released 23 feb 03 / last mod 01 jun 07 / greg goebel / public domain
* I wasn't aware of the LUPIN THE THIRD TV anime series when I picked up Hayao Miyazaki's anime movie THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO, and if I had been I might not have touched it. LUPIN THE THIRD has its fans, but from what I saw of it, the production values were terrible, rock bottom. I still had misgivings since THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO was one of Miyazaki's earliest movies, and it was unlikely to be in a league with his superb MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO or PRINCESS MONONOKE.
But I finally sat down and watched THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO and it kept me perfectly entertained all the way through. It's basically derived from European "caper" films from the 1960s or 1970s, involving the adventures of master thief Lupin III in the little mythical kingdom of Cagliostro, which I would suspect is next door to Grand Fenwick.
What you get out of this is wild car stunts, driving on two wheels and so forth; tricky gadgets; a castle fortress with laser defenses; a princess in distress; an evil count; a pretty spy; anti-tank rifles; a fight in the clock tower; escapes from dungeons; and an Interpol inspector named Zanigata who combines a bit of Inspector Clouseau with a little amiable satire of Japanese single-mindedness.
The production values are generally competent, if not quite up to Miyazaki's more famous works. Still, the absolutely distinctive Miyazaki style is very clearly there. A lot of the plot devices can't stand up to even mild examination, but given that nobody with any sense would think this movie should be taken seriously that's not really much of a criticism. It does get a bit more violent in places than something this lightweight can support, but it doesn't make a habit of it.
The end result is pleasant if not exactly memorable. This is the sort of movie I am reluctant to praise too much or too little. Must-see video? No. Entertaining? Yes, and that's basically all I ask for.