118 minutes ; not rated ( though i suspect it would be rated pg for adult themes and language )
mamoru oshii is a name that probably is n't very well - known to most american audiences , but perhaps it should be .
oshii was the director of last year 's best - known japanese animated film import ,
_ ghost in the shell _ , and is known among fans of japanese animation , or anime , for making films with a deep philosophical bent .
one of these films was the first theatrical venture for the patlabor animated series .
in its many incarnations -- graphic novels ( " manga " ) , two different runs of made - for - video episodes ( original animation videos , or oavs for short ) , and a television series running to nearly fifty episodes -- patlabor has proven to be one of the most popular series ever in japan .
set in the very near future ( though it was a somewhat farther away near future when the series was first conceived ) , this atypical giant robot anime features the characters , rather than the machinery , as the primary focus .
as a whole , patlabor is the story of an exciting time for japan .
as the prologue to each episode of the television series explains , giant industrial robots , known as " labors " ( an interesting play on words , considering that " robot " is derived from the czech word for labor ) , have come into widespread use in japan toward the close of the twentieth century .
with the rise of labors , however , has come a new menace -- labor crime .
this led to the creation of the two special vehicle divisions , using patrol labors to fight labor crime .
the patlabor story centers around the second special vehicle division , sv2 , who , through no fault of their own , have acquired a bad reputation for destructiveness .
sometimes utterly hilarious , sometimes almost deadly serious , the patlabor series explores the interpersonal relationships of the special vehicle crewmembers , and also looks at the effects of technology on modern life .
those who are unfamiliar with the patlabor story and characters may find themselves slightly confused coming into the movie , although there is ample background exposition provided for new viewers .
the story , as has much of patlabor before , centers around the controversial babylon project , a gigantic seawall that will , on its completion , allow the reclamation of thousands of square miles of land from tokyo bay .
this project has been an almost constant target of environmentalist terrorists , most notably the house of sea organization .
however , the threat in this case comes not from any terrorist , but from someone who is already dead . . .
shinohara heavy industries , the premier labor manufacturer in japan ( if not the whole world ) , has just come out with a new operating system that increases labors ' movement speed and efficiency by 30 % .
this hyper operating system , hos for short , has very quickly been installed into well over 90 % of the nation 's labors . . .
including the patrol labors of sv2 .
since that installation , dozens of labors , including a heavily - armed military model , have begun to go on berzerk rampages for no apparent reason . . .
and the only factor they all had in common was that they were all running under the new hos .
( some wags have compared this to windows 95 . )
it 's up to asuma shinohara , labor command officer with sv2 and the son of the president of shinohara heavy industries , to find the source of these problems before more labors -- including sv2 's own -- fall victim to them , and before hos drags his father 's company down with it .
as was the case with _ ghost in the shell
_
, if you just want a no - brainer actionfest , this might not be the movie for you .
_ patlabor
: the movie _ is more of a psychological thriller , a technological suspense drama .
it is closer , perhaps , to a chrichton novel than to an action movie ( crichton novels that have been made _ into _ action movies notwithstanding ) .
there are long , thoughtful montages of dialogueless footage as two investigators make their way through slums and derelict housing in old quarters of tokyo , similar to sequences from _ ghost in the shell
_ .
this movie is fraught with symbolism -- in fact a large part of it is based on christian symbolism .
patlabor 's near - future setting is , aside from the giant robots tromping around , very similar to our own present day .
the film uses this setting to make its central point : is progress moving too fast for humans to keep up ? are history and culture falling by the wayside like the old buildings that are being torn down and replaced with new ?
this is a question just as applicable to today as it is to patlabor 's alternate-1999 setting . as far as the technical aspects of the film go ( referring to the subtitled version , as that 's the only one i 've seen ) ,
the film transfer is clear , almost phenomenally so .
the animation quality is incredible , though the character design is different from what most patlabor fans will be used to .
the oavs and tv series were more cheerful , better - suited to humor ; the movie , however , makes everyone look a great deal less cute , and emphasizes that this is going to be , for the most part , a deadly serious storyline . as far as cinematography goes ,
there are many interesting moments in _ patlabor :
the movie _ .
i do n't think i can recall ever seeing a fish - eye perspective used in any other animated film ( save for _ ghost in the shell _ , another oshii film ) , or indeed , in many other movies at all .
the cinematography is well - suited to the storyline , emphasizing what it needs to , though a couple of scenes ( where characters ' features are exaggerated in anger ) may seem slightly strange to western audiences .
the audio track of _ patlabor : the movie _ is in glorious hi - fi stereo , and should be used to demonstrate home theater systems -- it _ is _ that good .
even without headphones , sounds from either side of the screen can be clearly heard to _ come _ from that side .
giant robot footsteps are deep and booming .
the sometimes - understated , sometimes - blaring score is crisp and clear , and always right on the mark , enhancing the moods created by the animated scenery . as far as the subtitles go , i have to say that they 're among the most easily - readable subtitles
i 've ever seen for _ anything _ .
large enough that they do n't strain the eyes , but small enough not to conceal too much of the screen .
although it does have several action sequences in it , most notably the climactic conclusion , _ patlabor _ is foremost not an action movie .
although it is a superbly - realized film , it relies in large part upon prior familiarity with some of the characters to carry the story , and that could detract from some people 's enjoyment .
my .
among the most easily - readable subtitles there are many interesting moments long , thoughtful montages of dialogueless footage the cinematography is well - suited to the storyline , emphasizing what it needs to is in glorious hi - fi stereo , and should be used to demonstrate home theater systems a psychological thriller , a technological suspense drama score is crisp and clear , and always right on the mark , enhancing the moods the film transfer is clear , almost phenomenally so . the animation quality is incredible it is a superbly - realized film