demagogue on 18/1/2009 at 20:26
Either they re-tell the story-arc from the anime, which has to compete with the breadth of so many episodes and capture its chemistry, or they try to tell a new story which either completely overturns the original story or is just a minor footnote in it.
I guess that's the dilemma of all comics/shows->movies translations ... But this one seems harder than usual, since the original chemistry was so right on. I share the general skepticism.
It's a good decision in the sense that I couldn't possibly not see it.
Scots Taffer on 18/1/2009 at 22:19
If it doesn't feature Spike tripping and passing that frog twenty times on the staircase, I want my money back.
Also, Keanu is a great pick at least physically - now let's see him to work on that brilliantly stylised fighting.
BEAR on 18/1/2009 at 22:33
This really just makes me want to rewatch the anime since its been so long, see if its as good as I remember. Things from that time period seem to actually get better for some reason.
Scots Taffer on 18/1/2009 at 22:55
Late 90s/early 00s had a lot of extremely high quality output from both the hollywood popcorn spectrum and the indie/foreign scenes.
I need to rewatch too. Spectacular show. Any chance of a blu-ray release for the series and the movie?
metal dawn on 18/1/2009 at 23:00
This'll be as awesome as the new Knight Rider.
Aerothorn on 19/1/2009 at 00:15
Yikes.
To be fair, I don't think Hollywood is the big problem here. The first Cowboy Bebop movie was made by all the same people, and frankly wasn't that good. First, you can't re-tell the story arc. It's not the same problem as Watchmen, in which there is too much story to fit into the film; Bebop spends the vast majority of its time away from the primary storyline. But that is intergral to the story itself - that in this "off time" the characters are explored and developed, and so when the main plot rolls around its a sudden, intense shift. Plus, the whole premise of Bebop is that each episode is a sort of pastiche of a film genre, or music, or something. Can't really do that with a single film.
So the original movie folks decided, intelligently, to make an original film...but the whole series worked on a 25-minute basis, and they couldn't figure out what to do with an hour and a half. So it just dilly-dallied around and acted melodramatic.
Yeah, this isn't going to turn out well.
EvaUnit02 on 19/1/2009 at 03:10
Personally I adored Knockin' on Heaven's Door. The sequence where Spike faces off against Volaju on the monorail train is utterly fantastic, coming to a collective crescendo with Watanabe's expert direction and an enigmatic Kanno piece sung by Gabriella Robin.
Showdown with Voljaju at the peak of the Halloween parade is also great. The action seems entirely grounded in reality, like Spike's Jeet Kune Do moves.
I don't see what there isn't to love about Knockin' on Heaven's Door, it's a highly memorable and extremely enjoyable piece of well crafted cinema. I'd imagine that those who didn't appreciate Oshii's masterful Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2 would also flog off this film.
The scenes where Spike is doing detective work in Middle-eastern district market are packed with atmosphere, augmented by the excellent song composed by Kanno. The plot point involving the big pot was a really nice touch and totally original.
Morte on 19/1/2009 at 09:57
Knocking on heavens door is a bit baggy at places, but it isn't a bad movie by any means. The sedate pacing is a bit of a shock coming to it from the series though, which could afford any fat at all in an episode.
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
Also, Keanu is a great pick at least physically - now let's see him to work on that brilliantly stylised fighting.
Well, he would have been ten or fifteen years ago. He's getting a bit on the old side now. And there's still the problem of him being something of a charisma vacuum.
Vivian on 19/1/2009 at 11:53
Your mum. Your mum will be, Koyla.
