Title: Gatchaman: The Movie
Director: Hisayuki Toriumi
Produced by: Toshio Suzuki
U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23
U. S. Re-Release Date: Nov. 17th, 2015
Format: Blu-ray / Feature Film / 110 Minutes
Genre: Sci Fi, Action, Adventure
Age Rating: TV PG
Overall Personal Rating: B
SOMETIMES THEY ARE FIVE AND SOMETIMES JUST ONE! THEY ARE THE SCIENCE NINJA TEAM.
Synopsis:
The Earth is in peril and Mankind seems doomed! Led by the sinister mutant Berg Katse, the international terrorist organization known as GALACTOR has launched its armies of henchmen and giant weapons of mass destruction against the entire planet. But the forces of evil are about to meet their match! Utilizing incredible fighting techniques, and with the mighty ship God Phoenix at their command, the Science Ninja Team stands ready to take the battle back to the bad guys and their evil alien overlords! Join Ken the Eagle, Joe the Condor, Jun the Swan, Jinpei the Swallow, and Ryu the Owl, as these five costumed commandos join with their commander, Dr. Nambu, to save our world the old fashioned way: one flying kick at a time!
Commentary:
Okay, here we have another old anime that is being brought back to life. 1978 is the year and a crazy movie reviving the Science Ninja Team to the Japanese anime fans and the wild stories and quick action was a major hit. It was so good that the west had to bring it over and do what they do best, change it and dub it for the american audience. Of course we all know what happened when the wrong people got to create a english version of the show. It comes funny and almost too goofy to watch. The thing about Gatchaman is that it was so much better than the Speed Racer series which was only 6 years older. The other thing is that it also had the common reality that animation and story telling of that time moved too fast for its own good.
Overall Grade: B
I wish I could tell you that this is great stuff, but honestly all I could do is laugh at the sill dub. I did watch it with the Japanese voice acting with the English sub titles. The story was the same and much of the translation still missed the point, but it was better and I was able to get into the drama that was playing out.
As for the drama, you can never say that seventies didn’t understand what going over the top was all about. Gatchaman is over the top from the opening all the way to the end. You never get a straight line without some heavy dogma layer on it. I get the point behind, as with all heroic tails there is always major loss layer on top of major deeds with the idea to serve as a hopeful mentorship for the youth watching. On the youth watching are 20 to 50 somethings that understand the myth is not what real life is like.
The thing that makes Gatchaman unique is that it is almost 40 years old and still plenty of fun. I’m not too sure a 10 year old would sit and watch the series or even this movie now but it is a great look at the past and a honest peek into the stuff that was on TV when I was a teen.
If you are one of the group I belong to you will want to see this, If you fall into another group them it will only give you something to laugh at. Just remember the Science Ninja Team is cool and the world should know it.
