Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is essentially a high budget, longer than usual episode of the show. And you know what? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This time around, we've got Spike and company going up against Vincent, an ex-military soldier turned bio-terrorist. He's launched a campaign of carnage on Mars, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Oh, and there's a 300 million Woolong bounty on the fellow.
It's a typical Cowboy Bebop story, and it works fine. The whole gang is back, plus some new additions. Of course, you've got the villain, Vincent. He's not just an evil maniacal villain, he has motivations for his actions and everything makes sense with him character wise. He's a pretty compelling villain, honestly. Also helps that he's a complete badass, going toe to toe with Spike in hand-to-hand combat.
We've also got Electra, a military agent with connections to Vincent. She's also pretty well-developed. She can kick some ass too. There are a few other minor new characters, but they're not really worth mentioning. Spike is the focus in this film, so the rest of the Bebop crew don't get a whole lot to do, but every character gets a few good moments.
With a bigger budget, Sunrise went all out on this. Cowboy Bebop was a very well animated series for its time, and the movie is ten times better. And hell, this came out in 2001. The fluidity is even better in the film, everything looks natural, especially in the visceral action sequences. The final battle in the film is some of the most exciting stuff I've seen in an animated feature.
The lighting effects are awesome as well. You didn't get a whole lot of this in Bebop (at least, I don't recall anything this grandiose) so it's refreshing to see such great lighting. The character designs are basically the same, with some added splendor due to the film's higher fidelity. The film uses a dull color palette, which fits with the mood of Bebop.
The soundtrack is a solid follow up to the series. It's nothing short of brilliant. Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts kill it once again. The music fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the film, and the opening and closing tunes are superb. The soundtrack also knows when to go silent, just to let character moments play it out based on performance alone.
Yeah, it's just another great Bebop adventure. And I've come to the realization that this is; I don't have anything else Bebop related to watch. That makes me sad. But hey, I might just watch the whole series over again.
See ya, space cowboy.
