Back when I was a kid, I watched bit and pieces (or maybe I just recalled bits and pieces) of an animated TV series called Star Blazers. Later I learned that it’s called anime (but before that, Japanimation) and that in Japan it was called Space Battleship Yamato. It was an interesting series and really captured my imagination back then. So when I heard that there was going to be a live action version, I was very excited.
I finally finished watching it today and it was great. It captured and condensed the story (based on aforementioned bits and pieces) of the animated series very well. The production quality was unexpectedly good, reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica but not overdone like in the new Star Wars movies. There were some awkward acting, including that of Meisa Kuroki (but since she’s kawaii, I can overlook that).
In the movie, Earth is under attack by aliens called Gamilas, irradiating it with a constant bombardment of radioactive asteroids. To save Earth, an battleship is sent out to a remote planet called Iskandar where an anti-radiation device is supposed to be located. Beset by Gamilas at all twists and turns, the crew retrieves the device and eventually returns to Earth, finally ending with a blaze of glory, a big kamikaze bang befitting a Japanese battleship. Somehow it gave me a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction rather than a feeling of waste. Now that’s a good ending.
