If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

How sad is this?

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I didn't know what "Space Pirate Captain Harlock" (aka "Kyaputen Hârokku") was about. It caught my attention because of it being a Japanese CGI animated movie. So I sat down to watch it without any knowledge of what this was about or what I was in for.It turned out that "Space Pirate Captain Harlock" was a really, really enjoyable animated movie. The storyline was quite good, and had lots of interesting aspects and characters to it. And the movie was superbly augmented by some amazing CGI. I am just a sucker for these types of animated movies, especially when they are done as well as this, or such as the "Resident Evil" and "Final Fantasy" CGI animated movies for example.I will not delve into relaying the storyline here, because there are many aspects and levels to it, so you should really experience it for yourself to fully appreciate the many nuances to the story."Space Pirate Captain Harlock" has a good character gallery, and these characters are easily recognized and distinguishable, because they have very different personalities, traits, quirks and such.As I mentioned earlier, the CGI in "Space Pirate Captain Harlock" is just amazing. I love the attention to detail in every single scene, be it details on the background, on the outfits, on the characters beings, etc. There level of detail is just astounding, and it looks so realistic, whilst still keeping that CGI animated touch to it.There is a good flow to the storyline and it keeps a good pace throughout the entire length of the movie, and it doesn't get boring at any time. So this is entertaining from the beginning right up to the end.The voice acting in the movie was good, and I will, of course, recommend that you watch the original Japanese version, although the English dubbed version is also quite adequate.I was more than genuinely surprised with "Space Pirate Captain Harlock", and it is definitely an animated movie which can be watched more than just once, because there is a lot to the storyline. But the CGI is actually so impressive in itself that it deserves a second viewing for that alone.

Man this is a boring film but I'll try and start with something good somewhere, I always try to start positive.The look/Visual Style: The look and visual style is pretty good as in the look of the characters and ships etc which match the spirit of the Manga & Anime. I admit that's what grabbed me to see it but it lied!That's about it for the good as its all downhill from here.Animation: Man I've seen more feeling and empathy from a game engine, all the characters do is speak, there is zero feeling from any of them they are all pretty much soulless dolls! The animators seriously deserve a kick in the ass as they sleep walked through this step!Story/Script: Nope! there isn't any story here, its all just a bunch of action scenes separated by boring talk & voice over. The voice over is a dead give away as none of the characters discussions or the action even remotely propels the plot, that all done by radio er... I mean voice over. HINT people: its a MOTION picture not a radio play, stop telling me what's happening and instead use the ACTION to tell the story! you know like a movie!FINAL: In all there is nothing here but a crappy video game cut scene that goes on way too long! Seriously someone looked at this in the end and thought this was entertaining!Man this is so boring!

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEADEvery once and a while, I like to take a survey of films and television shows of a certain genre. I've done superheroes, vampires, vampire slayers and spies. My current survey is Anime, as it was the one genre of which I hadn't done much watching. I'm currently making my way through Death Note, K and Blue Exorcist. I've actually purchased Akira and frequently watch it on a regular basis. I've seen select episodes of Attack on Titan, Kill la Kill, Sword Art Online, Black Butler and some others. I've finished watching Akame ga Kill, as well. Full Metal Alchemist and its following series are on deck. And, this weekend, I came across this one while looking for something shorter than a series. Glad to discover this one, as I have very little experience with 3D Anime, as well.As a Harlock virgin, I knew nothing about the menga (another entertainment genre I've not dabbled in) or the following anime, so the universe was shiny and new for me. And I enjoyed the presentation, for the most part. Despite needing to go back a few times to keep up with the subtitles if I looked away from my screen, as I enjoy foreign films and shows in their original language, I followed the story pretty well. Due to my slight understanding of Japanese culture, I was able to overlook most of what my fellow reviewers may complain about (i.e. the dramatics (over-the-top-weapons), the focus on the childish romance and the need to maintain balance by closing the circle.) For the con side of coin, the story needed some serious work. It needed to be clearer on who we were to follow: Yama or Harlock. Also, it needed to be clearer in what the endgame was, to present an origin story to "Captain Harlock" or if it was a resistance plot. Granted, it could be both but we needed clarity. Also, the antagonist wasn't real enough or constructed well enough to make the hero work for his title. Besides Isora being competently built as a character, he still was relatively flat. It is a must that we feel for both the hero and the villain. Both Yama and Harlock failed to earn their mantle as hero, despite each of them being built competently and Yama being the most dimensional character in the film, which isn't saying much. The others aren't built at all they seem to exist so that the dialogue doesn't sound monotone. We must care for these characters, the must make us empathize, but none of the characters made me do that, so the core of the film was hollow.On the positive side, the production value was excellent. Despite the re-use of some of the action cuts, the animation was top notch for my first outing. I enjoyed the Gothic cathedral design of the Legion ships and their technology, all the details, from the arch above the bridge to the insignia on the front of their ships spoke to their power and philosophy. My favorite ship, however, is not a surprise. I loved…LOVED…the design of the Arcadia!! It also spoke to volumes as to Harlock's mission and the attitude of his crew. I enjoyed its submarine-like design with its steam-punk flair, down to the old-school ship's wheel. It was rich in history and yet it still fit in the space theme. Its use of black smoke to conceal its arrival opposed the light used by the Legion ships. This juxtaposition highlights the conflict at the center of the universe. The music was well composed and the artistic value was well done. I enjoyed that the female characters were mostly not simply eye candy as most anime pieces tend to present women as. Granted they were not well utilized, but hardly anyone was anyways.As part of my survey of the anime genre, this was a good choice to study. But, due to the core being hollow, I can't say that the film was "well-done." If I needed to watch on a rainy afternoon, this one'll work as it takes you away from your living room and into a new world for a time. Just don't expect to remember it years later as the impression will most likely be fleeting.

There's a strange tendency in Japanese animation , it often uses cryptic and vague script to give the illusion of depth. Those who are familiar with animes or games would recognize this outdated pattern, the quirky storytelling would seem to be meaningful as the characters brood over a crisis, yet it barely tells anything relevant to the audience. In some cases it might even alienate the viewers.This is the persisting problem with Harlock. It certainly presents good quality visual as it floats across the light show, but the vague narrative hurts the presentation. The dialogues may sound flamboyant, yet it is actually shallow and superficial. Backstory is glossed over while the interactions are deprived of enjoyment. The characters, even though looking attractive, just can't generate enough interest as they banter with foreign jargon.It even resembles teen drama instead of space voyage at times. Development is often crude, only to give dramatic scenes without substance. The main story follows Yama as he tries to catch the titular Harlock. Both of them are not that audience friendly, they are already in lamentation with barely any introduction. It's hard to relate since they look like generic RPG cast with average mellow issue.Then it becomes heavily convoluted as the movie tries to mix strange terms, they sound ominously impaction like dark matter or ancient race, but material is too thin. After a hefty amount of scenery changes, cool poses and starship fights, the movie can barely hold interest for characters and with relatively long runtime it turns into a plodding endeavor.This is Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within all over again, glossy effect and drab boring story. It will be hard to either garner interest for new audience or please old fans with such lackluster narrative, but at least it works for an eye candy.