "villain" but he has a big change of heart incredibly quickly you're like "gee that was fast".

Now all those negatives and some positives? Of course and it's the animation. Using 3D, the animation looks very stylized and fluid without being a bit obvious. A lot of 2D/3D mixtures tend to be very noticeable to distinguish the 2 but here it's almost flawless. I say almost because certain characters in early scenes almost looked pasted onto the background.

Now I didn't watch the english dub but it's probably good since it has reliable Patrick Stewart and Alfred Molina and Anna Paquin...playing a boy. Yes, Rogue from X-Men is playing a teenage boy. She even mentions in the special features that the ADR people had to tell her to say things more lower register. Why they didn't just get a young guy actor or an older one with good range to do it is beyond me.

Is it a great film? No. Terrible film? No. In the middle? Most definately. If you're an anime fan, you should check it out but since this is a highly anticipated project from the man who brought you Akira, you'll probably find it won't live up to your expectations.

This was a really boring cartoon.

the central conflict of the plot stalls by the end of the first act and then keeps looping back and repeating itself. theres a clumsy anti war message - then it switches to pro war - then anti war. it couldnt really make up its mind.

the technology stuff was inconsistant - at first everything is supposedly run on steam - the liquid hydrogen? the inconsistancy reduced the STEAM concept to gibberish. most of the gadgets are WW1 gizmos - were supposed to be impressed that they exist in an 1850s world. whatever.

there are a few nice moments. but i wouldnt recommend this film to anyone

I'm a fan of Akira (as most people reviewing here are) and I enjoyed Steamboy just slightly less. I've gotten older since I saw Akira, my views on the world are different and animation has changed in that time too. I thought the animation was gorgeous in this movie but as I was watching it I couldn't help but think it's just not ground breaking. Of course that's not intended as a criticism. It's almost impossible to be ground breaking today the way Akira was when it first came out and for several years after. I love the hand drawn stuff but computer animation loses some of the ability to awe. That's not a fair assessment however. Steamboy is a work of art in it's own right.

The story moved along at a good pace in my opinion. It wasn't any slower than Spirited Away or Royal Space Force - Wings of Honneamise. The slow quiet moments allowed a better appreciation of the beautiful images and animation. The problem with the story wasn't the pacing but the clichéd anti-capitalist rants. It is too simplistic a world view. The movie wants it both ways. The overt message is violence and war are wrong while the action is fetishizing that violence. The battle scenes have a how-cool-is-this look and feel to them. The artists aren't necessarily trying to see how beautiful they can make war but that's the end result.

The underlying themes in this movie are certainly similar to Akira and while I've heard it said this film is more viewer friendly there are still some deeper things going on that are less obvious. While I thought the anti-capitalist messages were almost niavé they were still thought provoking (but just a little). It would be getting carried away to say there was anything more deep and meaningful going on here than comic book philosophy.

In the end the movie is gorgeous to look at with a lot of senses numbing action sequences and good entertainment

The anti-corporate stance taken by the grandfather was tiring and old. The father was cliched. The story could have been MORE interesting if it didn't play on these old themes of 'corporations bad, weapons evil' which is the basis for this movie. The animation is good, not great, the voice acting is very well done (though I would have had an actual boy voice the lead role) and the overall plot is intersting. This would have gotten 4 stars, easy, if the politics of the movie were more subtle.

There is some really beautiful animation and some great design in Steamboy, but the story and characters are just not very compelling.

I'm a big fan of Japanese anime, but Akira and Steamboy are probably the least favorite anime movies I've seen. I guess I just don't care for this director.
Steamboy was quite boring and you could turn your volume off for the last 1/2 of the movie and not miss much.."turn the shutoff valve, floor 2, get outta there" etc. Maybe if I had an interest in steam engines it would have been more interesting.

