Steamboy

Terminology can make or break a film. When I say Japanimation, we all think of the still framed, yelling, and pulsing action characters with spiked blonde hair and big blue eyes. However, this is not the case when considering the film Steamboy, a Japanese animated film starring the voice talents of Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, and Alfred Molina.

This film opens up in a world on the brink of advancing past the steam powered age. Scientists are developing new techniques of powering great machines, and looking for the next big thing. A small team of scientists working in the North Pole area discover something deadly, something powerful: a pure specimen of H2O. 100% pure. And when it is brought to a very specific temperature, it can produce an endless amount of steam. With this new power, an angry son takes the sample from his father, and begins to develop weaponry based on this new technology. The grandson (Steamboy, played by Paquin) is thrown into the story when the grandfather steals the specimen, and sends it to the only person he can trust. James (Paquin) must then

Now, what sets this apart from most animated films: the graphics. I’ve not seen such attention to detail in a film before (keeping in mind that this is not CG, as in the Pixar films.) The animation of the characters movements, their movements in 3-D environments, and the attention to the small intricate moving parts of all the machines really was a visual spectacle. The concepts of the machines created for this film are very interesting.

The messages that this film sends are just of an environmental motif. Throughout the film, there is constant tension between the roles of father to son. Each son is called to question the actions of his father, and must make a decision as to what is right, and what is wrong. In the end, it sends an important message about family ties and honor, but also not to take everything for face value. It’s a solid script with beautiful visual scenes.

The voice talents of the film also did a very good job making the 2-D characters come to life on screen. Casting couldn’t have been executed better. All around, it was a very good film, and very entertaining. I’d suggest the rental of this film if you’re looking for something different, and something that offers a perspective into a world that never was. Japanimation isn’t all lightning bolts and beating skin spasms. This is a family story about a group of scientists who happen upon a power far greater than one man alone can control. Together, it takes the effort of all three generations to wield the power of the pure water.

7 of 10.