- Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro is long and confusing. That is, the title is long and confusing -- the film itself is great! Adapted from a Japanese comic, Lupin represents nothing less than the film debut of Hayao Miyazaki, the greatest of the Japanese animators. Although it is perhaps less artistically brilliant and more uniformly lighthearted than some of the esteemed director's later work, I'm happy to report that Lupin still manages to be a terrific bit of entertainment.
- The story follows the adventures of the debonair thief Arsene Lupin III (David Hayter), whose knack for finding trouble quickly leads him to Castle Cagliostro, where the nefarious Count (Kirk Thornton) has kidnapped an unwitting bride-to-be, Lady Clarisse (Bridget Hoffman). But before you get the wrong impression, understand that Lupin is not your typical thief. While he is every bit James Bond's equal when it comes to gadgets and cleverness, his defining characteristic is a certain charming spontaneity that leads to humorous tumbles into cars and nearly catastrophic plunges over waterfalls. In fact, one of the film's most memorable scenes involves a rocket misfire and Lupin's prolonged slide down a roof. In that respect, he's not exactly 007 material.
- While the plot of Lupin is stronger than is typical for a Miyazaki film, the real reasons to watch are ultimately the immensely creative art and animation. Instead of the usual ninjas, the Count (whose own appearance recalls a pudgy Errol Flynn) employs a troop of rather simian-looking assassins with razor-sharp claws. Castle Cagliostro itself is a veritable Versailles, and Lady Clarisse's ornate prison looks more like a planetarium than a bedroom. The most visually impressive sequence, however, is certainly the clocktower battle. Despite the fact that those curved moving surfaces must be tremendously challenging to animate, the result looks as impressive as the gearworks that digested Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times. While Lupin would never be mistaken for a serious film, it is a seriously fun and impressive first outing for Miyazaki.
- You need to know that the original manga was written by an author nicknamed "Monkey Punch."
