Spriggan
by Hirotsugu Kawasaki
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andy McAvin, Chris Patton, J.D. Hawkins, Kevin Corn, Ted PfisterDirector: Hirotsugu Kawasaki
Writer: Hirotsugu Kawasaki
Editor: David Grundy
Writer: Yasutaka Itô
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-04-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: A.D. Vision
Movie Reviews of Spriggan
Movie Review: A perfect choice for action fans
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a lot like a summer popcorn movie, for the most part. The movie has a very heavy focus on it's visuals and action sequences, which are very excellently done. Of course, with people on staff like Katsuhiro Otomo and Hirotsugu Kawasaki you'll always have to expect this. In Akira, Otomo said that he liked to keep everything in motion. He never wanted to use any sort of still frames for any reason. For Spriggan, you get the same thing. The animation is almost constantly fluid and rarely, if never, gets stiff or jittery like most anime. There's some really nice scenes of CG, espacially with the scenes that take place inside the ark. It's steller and seamless at the same time (like the excellent CG in Princess Mononoke). The fight scenes are so wonderfully choreographed and storyboarded out, that Spriggan's action is a class in it's own. Take all of the fight scenes in Ninja Scroll, X, Ghost in the Shell, and Battle Angel and then put them into fast forward and you have Spriggan. Yes, they're all THAT GOOD!As far as visuals and action sequences are concerned, this movie has it all.
The movie's audio is excellent. Considering this is a fairly recent anime, it's sound design is incredible. I espcially like how the echoes and distorted SFX were handled inside the ark sequences. The video transer is also very nice. Lots early scenes in the film are shown in very dark colors and the transfer handles them wonderfully. The backrounds are beautifully rendered and the character animation comes off very crisp and clear. The only problem with it is that once the scenes mostly take place inside the ark, there is a fair amount of grain on the characters. It isn't too distracting though. It also gives the film more of a cinematic feel.
Spriggan is something that really and truly excels at what it's trying to be, and that's an action flick with western based legends and religious ideas mixed into it. Sure the story runs a little thin at times and character development is kinda nil, but it's slight lack of depth makes it even more fun to watch. It does present some interesting ideas as well (like saying that Noah's Ark was a weather controlling device and a starter of life). It won't exactly put your brain on overdrive like Ghost in the Shell of Serial Experiments Lain, but it will make you think a little bit after the credits roll.
Lots of anime fans I know bash on this film because of it's lack of plot and character development. Why can't they all just sit down and enjoy a film that is just a simple piece of action and fun? Where have all their roots gone?
The film's soundtrack is also excellent with mixes of Turkish chants, atmospheric instrumentals, and electronic drum-beats. The most impressive track, though, is the movie's ending them which is an experimental techno song performed by Saju and sung in Mandarin (a rare find in anime). If you need a reason to buy the soundtrack, listen to this song. I swear it will move you to buy the soundtrack. It did for me.
Whether I watched this film in Japanese, English, or with commentary by the ADR directors, I got a different experience everytime.
Spriggan is a highly enjoyable film that will never gather dust on my shelf, and most likely not on yours.
Summary of Spriggan
Fast paced, violent, and loud, Spriggan uses a combination of drawn and computer animation to deliver the kind of slam-bang thrill ride Final Fantasy only promised. The convoluted plot, based on a manga series by Hirotsugu Kawasaki and Yasutaka Ito, mixes elements from Raiders of the Lost Ark, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Akira, and Universal Soldier. Yu Ominae (voice by Christopher Patton) is a Spriggan, a member of an elite corps of biologically engineered warriors created by the secret organization ARCAM, who finds himself involved in a baroque adventure centered on the newly discovered Ark of Noah. The Ark is actually an extraterrestrial vehicle with the power to alter the Earth's climate and spawn new animal species. A sinister cadre of rogue Pentagon generals wants it and dispatches a corps of murderous cyborgs lead by Col. MacDougall (Kevin Corn), a monstrous child who's also the product of biological experiments, to capture it. ARCAM is determined to prevent the generals from gaining control of the Ark's awesome powers. Yu battles his way to victory through car chases, sword fights, shootouts, explosions, knifings, and psychic blasts, with a little help from fellow-Spriggan Jean-Jacques Mondo (Andy McAvin). Director Hirotsugu Kawasaki handles the action sequences more effectively than the minimal character development, and Katsuhiro Otomo's screenplay doesn't always make a lot of sense. But Spriggan supplies what hard-core action fans sought in vain in many recent Hollywood blockbusters. Just don't sit too close to a speaker. MPAA rated R, under 17 not admitted (for considerable violence). --Charles SolomonSimilar DVD Movies
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