Ranked #137

Detective Conan Movie 14: The Lost Ship in the Sky

First off, let me tell you right now: this isn’t your typical Detective Conan movie – in a good way.

The Lost Ship In The Sky is the 14th addition to the Detective Conan movie franchise. Jirokichi Suzuki, who has just made most luxurious blimp in the World, challenges everyone’s favourite phantom thief Kaitou KID to steal the big jewel “Lady of the Sky” which is being transported on the blimp. Conan and his friends are on board like usual. However, the blimp gets hijacked by a group of terrorists who threaten to release a deadly virus onto the blimp. Conan and KID may have to work together in order to overcome this dangerous situation before the virus endangers the entire population of Kyoto.

As stated, this movie is a huge departure from every single Detective Conan movie to date. Foregoing a plot driven by a murder mystery, the movie is mostly a thriller, relying on the graphics, sound effects and the constant danger surrounding the protagonists to keep the audience engaged. Gone are the constant guesses at who the culprit is – you’re too busy worrying about the fate of the cast rather than trying to figure out how the murder was conducted.

It may seem like a daunting idea that there isn’t a person murdered under mysterious circumstances and Conan doing the detective work in the world of Case Closed, but this movie is arguably the most gripping Conan movie seen in many years. Being the thriller that it is, it succeeded very well. Both the pacing and progression are very good. It managed to keep me on the edge of my seat for the course of the entire movie and prevented my mind from drifting off even once. This is a feat that a Conan movie hasn’t accomplished in many years.

As for the plot itself, it certainly lacks depth in comparison to most previous Conan movies. This goes all the way from the plan, motive and even the execution. This is to be expected from a thriller – a genre that keeps the audience’s heart beat fast instead of taxing the brain to work out what’s going on. For a TV series with more than 600 episodes full of the latter experience, this movie is a fresh break from traditional Conan ordeals which plenty of us see on a weekly basis.

The fact that this movie has Kaitou KID in it already makes it a must-watch for his army of fans. However, if you’re watching this movie for the composed, calculated phantom thief putting on an extravagant show for like he always does, prepare to be disappointed. There’s no such thing as a grand entrance, and epic theft and a perfect getaway in this movie. His role in this movie has been changed from the pivotal anti-hero to a support character who exist for slapstick humour.

This is the first time that Kaitou KID has been depicted in such a manner in the Detective Conan movie franchise, and is sure to frustrate and anger a lot of of his fans. However, as a true fan, I welcome the implementation of KID as such a character. Any reader of the original Magic Kaito series should know that behind the scenes, KID isn’t the impeccable criminal mastermind who is as confident and composed as he is in front of his audience. In reality, he really is just Kaito Kuroba, a high school student who has a sense of humour and loves to have fun.

Up to now, he has always been shown with his poker face in the Detective Conan series, as if he is another character. Finally, he is shown with his mask off in the Detective Conan franchise. Many people are likely shocked by this sudden transformation, as if “his character is being ruined”. You need to realize that the Kaitou KID in this movie, by no means, is out of character at all. In fact, this is his true face, which has been kept hidden from you who have exclusively seen Detective Conan. He’s still the lovable phantom thief whose amazing charisma will surely grip you again throughout the course of this movie.

The animation is again, beautifully accurate and fluid like all other Conan movies due to their remarkably high budget. The use of CG has been toned down since the Raven Chaser, and the implementation is much more natural. As for the soundtrack, well, it’s pretty much the only thing that’s remained practically unchanged since the first movie, which isn’t bad. It’s as jazzy as ever and sets the atmosphere perfectly.

As for all the other recurring characters, they are faultlessly presented in this movie like usual. Nothing to complain about here. Ran is the damsel in distress. Kogoro is there for comic relief. The Detective Boys become the critical keys to success and Conan saves the day in the end as usual. Even Dr. Agasa’s dry joke still makes an appearance.

The Lost Ship In The Sky certainly isn’t going to carter for everyone’s tastes, especially with the distinct shift of genre from mystery to thriller. Also, the comedy has been toned up drastically in comparison to any Conan movie to date. The shift between light-hearted and serious scenes are incredibly rapid. There’s a laugh in here every ten minutes or so throughout the whole movie, even in the tensest parts. Depending on you, it may make or break the entire experience. For me, it made the experience better, but I don’t represent the entire population.

This movie has been the most enjoyable Conan movie for me since the The Phantom of Baker Street which released eight years ago, which I enjoyed for completely different reasons. This is the first Conan movie I have ever enjoyed simply due to its exciting, mindless fun. While I don’t wish for all future movies to follow in the same steps, this type of execution was perfect for The Lost Ship In The Sky. If you’re a Conan fan, watching this movie is a no-brainer.

P.S. You MUST watch the scene after the credits. It’s a direct continuation that is the true ending of the movie.

Comes with pictures if you read this review on my blog. :D http://imperialx.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/conan-movie-14-review/ read more

In a way, this movie was quite entertaining.
I've watched all Detective Conan movies and this one was particularly outstanding.
First things first. The director pulled another movie like "The Raven Chaser" off. There's action, Conan getting hurt, guns, and there's kid. This movie is dedicated to fans of the series rather than mystery fans.
The actual story was quite easy to guess. Halfway I already knew most details and the hints were overall way too easily exposed. But this isn't about solving a crime. Not this time.
In my opinion, this movie depicts Kid and Conan working together. Outwitting others. A lot of smirking, cool postures and epic scenes.
In my opinion, this makes it rather enjoyable. Even at a dead serious situation, Kid and Conan are hilarious.

Highly recommendable if you're a hard-core fan. Have been, it's the anime/manga of my youth. I basically grew up with it. read more