How can you not like this movie its one of my animes ever. I have seen Akeria and I like it a lot. The story was great,but it wasn't my favorite. Steamboy is great. I love the story and the charters were great. There was a great twist in the plot.
One person that gave a 1 star didn't even talk about why he didn't like it. some thing about some shipment thing. No one cares dude.
So if you are looking for a great anime go for steamboy

This is a great movie, i loved every minute of it. It takes place in old times which makes it even better. The animation is a 10star, the voice acting is a 10star, and the Music is an 11star. It was all great and This is the best movie i have seen. I have seen Akira and it was a great movie, but Steamboy is a lot better. It is a movie you can watch with anybody. I dont understand the PG-13 rating since i caught no bad words or anything of the sort. There is also a feature where you can watch the end credits without the words, and an interview with Katsuhiro Otomo, Re-voicing the movie, and a few other great things. And it says mastered in High Definition!!! I will say it again this is the best movie i have seen in a while.

Steamboy is no Akira, and for many fans I think this will end up as a crime. Akira was a complex, violent, and disturbing film. Steamboy seems more akin to Walt Disney. Unfortunately for me, I bought this movie expecting Akira and I was obviously disappointed. But then I watched it a second time; I forced myself to, with a mindset that didn't include Akira. I told myself that I've seen and enjoyed anime of this type before (Spirited Away), so it couldn't be all that bad.

I was right. The film was excellent the second time (and the first time as well, only I was of the mind to hate it because of it's less-mature themes). In the end, I realized it was actually very close to Akira in that it was a story of a young boy trying to save his family and friends from a technological catastrophe, and has to do all this with very mixed emotions of what is right and wrong (no more spoilers, I promise). When I realized how good this movie actually was, I also realized that, like Akira, it's a groundbreaker. It proves what Studio Ghibli has been attempting to prove on its own: that anime does not have to be violent, strange, or downright macabre to be good.

Pick this film up if you want to see a new side to anime. And remember, it's no Akira, Ghost in the Shell, or Ninja Scroll, but it still deserves its name among these anime greats.

I'm still learning the ropes when it comes to anime, which means I can't compare Steamboy to Katsuhiro Otomo's legendary Akira. I can, however, say that I enjoyed Otomo's contribution to the film Memories more than I did Steamboy. Both share the same kind of heavily industrial world of the past, cast in sepia-like tones reflecting an atmosphere of gloom. That was more than okay for Memories' "Cannon Fodder," but the world of Steamboy eventually grew tiresome to me. The animation of this film is excellent, but it consisted of far too many scenes of exploding machinery, to the detriment of character development and storyline. Frankly, I just didn't care about this plot all that much.

You've got a young, inventive boy who finds himself in the middle of a conflict over the nature of science. It's an argument that will erupt in loud, frightening chaos over the city of London. The boy's name is Ray Steam, and steam is definitely the key word in all of this. Ray receives a parcel from his grandfather containing an ultra-powerful "steamball," and almost at once he's forced to honor his grandfather's request to keep it out of the hands of "the Foundation." His father, however, or at least a somewhat mechanized version of him, happens to be in cahoots with the Foundation, and he begins to win his son over to his own version of science. He has used the vast power of steam to take his own father's vision of a Steam Castle and turn it into a well-armed weapon, complete with steam-powered flyers, subs, and mechanized fighters. The grandfather, looking much the worse for wear, shows up to try and sabotage his evil son's efforts, and he confronts Ray with his own peaceful vision of science. Fortunately for the audience, there's a spoiled little rich girl (by the name of Scarlett O'Hara - I kid you not) to add some life to all this philosophizing and artificiality. The whole thing soon breaks down into a not-so-small war over London. If you like explosions and scenes of utter destruction in your anime, you'll definitely want to check out Steamboy. That's about all you'll find in the second half of the film.

To me, Steamboy is a case of style over substance. None of the characters are as fully developed as I would have liked, and the whole story never manages to take on very much depth. Motion pictures, even anime, cannot live on cinematography alone if they want to be truly successful. With its underdeveloped storyline, Steamboy just didn't prove satisfying to me.

After directing "Akira" in 1988, Katsuhiro Ôtomo avoided making another feature length anime for years. In 1991 he did a live action film, the horror-comedy "Warudo apaatoment hora" and then in 1995 he did the "Cannon Fodder" segment for "Memories." He wrote the scripts for Hiroyuki Kitakubo's "Rôjin Z" in 1991 and adopted Osamu Tezuka's manga for Rintaro's "Metoroporisu" in 2001. But it was not until 2004 that Ôtomo helmed "Steamboy" and left himself open to the inevitable comparisons of this two-hour anime with the classics in the field in which he had a major hand.

