Mamoru Oshii is a name best known in the "anime world" for his work as director in Ghost in the Shell. Patlabor 2 is a fabulous movie. It's beautifully animated. There are long, beautiful pans of demonic cityscapes set to the haunting score composed by Kenji Kawaii. There are complex, philosophical problems that trouble the two protagonists on a personal level, whom seem to have some sort of unresolved sexual tension going on. There is a heavy, intricate plot, that while puzzling at first, eventually is resolved through brilliant detective work. And the end, all the culminated tension violently explodes on-screen.
In other words, this film uses the exact same formula as Ghost in the Shell.
In fact, Patlabor 2 is pretty much the same as any Oshii film I've seen (other than the Sky Crawlers, which was atrocious). But I could also say Patlabor 2 is better than GITS... why is that? Because it is flawless. There is nothing wrong with this film. The characters are beautifully written, the plot is, though confusing, complex and laden with important social issues that were not only issues for Japan in the early 90s, but issues that people in the US today. I don't really want to give too much away, but you'll see what I mean. And then there's Arakawa, who is a brilliant character and fit right in with the atmosphere of the movie. If there is one word to describe this movie it is "atmospheric". You should expect no less from the guy who directed Ghost in the Shell, right?
Yet I feel in some ways this movie is superior to GITS. All the characters here are involving (I've only seen the first two Patlabor movies), whereas the characters in Ghost in the Shell are well-developed, but cold and stoic. In Patlabor 2, the characters are not warm or fuzzy, but are realistic realists. They're brilliant.
If there was any problem with this film its that it is very very dialog heavy. If you don't pay attention to what the characters are saying, you're left out of the loop. But you will pay attention, because what they say is just so engaging. Remember the old adage, 'show don't tell'? Well forget it. Go watch Patlabor 2.
Note: I wrote this review on imdb, but posted it here with some edits because of the limited word count on this site.
Patlabor 2
Mamoru Oshii is a name best known in the "anime world" for his work as director in Ghost in the Shell. Patlabor 2 is a fabulous movie. It's beautifully animated. There are long, beautiful pans of demonic cityscapes set to the haunting score composed by Kenji Kawaii. There are complex, philosophical problems that trouble the two protagonists on a personal level, whom seem to have some sort of unresolved sexual tension going on. There is a heavy, intricate plot, that while puzzling at first, eventually is resolved through brilliant detective work. And the end, all the culminated tension violently explodes on-screen.
In other words, this film uses the exact same formula as Ghost in the Shell.
In fact, Patlabor 2 is pretty much the same as any Oshii film I've seen (other than the Sky Crawlers, which was atrocious). But I could also say Patlabor 2 is better than GITS... why is that? Because it is flawless. There is nothing wrong with this film. The characters are beautifully written, the plot is, though confusing, complex and laden with important social issues that were not only issues for Japan in the early 90s, but issues that people in the US today. I don't really want to give too much away, but you'll see what I mean. And then there's Arakawa, who is a brilliant character and fit right in with the atmosphere of the movie. If there is one word to describe this movie it is "atmospheric". You should expect no less from the guy who directed Ghost in the Shell, right?
Yet I feel in some ways this movie is superior to GITS. All the characters here are involving (I've only seen the first two Patlabor movies), whereas the characters in Ghost in the Shell are well-developed, but cold and stoic. In Patlabor 2, the characters are not warm or fuzzy, but are realistic realists. They're brilliant.
If there was any problem with this film its that it is very very dialog heavy. If you don't pay attention to what the characters are saying, you're left out of the loop. But you will pay attention, because what they say is just so engaging. Remember the old adage, 'show don't tell'? Well forget it. Go watch Patlabor 2.
Note: I wrote this review on imdb, but posted it here with some edits because of the limited word count on this site.