Following in the traditions of its predecessors, this movie has its own variation of the setting and characters. It is set in a future in which mankind abandoned Earth because it could no longer sustain the population, only to return to it after finding no refuge in space, and engaging in an internal power struggle for control of their home planet called the Home Coming War. After the war, the authoritarian Gaia Sanction is formed and declares Earth sacred ground, forbidden to humanity. The only resistance towards this is the seemingly ageless space pirate Captain Harlock, who rebels against the Gaia Sanction for the next hundred years before the main story begins. This is all explained in a long montage before the title credits, which gives us an idea of how grandiose this movie intends to be, for better or worse. It also sets up Harlock to be an almost mythical figure, which works two-fold: giving the title character significant presence, and reminding us (the viewer) of the franchise's legacy.
The story itself mainly follows Yama, a Gaia Sanction soldier who infiltrates the ranks of Halock's crew (and designated audience surrogate), as he tries to bring Harlock's defiant actions to an end. Well, at least that is what he tries to do at first. The movie goes from one big set-piece to the next, with stretches of explanation and plot development in-between. Flashbacks are used to disclose Yama's backstory, Harlock's past, and the world changing events of the Home Coming War which are not shown in the opening montage. To be honest, the storytelling here is kind of clunky; it is paced in such a way that sometimes the movie feels like it is just pushing its way to the next action blowout. That said, it never really becomes boring or tedious, as big twists and revelations are aplenty, and the action set-pieces payoff in a big way.
The plot itself is backed by themes born from modern ecological anxieties, a fact which the movie makes very apparent. Mankind's abandonment of Earth is a blatantly obvious address to modern issues concerning overpopulation. The movie's fixation on the survival of a flower illustrates both the endurance and fragility of nature. Another theme is mankind's tendency to destroy the things it values through anger or envy. This can be seen in the only vaguely explored love-triangle between Yama, his brother Erza, and the girl for which they both have feelings; needless to say it takes a tragic turn. The theme can also be seen in Harlocks's past and the shocking truth behind the end of the Home Coming War. The endurance of hope and freedom in the face of such dispiriting factors has always been at the core of the franchise, and that is as true for this movie as it is for any other iteration; though Harlock's role as the personification of such hope and freedom is slightly subverted by the movie's big twist.
The direction concerning the movie's aesthetics is simply phenomenal. Shinji Aramaki made his name on his CGI work in Appleseed, and continues to display exceptional CGI artwork and rendering in this movie. Leiji Matsumoto's characters transition extraordinarily well to 3-D animation, and are very faithful as far as Captain Harlock and pirate girl Kei Yuki are concerned. Some liberties are taken: Harlock's alien advisor/drinking-buddy Miime looks more humanoid than her original counterpart, and Harlock's first mate Yattaran is almost completely different from his original appearance (and personality). Yama looks suspiciously similar to the original series' audience surrogate, Tadashi Daiba, too. Harlock's iconic pirate spaceship, the Arcadia, looks absolutely intimidating with its GGI make-over. The action sequences are a marvel to behold. The large-scale space battles and showboating melee fights are gorgeously well animated and, more importantly, exciting. Aramaki handles the action with gusto; letting them brim with a frenetic energy which fully engages the audience, while also juggling the multiple battles flawlessly. If nothing else, this movie is a testament to Aramaki's talent as a top-notch action director.
Unfortunately, his talents don't carry over into the movie's action-less dramatic scenes. Aramaki might direct a mean battle sequence, but his handling of drama leaves a lot to be desired. Many of the flashbacks and revelations come off as rather dry. They are visually stimulating, certainly, but are also emotionally distant. The scenes simply don't communicate the characters' emotions to the audience, or at least not as strongly as they should. You watch the scene unfold, but you don't feel the emotions that the characters are experiencing. Not helping matters is the fact that most of these characters are underwritten; plot and theme has always taken precedence over character depth in this franchise. The one exception being Captain Harlock himself, who is fascinating in his ideology (and always has been), and has an aura of myth and mystery surrounding him. While his backstory here removes some of the mystery, he is no less mythical from it. What this all means is that the movie's drama works on a thematic level, but far less so on an emotional level.
In the end, this movie is an admirable addition to the longstanding franchise. It pays homage to the original, while updating it by applying modern priorities to old-fashioned bravado. It doesn't really improve upon what was already there, as it suffers from the exact same flaws as the original series, albeit in different ways. However, it does deliver some downright fantastic action sequences (doubtless the best the franchise has produced), and a solid story overall. It may not have transcended the original's legacy, but it carries on that legacy quite well.