On the one hand "Steamboy" is as visually stunning as you would expect, albeit in a decidedly different way from "Akira" and "Metroporisu." This time around Ôtomo is not telling a futuristic story, but one set in 1866 in the London of Victorian England, which mandates sepia toned colors rather than working with a palate of bright neon colors. That alone justifies a different look to "Steamboy," and the chief attraction for this anime are the hand-drawn animation, enhanced by computers, of the massive machines of gears and pistons. But there is another interesting consequences to the setting of "Steamboy," which is that for the first time with a Japanese anime I am recommending that you listen to the English audio track rather than the Japanese. Since the characters are actually English, then for once it makes sense to go this route. Besides, we are talking Patrick Stewart as grandfather Dr. Lloyd Steam, Alfred Molina as his son Dr. Eddie Steam, and Anna Panquin as James Ray Steam, who is the film's title figure.

The key idea behind "Steamboy" is to recast the Industrial Revolution of the 19th-century with steam now holding a power and promise akin to atomic energy after World War II, although I guess scientifically the power is more like a jet engine (but the implications for transforming the world strike me as being more in the realm of the idealized future represented by atomic power). Ray Steam is a boy inventor who comes into possession of "steam ball," and then finds himself in a struggle between his father, who has become part-machine and power mad, and his grandfather, who turns into a wild-eyed Cassandra of gloom and doom. The evil Dr. Steam is building an army with steam-powered tanks, mechanical armor suits, and even steam jet packs for aerial assaults. If Ôtomo did not read Jules Verne at some point in his life I would be really surprised, because "Steamboy" owes as much to Verne's writing as it does to James Bond spy films and Tom Swfit adventures.

However, the story is just not up to the grandeur of the animation, which involves not only the captivating combination of hand-drawn animation and computers, but also some great camera movement. If this were a live-action film we would be talking about the impressive cinematography, especially since Ôtomo seems to make a point of going for angles you are unlikely to get in the real world. So there is more than just the retro look of "Steamboy" to recommend when it comes to the visuals of this 2004 film. But Ôtomo does not explore the steam technology as much as I would have liked, so that a promising idea becomes rather conventional and the substance behind the style ends up being disappointing. Even the big debate behind the power play is childishly simplistic, so we are not dealing with a potent allegory either. Besides, I was waiting for there to be more of a payoff to the character of Scarlett O'Hara (Kari Wahlgren). Then again, it is entirely possible that Ôtomo is never going to top "Akira" (what has James Cameron really done since "Titanic"?) and even with its faults "Steamboy" is certainly worth watching.

I have been on an anime kick for sometime. My latest anime pic I recently rented is Katsuhiro Otomo's "Steamboy". The story takes place during the industrial revolution. A young boy named James Ray Steam receives a package from his grandfather which contains a powerful ball that pretty much harnesses the power of steam. Just as the package gets to his home, two suspicious looking gentlemen arrives at his home and tries to take the ball from James. James doesn't allow the agents to take them when he sees the note from his grandfather that the men are not good. This quickly sets off a chase between these agents and James. Slowly but surely the premise of the film of the goodness of humanity vs. the evils and dangers of technology is revealed.

I loved the animation of the film. The combination of hand drawn animation and computer generated animation was gorgeous, especially towards the end of the film. The first hour of the film had me deeply engrossed but the last hour started to drag on for me. Sometimes I think director's cut versions of films are really not necessary 'cause they have a tendency to bog down the story of the film, and this is the case here on "Steamboy". I also was annoyed for most of the film by Miss Scarlett. I never understood her relationship to Dr. Eddie Steam. I only watched the Japanese version. America needs to stop ruining anime films with their dreadful English dubbing. It just takes so much away from the magic of what the Japanese created. All in all I did like "Steamboy" but the pace of the film was too slow for me at times.