Patlabor: The Movie

In 1999, giant robots known as Labors are now used in almost every aspect of daily life.  From construction, to search and rescue and law enforcement, these mechanical wonders are everywhere.  But when a mass outbreak of unmanned Labor attacks begins to pop up around Tokyo, society’s greatest assets become it’s greatest threat.  It’s up to the bright minded and highly unorthodox pilots and detectives of Special Vehicles Section 2 to solve the mystery behind these attacks before a Typhoon of epic proportions sends every single Labor on a rampage.

*So I should note real quick that the day of this posting happens to be my birthday, the big 28.  That said, this reviews gonna be a short one.  Not that im totally skimping on my responsibilities, but I just don’t have as much to say about this one as I do the other two.  So pardon the brevity, Patlabor 2 will have a more in depth look next week.*

Patlabor is, I feel, as sort of classic forgotten by time.  It’s a fun spin on the giant robot genre putting mecha into everyday life use.  Giving them to the military and especially the police is a very smart move.  It’s got added power to it being written by Mamoru Oshii, aka Anime’s thinking guru.  That being said, the first of the Patlabor Trilogy seems to be one of the most un-Oshii films ive ever seen.  It’s still a fun movie.  But there’s still a lot of levity to it that feels out of place when mixed with the more philosophical scenes the film brings up which are standard Oshii fare.  The end result is a bit of a mixed bag. 

The action is great and the battle in the arc is pretty clever and well done with all of the Labors going against the SV2.  And the more deep discussions about motivations and ways of thinking surrounding this impending Skynet level giant robot disaster are kind of though provoking, especially when you throw in biblical references (The Ark, Tower of Babel, E-Hova, etc).  This is stuff works best because it’s what Oshii does best, makes you think even if it doesn’t make sense.  So the humor, while some works, feels a bit forced and out of place.  This goes double for some of the goofy close ups on Asuma in a couple of spots and not just because he’s invading my personal bubble.

I will say that the film is pure 80’s nostalgia, a bit goofy and kind of cartoony in some places but still. The final showdown between Noa’s Patlabor “Alphonse” and the HoS infected Type 0 is one of the most gorgeous mecha fights ive ever seen.  The wire trick Noa uses looks awesome, even today.

Patlabor the Movie is a fun little action/scifi anime and a welcome addition to the Giant Robot genre.  Just be prepared for more time dedicated to humorous facial expressions and run and gun action than many minutes of slow pandering but thoughtful existential romps.  No those are coming in a pretty entertaining fashion over the next couple of weeks.

7/10

Special Vehicles Section 2 has stopped a robot revolution…but what happens when they take on a military plot that’s the love child of Tom Clancy and Christopher Nolan?  See you next week for Patlabor 2: The Movie.