Harlock: Space Pirate

Based on Leiji Matsumoto's manga series and a subsequent anime series during the 1970s, this big budget CGI feature film re-introduces the original space swashbuckler in an old-fashioned space opera made in the style of a dark, dystopian sci-fi drama. Harlock, a notorious interstellar buccaneer with a loyal crew of freebooters, is an outlaw in a universe ruled by a repressive council that has declared a dying Earth to be off-limits. Harlock's newest recruit, Ezra, looks like he could be the pirate's little brother, but is in fact a spy sent by the council to infiltrate the ship and report back. Still, Harlock and Ezra turn out to be more alike than not: both are haunted by past actions that led to destructive consequences and are determined to set things right, ultimately putting them on the same side as underdog heroes fighting the power while trying to save Earth. A complicated story full of big action set pieces and the entertaining spectacle of ships battling in space, director Shinji Aramaki's Harlock: Space Pirate serves up photorealistic animation, creating vivid worlds, ships, and weapons that feature incredible texture. Presented in a dual-language edition, suitable for 13-up, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)