I heard that it's coming out April 4th.....

there was a thread about this already.

and it is, for limited release in NY and LA.

DAMMIT limited?!?!?!?!?!

yeah... but maybe theyll change that now that Spirited Away got the oscar... its looking to be a grand day for anime soon.

wow, a movie about cowboy beebop, i wonder how that will turn out...

if they keep the same VAs i assume pretty well... but ive been having nightmares that they changed them all.

link to the official site -

http://cowboybebopthemovie.com/

i'm sure last time i checked there, it said all the original actors from the series were coming back.

doesnt stop my nightmares...

hey at least you'll be able to see it on the big screen.

god knows if they'll release it during my life time, over here in england.
i may have to settle for an import.

they still haven't released the original series on dvd yet!

actually... no i wont... unless they follow disneys cue with Spirited Away and wide release it.

The cinema theater near my home isn't getting it...so I sent them an email asking them to get it, as well as Phonebooth(HOW COULD THEY NOT?!)

I'm getting pissed since they didn't grab some other movies I wanted to see over the years...(brain don't recall no)

theaters = pop culture capitalists...

art houses = porn, foreign, and anime... so good.

a real positive review of the movie from aintitcool.com(avoid if you don't want to know too many details about the movie) -


I just got back from a press screening of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (or Knockin on Heavens Door) and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. I have been a Cowboy Bebop fan since the show first started airing on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim back in 2002. I fell in love with how the show mergers together character, action, drama, humor, and outer space into a perfect show about four bounty hunters trying to make a living. I love the devil may care attitude of Spike Spiegel, the tough as nails but kinda a softy look of Jet Black, the pure sex and loneliness of Faye Valentine, and the wacky antics of hacker Ed and genetically engineered brilliance of the dog called Ein. The only the problem with show is that its only 26 episodes long, but now the movie is out to satisfy those who just want more of Bebop.

The story of the movie is about a terrorist named Vincent who releases a deadly toxin on a freeway through exploding a tanker truck. The gas is very deadly and it is believed by the ISSP (the police) that this is only a start to something bigger. Shortly after that, the biggest bounty in history is placed on Vincent’s head. The Bebop crew sees this and set off to catch him. The movie then goes on a great anime trip of aircraft battles, gun fights, kung-fu, geeks, trench coats, and other great stuff.

The movie does a good job of following all four characters as they search for Vincent, but it mainly focuses on Spike. Faye works alone because she is the only one who really knows what Vincent looks like (she was at the tanker incident chasing a bounty) and Jet also does the same. Of course Ed helps them all out with tracking down there bounty and they also help each other out. That is one of the main things that makes the movie so good. The relationship that all four characters have for one another is really fun to watch. They bicker and argue, but they are also closer then most regular families (even if they don’t want to admit it). This comes across in a great scene were Faye returns from the tanker accident. When it is reported on the TV that a deadly chemical was released, the other three characters start backing away from her. Faye then starts running after them like a grade school girl with coonies as they try getting away. It’s a sweet scene that shows how close they are as comrades. Almost every character seen in Bebop shows up. The three old guys the talk of the past, Jet’s ISSP connection, the Big Shot hosts, and others. The two new characters are great entries in the Bebop legacy. Vincent is like an evil version of Spike who also suffers from the same “I can’t wake up from this dream” problem that Spike has. The two don’t know each other at all, but they feel connected. This is probably because Vincent is one of the very few people who has ever scared Spike of dyeing. Electra is a beautiful women who works for ISSP and had a previous relation ship with Vincent. To put it simply, she’s badass. She gives Spike a run for his money in a fisticuffs scene and really know how to take charge, but she also has a sad side for what Vincent has done. The character work in Cowboy Bebop: The Movie feels very natural and a lot better then most live action movies. You really get attached to them and can’t take your eyes off them. One of my friends called them “the people in high school that were to cool for anyone or anything.”

Everything else about the movie is pitch perfect. The script moves the story along at a slow, but interesting pace of 2 hours. The dialog is rich with cool one liners, drama, and over all coolness. The animation looks great with dark colors that blend well and are easy on the eyes. Everything in the movie looks real, natural, and the world it takes place in feels very alive. There are people walking on the streets going about there daily lives, animals wondering around, and product placements the don’t look too staged. The mecha in the film looks very nice and the sounds they make are very natural. The overall presentation is very well done.

There are some miner things about the movie that I didn’t like, but nothing severe. The music in the movie is more popish then Jazzy like in the series. There is about 2 sequences that have Jazz music, but I wish there was more. The music they do use is fine though. It’s mostly a lot of techno rock and smooth pop and it is pleasing to the ears. Another thing a I wish I could have seen were more dog fights. Spike only uses his Sowrdfish II speeder once, but damn is it awesome. I wish for more, but I guess they thought the movie would be to much at 3 hours. Also, for those of you who are going in expecting an all out action feast, you may be disappointed. The action scenes are fantastic, but they take there time coming around. The movie focuses more on the character work and story then just throwing out buckets of blood.

I know there are a lot of purists out there that are going to hate the English dub, but in my opinion, the dub is better. Cowboy Bebop has been know for having one the best English voice casts ever and it shows in the movie. The characters sound more human and the voices just sound cool. The English voices supplied by David Lucas (Spike), Wendee Lee (Faye), Beau Billingslea (Jet), Melissa Charles (Ed), Daran Norris (Vincent) and Jennifer Hale (Elektra), add a lot to there characters. They don’t sound over done or over blown in anyway. I have seen the Japanese version of the film, but the voices just don’t sound like they fit with the characters. I don’t want to change any bodies opinion on weather subtitled or dub is better or anything. That is your own preference. I just hope everyone walks in with an open mind and enjoys the dedicated work that the cast put into there jobs.

As we are only three months into the year, this is the current top runner for my best film of 2003. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie just bursts with life and is one cool as hell feast for the eyes and ears. Fans of the show should be very pleased and newcomers should be able to enjoy themselves. I know I did.

Too bad they'd never even think of having an Anime movie as the Movie of the Year at any of those Oscar/Grammy/Emmy thingies(whichever one is for the movies..)

its the oscar... and im pretty sure Spirited Away got best animated feature for 2002... how great is THAT?

weeee...i just watched the 2nd DVD of the series last night.

We have a comic [this includes manga and all games] convention here in 2 weeks. no doubt we'll hear more about it.

they also screen movies there before they release it in nz, so here's hoping...

Best animated versus Best Movie are two whole different things.

Simply put...that whole animated award is just going to hurt anime movies...especially since they tend to have far more depth and beauty than anything else out there.

I've already seen the movie in Japanese, and it's really good. It has some excellent fight scenes and a good story. Hopefully it will be in a theater near me, but somehow I doubt it.

Princess Mononoke deserved some sort of kick ass award...

As did Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, which is shown in art film things and whatnot. Come on...how could it not get an award?!

it would take a big shift in popluar thought for anime to become movie of the year, but i don't think that it would be altogether impossible. give it a decade i reckon.

preston, why do you think that the anime award will hurt anime? i think the exposure would be great and well deserved. people will make a better livin at what they're good at. there will be a lot more shit put out sure, but in there, there would be good stuff as well.