Yet another amazing Japanese animated film.

I watched Steamboy a couple nights ago. It pretty much blew the socks right off my feet. I was expecting it to be good, but it was simply amazing! The animation was like nothing I've ever seen, a beautiful combination of traditional and computer animation with a seemless look. The camera movement, and even the cuts, are more cinematic than what is seen in most animation. It is becoming more common now in computer animation, but Steamboy was made in 2004, so it was at the beginning of the movement, if that's what it turns into (I hope so). Computer animation is a great tool, but I definitely think it's starting to be overused, and I really prefer to see characters drawn traditionally because they're more fluid and facial expression is usually more well done (huge exception: Pixar).

The sound seems exceptionally good, too. I've only recently been noticing sound quality (like for the past year or so), and it's more important in animation in terms of making the action seem more really and drawing the audience into the story. Steamboy is most definitely an action-packed movie, and the soundscape is incredibly rich. Creaking metal, lots of water sounds. Mmmmm. I felt like I could eat it right up. Bottom line: it makes the film exciting.

I also fell in love with Steve Jablonsky's score. It's on par with those of big time epics. Along with the sound effects, it makes the action that much more exhilarating, and the themes are of my favorite kind: those you can listen to and enjoy without watching the movie. I really want the soundtrack.

One more thing. The story. Age-old themes, but conveyed in an interesting and unique way. The only failing of this movie for me was that the characters didn't have much time to develop because it was so plot heavy, and none of them went through much change. I'm a character person. My love of stories comes down to the examination of character, the human experience, growth, etc. Although the hero, Ray, is quite charming and the supporting cast have lots of personality, Steamboy is more of a social commentary than a character study. We never get too deep into anyone's head or heart, but the writing is excellent enough to still hint at each character's past while carrying the weight of the action like as though it were no feat at all.

I only saw the original (Japanese) version of the film, and the English language cast has some big names in it (Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina, Patrick Stewart), so I'd definitely love to watch that one sometime soon. I'm more anxious, though, to watch more Katsuhiro Otomo films.