Hirotsugu Kawasaki's 1998 film "Spriggan" is a Japanese Anime' piece like no other. It's the second Anime' film I've viewed in the past three days that shares the traits of a twisted, turning plot and (mostly) one-dimensional characters. But like a lot of other Anime' films that share such qualities, I found myself deep into the on-screen action, characters, and animation.
For the most part, "Spriggan" avoids many of the stigmas of Japanese animation - sex, gratuitous nudity, deep philosophy on man's origins (like 1988's "Akira" or 1995's "Ghost in the Shell"), and graphic violence. Though there is some pretentious bloodshed here and there in "Spriggan," it's hardly of the super-graphic kind.
And "Spriggan" also has a plot (from which none other than Katsuhiro Otomo shares a credit on and is itself based on a Manga series called "Striker"), that as near as I can remember, is not thematically deep and is, hence, easy to follow. A relief, for once, for this Anime' fan. The action begins with the accidental discovery of a monstrous structure at the top of the world, the Mountains of Ararat (Bible scholars, take notice).
The discovery, "Noah's Ark," lies deep within the Mountains of Ararat. For those who remember Sunday school, the story of Noah's Ark came when the eponymous Noah was told by God that a great flood was coming, and he was to build an ark and he and his family could stave off the apocalypse along with two of every animal species while a raging God drowns the rest of civilization for its sins.
After the waters receded, God's wrath had subsided and life began anew, the resting place of Noah's Ark was said to be in the Mountains of Ararat. Over the centuries, many individuals have tried to locate the Ark but with no avail, though there are conflicting reports that say its final resting place is actually in China somewhere and some have claimed they found it but their stories are hardly conclusive ("Unsolved Mysteries" did a real good investigative piece on it once).
But in "Spriggan," which is actually the name given to a group of elite soldiers and the film's main character Yu Ominae, Noah's Ark is actually an alien spacecraft that houses man's possible extraterrestrial origins as well as the dinosaurs and other creatures specifically designed to populate the earth once we were annihilated.
As you have it, Yu gets swept up in a government conspiracy to reach Noah's Ark after several friends of his are killed by shadowy characters, and he himself is then targeted for elimination. Putting to use his extraordinary military skills, he's able to make fodder out of the lot of them. When he finally does reach Noah's Ark, he finds an excavation with scientists and military personnel hard at work and eagerly trying to unlock its secrets.
But things turn deadly when the site is attacked, and an American colonel, MacDougall, assumes control of the daily operations there. MacDougall is especially dangerous because, like in "Akira" (which this film may borrow from liberally), he is a kid. But they shouldn't let that fool them; he is a brilliant military strategist as well as a psychopathic psychic and I'm assuming he's really an adult trapped in a kid's body (which could be explained by those wires in the back of his head, though I'm not sure if this was ever explained either).
MacDougall of course wishes to unlock Noah's Ark, and use its technology to wage war on mankind, which we all know will have disastrous consequences for anyone who wishes to toy with a power of alien or religious origin. So Yu, the scientists, and the military align with each other to stop MacDougall and keep the Ark's power from being used to wipe out life on this planet.
I remember distinctly reading in the Amazon.com DVD review about its American attributes, which said "Spriggan" shares the plot qualities of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "Universal Soldier" (1992), and the aforementioned "Akira." "Spriggan" does have those traits, which are ever-present in the plot and characters. But we're not looking at a deep, mystifying adventure like "Akira"; we're looking at a film that is very much in the same category as most Hollywood blockbusters.
I can assure you these are accurate criticisms, but they don't take away from the enjoyment of the picture. "Spriggan" takes an old story and puts a nice Anime' spin on it. Though it could anger some Western audiences, it's obviously best they don't see it anyway.
Still, "Spriggan" is nothing more than pure popcorn entertainment, plain and simple. If you're looking for deep philosophical dialogue on man's origins, go elsewhere. If you want hardcore action with little plot, stick with "Spriggan"; I promise you, the viewer, this: you won't be disappointed.
7/10
For the most part, "Spriggan" avoids many of the stigmas of Japanese animation - sex, gratuitous nudity, deep philosophy on man's origins (like 1988's "Akira" or 1995's "Ghost in the Shell"), and graphic violence. Though there is some pretentious bloodshed here and there in "Spriggan," it's hardly of the super-graphic kind.
And "Spriggan" also has a plot (from which none other than Katsuhiro Otomo shares a credit on and is itself based on a Manga series called "Striker"), that as near as I can remember, is not thematically deep and is, hence, easy to follow. A relief, for once, for this Anime' fan. The action begins with the accidental discovery of a monstrous structure at the top of the world, the Mountains of Ararat (Bible scholars, take notice).
The discovery, "Noah's Ark," lies deep within the Mountains of Ararat. For those who remember Sunday school, the story of Noah's Ark came when the eponymous Noah was told by God that a great flood was coming, and he was to build an ark and he and his family could stave off the apocalypse along with two of every animal species while a raging God drowns the rest of civilization for its sins.
After the waters receded, God's wrath had subsided and life began anew, the resting place of Noah's Ark was said to be in the Mountains of Ararat. Over the centuries, many individuals have tried to locate the Ark but with no avail, though there are conflicting reports that say its final resting place is actually in China somewhere and some have claimed they found it but their stories are hardly conclusive ("Unsolved Mysteries" did a real good investigative piece on it once).
But in "Spriggan," which is actually the name given to a group of elite soldiers and the film's main character Yu Ominae, Noah's Ark is actually an alien spacecraft that houses man's possible extraterrestrial origins as well as the dinosaurs and other creatures specifically designed to populate the earth once we were annihilated.
As you have it, Yu gets swept up in a government conspiracy to reach Noah's Ark after several friends of his are killed by shadowy characters, and he himself is then targeted for elimination. Putting to use his extraordinary military skills, he's able to make fodder out of the lot of them. When he finally does reach Noah's Ark, he finds an excavation with scientists and military personnel hard at work and eagerly trying to unlock its secrets.
But things turn deadly when the site is attacked, and an American colonel, MacDougall, assumes control of the daily operations there. MacDougall is especially dangerous because, like in "Akira" (which this film may borrow from liberally), he is a kid. But they shouldn't let that fool them; he is a brilliant military strategist as well as a psychopathic psychic and I'm assuming he's really an adult trapped in a kid's body (which could be explained by those wires in the back of his head, though I'm not sure if this was ever explained either).
MacDougall of course wishes to unlock Noah's Ark, and use its technology to wage war on mankind, which we all know will have disastrous consequences for anyone who wishes to toy with a power of alien or religious origin. So Yu, the scientists, and the military align with each other to stop MacDougall and keep the Ark's power from being used to wipe out life on this planet.
I remember distinctly reading in the Amazon.com DVD review about its American attributes, which said "Spriggan" shares the plot qualities of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "Universal Soldier" (1992), and the aforementioned "Akira." "Spriggan" does have those traits, which are ever-present in the plot and characters. But we're not looking at a deep, mystifying adventure like "Akira"; we're looking at a film that is very much in the same category as most Hollywood blockbusters.
I can assure you these are accurate criticisms, but they don't take away from the enjoyment of the picture. "Spriggan" takes an old story and puts a nice Anime' spin on it. Though it could anger some Western audiences, it's obviously best they don't see it anyway.
Still, "Spriggan" is nothing more than pure popcorn entertainment, plain and simple. If you're looking for deep philosophical dialogue on man's origins, go elsewhere. If you want hardcore action with little plot, stick with "Spriggan"; I promise you, the viewer, this: you won't be disappointed.
7/10