stylish and violent

Rating: Null/10 (21 April 2003)

This is an engaging story which is echoed by more recent productions, like "The Matrix", "Minority Report", "Metropolis". I don't think it's themes were that original though it was original in its success in the West. It is certainly stylish and still holds its own effectively among more recent animations and deserves praise for depth of story and attention to detail. It is essentially an action/adventure story which is neither shallow nor pretentious. Forget the hype and watch it as such, and you will appreciate it as good entertainment, albeit unsuitable for younger children.
If you take it in it's temporal context as a pioneering Japanese anime export, it is excellent. To compare it to the latest computer aided animations and more evolved plots is probably unfair but it is a tribute that it still remains largely comparable. If you grew up with anime like I did, I would say there is nothing mysterious about the story, although it is certainly not spoon-fed to its audience. Even the much-maligned "giant monster scene" is a simple, logical, dramatic tool, to metaphorically express a power which has overcome not just its possessor's ability to control it; but is beyond the very understanding of mankind.
7/10