This movie is a bit darker than the original in both tone and story. Whereas the first movie had a lot of world building and exploration to it in addition to Tetsuro's main story of revenge, the plot is almost entirely dedicated to the human vs. machine conflict. Similar to the first movie, we have appearances from both Captain Harlock and Emeraldes, although they seem much more cameo in nature and less necessary than their appearances in the first movie. Maetel's role is also heavily toned down in comparison to the first movie, and she doesn't appear until more than 45 minutes have gone by. The movie contains a massive deus ex machina towards the end of the movie and rips off one of the most popular sci-fi movies of all time in a big way (a movie that had been released not too long before this movie's release).
Where I think this movie really delivers though is the design and style. The animation is noticeably better than the first movie and I would argue its still very strong today, 35 years after its release. Matsumoto's design of the machine people and their world is amazing, one of my favorite from any anime or sci-fi movie. There's a beautiful dialogue-less 4 minute sequence just over half way through the movie as the Galaxy Express heads towards the planet Great Andromeda, a type of scene I think you just don't get anymore these days. The overall theme of limited human life versus eternal machine life is also one I really enjoyed (granted, a theme done better in the first movie).
Is this movie absolutely necessary to see? No. The storyline was appropriately told in the first movie and a sequel wasn't really necessary. But I still find this a very enjoyable viewing experience despite its flaws.
