Steamboy

Katsuhiro Otomo, whose 1988 Akira remains one of the classics of Japanese anime, stumbles badly with this visually extravagant but narratively dreary effort (reportedly the most expensive animated film ever made in Japan) set in an imaginary 19th-century England where two groups of inventors compete to create steam-powered machines--often for military purposes--of incredible size and power. The hero is a young boy named Ray Steam, who gets involved in the rivalry when he receives a strange “steam ball” from his grandfather, an object which makes him the target of both sides. There are many further complications, and a finale that involves what amounts to a Victorian-era Death Star laying waste to a good deal of London while Ray, outfitted with a Captain Video-style flying suit and goggles, attempts to save the day. It's all silly, juvenile stuff, with a broad-brush anti-technology message that's belied by the movie's own fascination with engines of destruction. And though the backgrounds are stunning--amazingly detailed, lovingly drawn, and lightly colored to give them a slightly archaic feel--the character animation is pedestrian, and the dialogue, particularly as delivered in the English version by Patrick Stewart, Alfred Molina, and Anna Paquin, is like one long blast of hot air. Not recommended. [Note: Available in a widescreen director's cut standalone or as part of a gift set, DVD extras include a multi-screen landscape study (20 min.), a “Re-Voicing Steamboy” featurette (19 min.), an interview with writer/director Katsuhiro Otomo (6 min.), a montage of production drawings (6 min.), the five-minute featurette “Animation Onion Skins” showing different layers of a scene, “The Adventure Continues” end credits without text (3 min.), and--in the gift set--a 166-page book with character designs, mecha designs, and selected storyboard sequences, as well as a 22-page manga and 10 collectible cards. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so anime feature film.] (F. Swietek)