HARLOCK: SPACE PIRATE

Voiced by: Shun Oguri, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Miyuki Sawashiro, Arata Furuta, Yu Aoi, Ayano Fujuda, Haruma Miura, Chikao Ohtsuka and Maaya Sakamoto.
Writers: Harutoshi Fukui and Kiyoto Takeuchi; based on the manga text by Leiji Masumoto.
Director: Shinji Aramaki.

Rating: 3.5/5

The dazzling visuals and immense scale employed by director/animator Shinji Aramaki adequately compensate (just) for the derivative narrative in his update/reboot of Leiji Matsumoto’s visionary 1970’s space-opera, ‘Harlock’.

Familiar elements, both from the source material and the wider anime universe, are forgivable given that Matsumoto’s character was a progenitor for many of the genre’s stock-in-trade components (strong, silent, romantic hero; tightly-clad, sexualised femme-warriors; fighting a rebellious cause against a corrupt tyranny).

What may prove tougher for western audiences to let slide are instantly recognisable nods to such high profile properties as Wall-E, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Wars Episodes 4-6. These come thick and fast, in both the film’s environmentally-theme plotting (the rebirth of mankind on a decimated planet Earth registers when a seedling is discovered, ala Pixar’s lovable robot story) and deep-space spectacle (key characters escape a giant worm that lives dormant in a distant space rock, just as Han and Leia did in The Empire Strikes Back).

That said, Aramaki (a legend-of-sorts amongst the Japanese anime crowd having helmed 2004’s blockbuster, Appleseed) amps up his extraordinary dexterity as a framer of pulsating outer-space action and designer of futuristic worlds. He also deftly handles the themes of vengeance, family bonds, memory and honour within the context of the sci-fi genre (a further nod to Lucas’ game-changing films), even if some of the developments strain credibility and, at 115 minutes, patience.

A series of interstitial title-cards detail the premise. Earth was abandoned when the population’s impact grew unmanageable but, with nowhere else to go, the billions returned, hoping to resettle. This triggered a period of brutal civil conflict called the ‘Homecoming Wars’; the Gaia Coalition is formed, a group who rule that the planet is off-limits to mankind.

But the mysterious, immortal space-pirate Harlock (Shun Oguri), a merciless but honourable revolutionary who traverses the galaxy aboard his classically-themed vessel, the Arcadia, with warrior-hottie Kei (Miyuki Sawashiro) at his side and ethereal alien-hottie Mimay (Yu Aoi) providing wisdom, wants to reclaim Earth in defiance of the Coalition’s edict. Gaia strong-arm militant Ezra (Toshiyuki Morikawa) sends his brother, Logan (Haruma Miura), to infiltrate the Arcadia and assassinate Harlock, but the greenie crusade that the enigmatic Captain is on inspires Logan; soon, the brothers are at odds and the extent of the Gaia Coalition’s web of lies and the fate of the planet are at stake.

The project’s adherence to the convoluted, geek-friendly detail of the lore may prove both an asset and a liability. Harlock’s adventures hold cultural significance and genre weight and Aramaki knows it; the film could never be accused of not given the fans what they want. But at a cost of US$30million and with James Cameron’s vocal endorsement all over the marketing, this should feel more geared towards the international audience. Ultimately, it sort of is but sort of isn’t; a smart sci-fi effort with cutting-edge tech rendering should play wider than Harlock: Space Pirate ever will. 

Harlock: Space Pirate will be released on DVD/Blu-ray in Australia in March 2014 via Anchor Bay Entertainment.