Spriggan (2001)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Maybe it's cause I'm new to anime, or maybe it's cause I'm a dinosaur looking for a fresh face on entertainment ... I dunno exactly what it is, but I found Spriggan to be the absolute best movie I've seen in years ..., make that tens of years. I've read reviews that lament the lack of story line and character development; Hogwash! I found these areas to be well covered and extremely easy to follow & cheer for. Granted the movie offers an extremely over-simplistic view of world politics by blaming all of the world's woes on the good ole U.S. of A., but that's to be expected when you're the number 1 world power & the world is as screwed up as it is. We all know, hopefully, that evil & greed existed before America & will continue for a long time after the USA, but it makes for one helluva story line. Action packed, extremely well drawn and acted, I found myself completely absorbed from the very first minute. A previous viewer commented on the sound problems, I experienced this too. I found that at times voices were very faint, while background effects were overloud, this was not very discomforting & did not at all distract from the on screen fun.

A big, loud brash anime that in many ways has more of a Hollywood blockbuster feel to it than a normal anime film. This film moves along at a smart pace, with very few, if any slow patches.The animation is of a high standard, especially the scenes set in Istanbul, although some of the CGI effects used in the film were not necessary. Spriggan has one of the best English dubs yet seen in anime, the quality of the voices & the technical mixing of the soundtrack both excellent. A must see for anime fans. 8/10

Can anyone point me towards a better storyline for an animation film? I'm happy thinking this is the best one ever created and I saw it three years ago, so it's hanging in there too. It's on again at a 24 hr festival in Melbourne tomorrow, so I'm a little pleased. That's all.

Personally I tend to like somber anime with flashes of action/violence that really hit you full on because you (as the viewer) are invested in the story and characters. For example: Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh, Rurouni Kenshin OAV's, Grave of the fireflies, and even Blood. I also like action for actions sake, but only if it's done well. For this reason Drunken Master II is one of my all time favorite films (That last fight in the steel works... drool) but so is Ran, because the latter is one of the best movies ever made.I can appreciate both types of films, I guess not everyone else can.Spriggan is definitely vapid, you don't see it for it's characters or clever plot. What you see it for is the technical brilliance used during the action. And sadly most of the best stuff is at the first 1/3 of the film, but that's another issue entirely.Despite what some people may think it takes a great deal of creativity and talent to compose world class action sequences. There's definitely skill and genius to be seen in John Woo, Cameron, Wo Ping, Chan, Otomo, and a host of other people, often noted for action rather than drama.Spriggan has those world class action sequences and for that reason is worth seeing at least once, preferably in the best possible format. Just don't expect symbolism from the movie, it's critical of the U.S. but not in any subtle or clever ways. And I often laughed because the comments made about the States work equally well for Japan, it just came off as finger pointing.So to clarify... As is so often the case, the extreme views are not exactly with it. Spriggan is not the next Akira, not the next Mononoke, and it's certainly not the piece of garbage some people would like to think.