Review: Steamboy (2004)

Here's the second part of my anime two-parter of sorts--having done the visually ass-kicking splendor of Redline, let's move onto a similarly lavishly painted feature--2004's Steamboy, done by none other than Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of the seminal Akira itself. I actually remember this one getting a real release, with some decent marketing and everything--the dubbed release even sported a voice role from Patrick Stewart himself. And yet, it flopped, and while it's not the most obscure thing in the world--it's known for being one of the most expensive animated films ever at least--it generally isn't put on the same levels of Akira or others. So, did it deserve its financial fate, or should it have risen to become a classic itself?

Well, just like Akira, the quality of the animation will strike you off the bat. It was worked on for supposedly ten years, and it shows--every background is like a fine painting (and probably is), the gizmos are always in motion and filled with insane detail, and so on. Some shots, like the commencement of the Great Exhibition or the panoramas of London, are downright beautiful. There's some CG in there to assist it, but it's done tastefully enough. So in that department, there's no denying Otomo's work paid off.

Ah, London. When one is tired of London...one is probably tired of the public transport never working and the perpetual drizzle.

But before I get too far ahead of myself, perhaps I should talk about the story. It's set in an alternate history where the industrial revolution apparently went into overdrive, creating manna from heaven for clockwork and steampunk obsessives everywhere. With technology and gadgetry decades more advanced, we meet father and son Lloyd and Edward (Patrick Stewart and Alfred Molina respectively), who invent a 'Steam Ball', a device that produces limitless steam power because of...magical mineral water or something, it may as well be a Dragon Ball as far as the plot is concerned. Anyway, an accident occurs that splits the brothers apart, and the Steam Ball eventually finds its way to the youngest member of the family, James Ray (Anna Paquin).

Ray is the typical sort of invention-obsessed, idealistic young hero you've probably seen in more than one Miyazaki film, or other old-school adventure flicks. Before long, he's been pursued by agents of the O'Hara Foundation, an American arms manufacturer overseen by the oblivious Scarlett O'Hara (Kari Wahlgren), who, yes, is very on the nose with what she's referencing as a character. The action soon centers itself around the Great Exhibition in London, as everyone vies for the power of the Steam Ball, Lloyd and Edward try to sabotage each other, and the British Empire clashes with the Foundation under the leadership of Robert Stephenson himself.

"Pardon me ma'am, just boiling my own flesh in here. Sorry about the smell."

The action itself is pretty spectacular, with things escalating from steam-powered wagons to eventually powered armor soldiers (who of course avoid being cooked to death despite wearing metal and a steam engine on their backs), aerial combat, warships in the Thames, and then a massive flying fortress. If that sounds like your thing, then the last act is chock a block with it--and it sure is entertaining. However, where the film falters I think is the characterization--and the fact that it mostly lacks a middle act, just sort of ambling between the introduction to the massive bonanza that takes up the latter part. Ray doesn't have that much agency as an protagonist for most it, generally just being lead around by whoever spoke to him last, or at least that's what it feels like. Stewart as Lloyd steals a lot of the show, but his debates with Eddy soon start feeling redundant--maybe something got lost in translation, but a lot of the exchanges feel something like this:

Lloyd: "Science should be used to HELP PEOPLE!"

Edward: "No, science is POWER! Or SOMETHING!"

Lloyd: "NUH-UH!"

Edward: "UH-HUH!"

Repeated half a dozen times. There's some interesting themes and concepts being attempted here, but between the slightly odd pacing and the dialogue, they're not that well fleshed out, at least for me. Perhaps this is something the dub did, but that's the only version I have (and, considering it's a British setting, the English version by far feels more appropriate anyway). It's trying to explore themes of the purpose of science and technology, in the backdrop of an even more majestic Victorian setting, but perhaps it all gets overshadowed by the huge battles and showing off of steam-powered paraphernalia.

Ultimately, Steamboy attempts to have substance, but I don't think it quite gets there--but the style is clearly exquisitely done. If some epic animation and crazy clockwork machinery going to war sounds like your thing, it's definitely worth a watch--but at the same time, some of the flaws that were present in Akira, like the choppy story and underdeveloped themes tried, stand out all the more. Still, I can't say it's bad, given the effort they clearly put in, and it doesn't really deserve to be the flop it was (distribution shenanigans at play here). Flawed it may be, it's certainly not a forgettable experience. Check it out if any of this sounds appealing, and make up your mind.