Spriggan is a full-steam-ahead, kick-ass-and-take-names, gun-crazy anime action fest like nothing else I've ever seen. If you like your films slow and philosophical, then look elsewhere. The director of Spriggan wanted to create an anime movie in the vein of big budget Hollywood blockbusters and he succeeded in spades. The camerawork, pacing, script, everything - they would be equally at home in the latest James Cameron action extravaganza. Actually, scratch that. Free from the physical constraints of live action (like gravity), Spriggan's action scenes ratchet it up a notch beyond any live action movie around. The animation is brilliant, on the same level as Ghost in the Shell (though Ghost is still a tad nicer).
While others may consider this the worst aspect of it, what I love most about Spriggan is that it is FINALLY a big-budget Japanese animated film that is NOT slow and ponderous and full of deep ruminations on the human condition. Not that there's anything wrong with the likes of Akira, Ghost in the Shell, or Perfect Blue, but in most big-budget anime you only see brief glimpses of the stupendous action of which Japanese animators are capable. With Spriggan, you finally get to see more than just a glimpse.
Bottomline: Pure, adrenaline-pumping eye candy. Worth seeking out.
While others may consider this the worst aspect of it, what I love most about Spriggan is that it is FINALLY a big-budget Japanese animated film that is NOT slow and ponderous and full of deep ruminations on the human condition. Not that there's anything wrong with the likes of Akira, Ghost in the Shell, or Perfect Blue, but in most big-budget anime you only see brief glimpses of the stupendous action of which Japanese animators are capable. With Spriggan, you finally get to see more than just a glimpse.
Bottomline: Pure, adrenaline-pumping eye candy. Worth seeking out.