Harlock: Space Pirate

Wow, after reading some of the negative reviews on here I just have to say that some people really don't get it. As someone who has never read or watched anything about the Harlock universe before I have to say I found this film great. It is definitely on my "watch again later" list. The ship alone is badass.

A mysterious vengeful captain. An epic galaxy spanning journey. A fearsome ship. Plenty of action. Family drama. What more do you want?

Does it get a little complicated? Sure, but so long as don't wander in with preconceived notions about how this film "should be" and just follow along with the story as its given then you should find it enjoyable.

While there are a few plot holes that either weren't explained or weren't explained enough I think that overall it was balanced well enough to tell the story the director wanted.

Bottom line : if you are a fanboy of the Harlock universe then you had better brace yourself for something that apparently has little to no relevance to what you are expecting. If you are not, then get ready for a kickass ride and try not to ruin it for yourself by expecting to be taken by the hand and have every little detail explained. Its not. But is still enjoyable nonetheless.

I see a number of negative reviews from people who 'claim' to have watched the original series and the various movies related to Captain Harlock. I find this difficult to believe, since if they had actually seen the existing material and also watched the interviews with Leiji Matsumoto, they wouldn't have much to complain about. Harlock is about an 'attitude' and an ideal. Leiji Matsumoto isn't concerned about over-all plot consistency. Instead, he's trying to get certain archetypal characters across in an effort to express an idea (to be defended by the character Harlock at all costs). The crew is free to do as they wish and are free to question Harlock's orders (this is directly taken from an interview). So there shouldn't be any real surprise at any of this. As for other elements, the plan of the ship that's shown in the film is consistent with the series and earlier films. The computer is presented in a similar manner. To me, the characters were consistent. Visuals were great, animation was typical of contemporary films, and things felt surprisingly familiar, despite being CGI instead of cell animation.

Yes, the story is difficult to follow in some areas. I don't see this as a big issue, since the general 'point' and attitude comes across just fine. I think some viewers are making a big deal out of minor things. Personally, I really enjoyed this film. If there was to be a change, it would be to break it out into two films. With the current running time, there were a number of things that had to be covered a bit too quickly. As far as explanations of Harlock's history, this is the one that I find most believable and the one that I prefer (they vary from story to story in the Leijiverse and that's something viewers of Harlock series and films just need to accept).

This is one of the few movies that I will repeat-watch, purely for enjoyment. I've seen a lot and I can say that about maybe 5% of the films I've seen so far.

There's a strange tendency in Japanese animation , it often uses cryptic and vague script to give the illusion of depth. Those who are familiar with animes or games would recognize this outdated pattern, the quirky storytelling would seem to be meaningful as the characters brood over a crisis, yet it barely tells anything relevant to the audience. In some cases it might even alienate the viewers.

This is the persisting problem with Harlock. It certainly presents good quality visual as it floats across the light show, but the vague narrative hurts the presentation. The dialogues may sound flamboyant, yet it is actually shallow and superficial. Backstory is glossed over while the interactions are deprived of enjoyment. The characters, even though looking attractive, just can't generate enough interest as they banter with foreign jargon.

It even resembles teen drama instead of space voyage at times. Development is often crude, only to give dramatic scenes without substance. The main story follows Yama as he tries to catch the titular Harlock. Both of them are not that audience friendly, they are already in lamentation with barely any introduction. It's hard to relate since they look like generic RPG cast with average mellow issue.

Then it becomes heavily convoluted as the movie tries to mix strange terms, they sound ominously impaction like dark matter or ancient race, but material is too thin. After a hefty amount of scenery changes, cool poses and starship fights, the movie can barely hold interest for characters and with relatively long runtime it turns into a plodding endeavor.

This is Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within all over again, glossy effect and drab boring story. It will be hard to either garner interest for new audience or please old fans with such lackluster narrative, but at least it works for an eye candy.

This film started well and ended so complicated and, uff, how to say, empty. I just watched in these days the whole Evangelion and I have now this impression that Japanese people make things too complicated. At the end, this is no more an action movie, it is not a thriller, not a psychological movie, not a drama, it is just nothing. Like another reviewer said, there is this dark matter everywhere in this movie, all is dark matter, it is boring, one ship (and one man) can win against thousand powerful enemies just because of this dark matter. No plot, no fun. Then this "let's close the circle" mania of Japanese films, a bit like "luke I am your father", where all must be connected and find a meaning from itself, somehow onanistic cinematography. Just make things simple man! Good animations and good chances, but at the end, a mess.

Loved the ship and the battles but the story and the dialogues were cringe worthy.

Also Harlock here is a twisted individual not the awesome hero it is in the anime.

:/