Ranked #1206

Steamboy

Steamboy is intended to be one of those grand adventure stories set in fantastical world with pure hearted heroes and nefarious villains. It certainly has high production values and some incredible CGI effects and action. But in the end it fails to really deliver those ambitious goals.

The plot of Steamboy is really nothing all that original. If you've seen any adventure stories before then the overall premise is going to feel very familiar to you. The story centers around the boy Ray Steam, who is an inventor from a family of inventors. After he receives a mysterious package from his grandfather he soon finds himself chased by villains who want it for themselves. The story has lofty goals but by the time the movie ends, I found myself confused about what actually happened and what the purpose of the whole thing was. Also it didn’t feel like any of the villainous characters ever really faced any consequences for their actions and the only people hurt were the innocents they stepped on throughout the story. Maybe I am being to idealistic but I want the bad guys to get their just deserts, and Steamboy didn’t leave me feeling that they had.

There is a lot of very good action in Steamboy however. Fans of action will have a lot to like here. The battles and action scenes are marvelous to watch and the CGI effects are wonderfully embedded within the animation. The movie also does a wonderful job in building a Victorian Age fantasy with amazing steam powered machines of all types. It reminds me a lot of a Jules Verne style story.

Ray Steam is an adequate leading character. He is heroic and idealistic and very much a standard and predictable character type for this kind of story. There just isn’t enough development of his past or personality to make him all that compelling or memorable. Scarlett is even less interesting as we learn almost nothing about her either. I did not find her to be all that likable nor did I care much about what happened to her. She’s spoiled and arrogant and cruel to animals. She seems to make a little progress as the story unfolds but not enough to make me actually like her. Steamboy's villains are not anymore interesting. While they don’t fit the black/white stereotype that one often seen in these characters for this story type their motivations are obscure and not well defined for most of them. The ones that are just don’t give you enough reasons to dislike them and cheer on our hero.

While the animation was really top notch in most cases, I did not care for the character designs. Particularly that of Scarlet as she looked more like a cross dressing boy than a girl. As I mentioned the animation for the various steam machines and action was amazing. The level of detail and fantastic designs were definitely a highlight. The music and acting was all very good though. The background music did a lot to build the grand scale of the movie.

Steamboy is overall though just an average adventure story. I certainly didn’t dislike this movie at all, I've just seen a lot better. Still I don’t think anyone would dislike this so if you enjoy fantasy and adventure stories, Steamboy will be well worth your time.
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Steamboy can be incredibly entertaining or incredibly irritating, depending on what kind of mood you're in when you watch it. Last I watched it, I was feeling pretty philosophical, and it was a little hard to stomach... but that's a good thing. It means the movie has a valid point to make. If you're the kind of person who just doesn't think about that sort of thing that much, though, it's a very enjoyable - if somewhat linear - movie.

Story (8): I happen to think the story, the base concept, is very unique. Steampunk is one thing, but this movie takes the concept to a whole new extreme - a breed of science spawned entirely on the principles of steam power taken to obscene new heights. The plot, though... the sequence of events through which the story is revealed is pretty standard. Not bad, just not really unique or exemplary in any way. Keep away from the bad guys up until the climactic final showdown, in a nutshell. It's generic, but so are Miyazaki's films, and few would venture to say that they're terrible solely because of that notion.

Art (10): Spectacularly detailed cinematic artwork. You can't expect anything less from an Otomo blockbuster.

Sound (8): I thought about giving this a 7 because, the more I listen to the voices, the less impressed I am... but then, realistically speaking, most people don't sound like professional voice actors anyway, so it's a strange sort of bittersweet dub style. Maybe I'm placing too much stress on the lead character, though - he (Anna Paquin) was the most noticably awkward, the others were quite well-voiced. I also noticed the lip-syncing was a bit blocky, but the soundtrack was good enough that I think an 8 is well enough deserved.

Character (8): It was a very unique movie that I doubt anyone could imitate without being immediately accused of ripping it off. Enough said.

Enjoyment (7): I'll refer back to my introduction - my experience varies depending on what mood I'm in when I watch it, but there hasn't been an experience yet in which I've disliked doing so. 7 points is a good average.

Overall, I'd say Steamboy is an anime staple - maybe a bit too realistic to keep a young child's interest, but a decent introduction to anime for new viewers, and a very enjoyable experience for existing anime fans. read more