Patlabor: The Movie

The Patlabor anime franchise, which includes a TV series, direct-to-video releases, and three movies, is set in a near-future Tokyo where giant robots called Labors are used for construction, with a focus on a misfit police group assigned to combat Labor crime with Labors of their own. Patlabor: The Movie is a remastered re-release of the first Patlabor film (previously available on DVD in the U.S. from Manga Entertainment), in which Captain Gotoh and his team—facing havoc after Labors using a new “hyper-operating system” begin running amok—investigate the operating system's mysterious author, who has just committed suicide, uncovering a plot of biblical proportions. It's a fine mix of police procedural and sci-fi action enhanced by the thoughtful, lingering focus of director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) on the Tokyo cityscape. The visual quality shows improvement over the original DVD release, the subtitle translation is all-new, and the improved English dub takes fewer liberties with the source material (a $90 special edition is also available, including two books and a second disc featuring a half-hour “making-of” documentary). Long regarded as a classic, Patlabor: The Movie, rated 10-up, is highly recommended. Aud: P. (S. Raiteri)