My review was written in July 1982 after a Greenwich Village screening.
"Space Firebird 2772" (also known as "Phoenix 2772") is a well-drawn, imaginative Japanese sci-fi feature made in 1980. With the proper trimming (at least 30 minutes could be excised) and additional work of dubbing the film into English, pic could attract an American audience on the basis of the distinct look and entertaining narrative.
Adventure tale concerns young hero Godoh and his sexy blonde robot Olga sent on a mission to capture a spaceship wrecking monster (the title firebird). Conflict is with Godoh's brother, Rock Schlock (even in subtitles the name garners some laughs), chief of science who marries Godoh's sweetheart Lena.
Departing in a space shark (so named because of its shape) ship, heroes are accompanied by comedy pets Pincho (a dog-like alien intent on brushing everything clean. Crack (who lives in a shell resembling a gambling die) and Pooks, a bagpipe-shaped animal. Silly musical interludes of the pets cavorting draw the film to a halt, and should be edited out.
Drawing upon influences ranging from Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" to hit space films "2001" and "Star Wars". Writer-producer peppers the film with ideas. Main theme is a rapidly depleting Earth, fueled by power from the planet's mantle, with Dr. Salka (looking like one of the seven dwarfs, among other Disney influences here) seeking the legendary phoenix's blood to scientifically rejuvenate the planet. Mystical fantasy conclusion crowds out previous sci-fi elements in accomplishing just that.
Animation directed by Taku Sugiyama is modern and often Day-Glo colored, with some corners cut: static backgrounds, shake and shimmer characters in place of constant, fluid movement. The firebird itself figuring prominently in action scenes in later reels, is disappointing in design, and out-of-place in the futuristic world.
At present two-hour length, return to Earth for confrontation with Schlock and extended mystical denouement come off as anti-climaxes. Pruning of some chases and climactic cataclysm on Earth would allow focus on the appealing main characters (especially the robot Olga, who transforms mechanically into many functional shapes) while retaining the ingenious sight gs which translate sans subtitles. Human cast is styled as Caucasians (though Space Shark is the only English spoken) rather than Japanese, so a careful dubbing job could only enhance the film.
