Author: JD Hawkins

Format: Anamorphic

Release Date: 04-23-2002

Details: Amazon.ca Fast paced, violent, and loud, Spriggan uses a combination of drawn and computer animation to deliver the kind of slam-bang thrill ride Final Fantasy only promised. The convoluted plot, based on a manga series by Hirotsugu Kawasaki and Yasutaka Ito, mixes elements from Raiders of the Lost Ark, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Akira, and Universal Soldier. Yu Ominae (voice by Christopher Patton) is a Spriggan, a member of an elite corps of biologically engineered warriors created by the secret organization ARCAM, who finds himself involved in a baroque adventure centered on the newly discovered Ark of Noah. The Ark is actually an extraterrestrial vehicle with the power to alter the Earth's climate and spawn new animal species. A sinister cadre of rogue Pentagon generals wants it and dispatches a corps of murderous cyborgs lead by Col. MacDougall (Kevin Corn), a monstrous child who's also the product of biological experiments, to capture it. ARCAM is determined to prevent the generals from gaining control of the Ark's awesome powers. Yu battles his way to victory through car chases, sword fights, shootouts, explosions, knifings, and psychic blasts, with a little help from fellow-Spriggan Jean-Jacques Mondo (Andy McAvin). Director Hirotsugu Kawasaki handles the action sequences more effectively than the minimal character development, and Katsuhiro Otomo's screenplay doesn't always make a lot of sense. But Spriggan supplies what hard-core action fans sought in vain in many recent Hollywood blockbusters. Just don't sit too close to a speaker. MPAA rated R, under 17 not admitted (for considerable violence). --Charles Solomon From the Back Cover Directed by first-time director Hirotsugu Kawasaki and supervised by Katsuhiro Otomo, the legendary creator behind the cinematic masterpiece Akira, Spriggan is based on the comic Striker by Chu Takasige and Ryoji Minagawa, which originally appeared in the Japanese monthly magazine, Shonen Sunday. The comics were a popular success, selling millions of copies of the paperback releases, which led to a fervent bidding war over the right to make a movie based on the property. Otomo and Kawasaki eventually won out, and with the backing of acclaimed animators Studio 4°C, masterfully combined traditional cel animation with ground-breaking computer animation to create a stunning action film. Story: At the top of the world, the ancient artifact known as Noah's Ark has been uncovered. Buried and forgotten since before the birth of history, it holds the potential to elevate its holder to the status of a god... or to wipe mankind from the face of the Earth in a second! Now, a desperate battle erupts across the planet as two secret organizations race to recover the lost artifact - one seeks to destroy it, and the other wants to enslave the human race! Monstrous half-human cyborgs face off against Earth's ultimate defenders, the secret organization known as ARCAM and their elite agents, the Spriggan, in an epic duel with the future of our species as the prize!

UPC: 702727021527

EAN: 0702727021572

Languages: English

Binding: DVD

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood