Undescribable Perfection

Too much of everything

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Anyone who wants to watch animated adventure and action with sense,this is film for him!I have never watched any Lupin series before and I am not a fan of anime.My impression about film:cozy,amusing,warm,artistical, for anyone.After watching,I was thinking about it and I can not tell that this is average film for kids.There is interesting relationships between characters and some things are maybe complicated to digest.But you will surely enjoy in film.The characters are colorful and conical drawed.Animation is very good for that budget!And scenery is carefully painted,I feel it.All castle is somehow putted in some logical entirety.The music is,simple said,catchy and cool! 9/10

If you have even the slightest interest in animated movies then there is no doubt you have at least heard of Hayao Miyazaki, the genius behind such movies as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, and this is the movie that started his legendary career and is by far his most underrated, at least outside of Japan.For those of you who don't know, Lupin III is a Japanese comic book following a thief, the titular Lupin, and his gang as they travel all across the world in search for adventure while being constantly pursued by Interpol agent, Zenigata.After a successful robbery of a French casino, Lupin and closest companion, Jigen, flee to the tiny independent nation of Cagliostro where they discover a huge conspiracy involving an evil baron forcing a young girl against her will to get his hands on a rumoured treasure and Lupin and his gang take it upon themselves to rescue her and find the treasure themselves.Yeah, the plot does sound pretty cliché but it's execution is near flawless. Just a good old fashioned adventure will great characters. The animation is very good, especially for the time. The music is great and memorable. I love the atmosphere it creates with the fairy-tale like kingdom. The voice acting is top-notch. There's plenty of action and slapstick comedy. It's just great all around.However, the main villain is very generic. Just a stereotypical rich slime-ball with no regard for anyone but himself but to be fair, in a movie like this, the villain takes a back seat for the heroes who are done very so I can't really hold it against the film.Overall, it's a classic adventure film that shouldn't be passed up by anyone. You'll be entertained from beginning to end.

Though Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is often called one of Hayao Miyazaki's weaker efforts, I beg to differ. Though there aren't many deep environmental or humanist themes to glean from the story, this is probably the most entertaining movie he ever directed. It's got everything a good old-fashioned swashbuckling adventure film needs: exciting chases, comedy, daring rescues, tender romance, a sneering villain, and a wonderful climax. I think the Miyazaki films which adhere closest to the tone of this film are probably Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Porco Rosso.Like I said, this movie is Miyazaki's most fun. For all his prowess for quiet moments, the action scenes in this are outstanding, so outstanding that everyone from Teen Titans to Disney have made homage to them. The first car chase alone is worth the price of admission; in fact, I'd go as far to say it's one of the best car chases ever put on film, animated or otherwise. There's tons of comedy too, slapstick even Buster Keaton or Bugs Bunny would be proud of.I will admit, the animation is not the highest quality compared to the films Miyazaki would work on later and its age is obvious, but honestly, it's not as bad as some make it out to be and it's miles ahead of the animation in the first Lupin feature, The Secret of Mamo. The animation is not "horrible". Yes, it looks rushed in some places, but it's never hideous. The backgrounds are quite lovely and give the picture a great old world atmosphere. Oh, and I adore Yuji Ono's music, especially the film's several renditions of "Fire Treasure". The vocal version played over the opening credits has to be one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.Lots of Lupin the Third fans have criticized this film for not being faithful to the harsher personalities of the characters, and as a fan, I can see where they're coming from. Like others, I am upset that cool characters such as Jigen and Goemon are barely given anything to do (especially so since those two are my favorite characters in the franchise). However, I adhere to the idea that Cagliostro is set at the twilight of Lupin's career as a thief. The Lupin we see in this film is no longer the skirt-chasing, selfish fellow which originated in the manga and first television series; he is an older, more mature man who seems to be weary of the life he has chosen (the film has a bit of a melancholic undercurrent actually, though it never spoils the comedy). Plus, the character of Lupin often changes from adaptation to adaptation anyway. Heck, even his personality in the popular second television series is nothing like the character in the original manga.Many have also criticized the character of Princess Clarisse for not being as proactive as later Miyazaki heroines such as Nausicaa or San. Yet if you take a closer look, Clarisse is not as weak as she initially seems. She's an ingénue and a damsel-in-distress, yes, but she has an inner strength to her. She escapes from the count's goons on her own at the beginning of the film, is not afraid to throw herself over an unconscious Lupin when the count threatens to shoot him, and she attempts to throw herself and the count over the edge of the clock tower when he tries killing Lupin yet again during the climax. And while some may say she's terrible and antifeminist for trying to persuade Lupin to teach her how to be a thief just so she can stay with him, you have to remember she's a love-struck, naïve, and sheltered girl who's only about seventeen or eighteen years old. Nobody thinks much through at that age.All in all, this is far from being a "weak" film. It's a fun ride, a popcorn classic, and a wonderful debut for the great Miyazaki.

Miyazaki's debut (not including some TV work) lacks the fantastic imagination and whimsy of his later work. But it packs a lot of fun into 100 minutes. An action tale featuring Lupin III, a thief/adventurer/detective character... something like a mix of James Bond and Robin Hood and the old-time serials. It's no surprise that Spielberg loves this movie, and I have to wonder if he saw it before making RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. The animation doesn't have a lot of wow factor, but it looks pretty nice. I could do without the exaggerated facial expressions, and in fact a lot of the attempts at comedy are just too goofy. But I enjoyed these characters (archetypal though they may be) and their antics. There's a lot of nifty situations and it's told at an enjoyable pace. Good times.