Review

Review: Lupin the Third: Die! Nostradamus

Reviewer: R. Nelson

Review Date: ca. 2008

(Note: I recently sampled this film in bits and pieces while reassembling the site, and have since decided that my old review (mysteriously NOT archived by Archive.org) was perfectly satisfactory in describing my issues with this film. I have decided to reprint it here for your reading pleasure. I also made some edits for grammar and "speeeeling." -RN)

Quality animation cannot a weak film save, and Die, Nostradamus! may well be the weakest installment in the Lupin theatrical series, thanks to all-too-straightforward storytelling, unfulfilling action scenes, poor use of supporting characters, and an overly cheesy script.

Generally, some sense of mystery is required to compel the viewer to await the outcome of a movie. Nostradamus falls short of providing that slight unpredictability, that not knowing what will happen next. Everyone pretty much says exactly what they plan to do every step of the way, and then they do it. This would not be such a problem if what happened next was interesting to make up for it. Alas, this is not so. For even the scenes involving Jigen's masterful gunfire and Goemon's quick-draw techniques are as bland as pancakes without syrup: they give you a hint of flavor, but are far from satisfying. Bullet fire often results in pink sparks (pink?!), almost no one ever gets hit, and most take place between nondescript characters, resulting in a standoff. "Whee."

Goemon uses the Zantetsuken about 4 times in the film, and it only has relevance maybe three times. If not for these three, almost negligible instances, Goemon could have been written out of the film with no impact on the plot. For example: he uses Zantetsuken to discover that the Nostradamus Sect's book has blank pages. While this may seem like useful information, Lupin pretty much brushes it off: "I figured as much." Similarly, Goemon is rendered useless in the face of a metal hatch in the Earth Building, so he provides an alternate route...a hole in the steel wall of the building. Wow, that made all the sense in the world. If the floor hatch were just open to begin with Goemon would have been completely unnecessary. (In fact, it might have been more interesting, as you would have likely seen more of the Lupin Gang running into other characters and dodging bullets and such. As it is, Lupin and Jigen uneventfully climb a rope to the top floor while Fujiko and Goemon stay behind and do nothing noteworthy.) Another thing that makes no sense is why in the world Goemon is seeking the Lost Prophecies of Nostradamus in the first place. Why does he even care? Does Goemon believe in Nostradamus as a prophet? Is he in it for the novelty? The challenge? Because he has absolutely nothing better to do? And isn't it a pretty bizarre coincidence that he just happens to show up on the sidewalk in the USA (when he was just recently in Europe, mind you) when it's convenient for the plot? Of all the streets in the country Goemon could have walked on, Lupin passes by on that one street at that one moment, unsummoned.

Zenigata is also a worthless character this time around. He creates a "Lupin Detector" which doesn't help him find Lupin as much as it gives him something to be made fun of for having. His interaction with the Lupin Gang is almost nonexistant, stripping his role to little more than comic relief. At one point, he does tell Lupin that Fujiko "went that-a-way," and while he even locates the kidnapped Julia at one point, he is quickly left behind by her and everyone else in the movie.

Like a good sammich, this movie is layered on with many layers of cheese which brings to mind the hokeyness of a live-action Walt Disney movie. The perfect example of this is the dialogue at the conclusion of the film, where the English dub even acknowledges the overall cheesiness by introducing a blatant reference to the film's title into the script, a cliche from Hollywood films. A less spoiler-filled example might be the relationship between the Amazonian boy Sergeo and Julia. Julia refuses to pitch in to keep Sergeo's canoe from sinking (she's never touched a tin can before), but later she is found dumping out water like mad. Sergeo spots her working hard, and Julia gives a shy smile back. Sergeo grins, and a cheesy Disney moment is had by all. The final vocal piece is of a similar pace and style to "Treasure of the Flame," the theme of Castle of Cagliostro. However, since this movie does not convey the heart that Cagliostro does, "Continuation of Love" just comes across as being a continuation of the cheesiness of the concluding scene.

However, there are a few saving graces. Unlike what most thought of Babylon, the character design is familiar and welcome. The background music for the majority of the film by Yuji Ohno hearkens back to old-school Lupin OST's such as the second TV series, unlike his TV special BGMs which temporarily became perhaps a bit too mired in repetitive synthesizer work. Granted, the OST of Nostradamus is not as memorable as, say, Mamo's, but the instrumental work and the style are definitely on the higher end of Ohno's spectrum. The attention to detail is definitely present in the animation, and I'll admit I get a little giddy to see so much work put into a film. An example: the water splashing onto the prisoner's transfer ship, and carefully drizzling onto the ladder below deck. Another spectacle is the massive attention to detail necessary to pull off the film's climactic scenes. I'm a sucker for presentation, and this film definitely did not cut corners in that department.

To put it succinctly, the writing staff and director dropped the ball on this incarnation of Lupin. While the revival of Cagliostro's character design aesthetics and the less-violent action scenes are evidence of an attempted return to the nature of that classic film, the writing and dull edge of the content are a disappointment. Longtime Lupin fans might pop out the disc with the desire to return it, or at least shelve it for a year or three.

The Good: Both animation and music fall between decent and very good. Attention to detail shines, particularly at the climax. Revival of the Cagliostro character designs, with a few tweaks.

The Bad: Confused storytelling. Comedy is over the top even for a Lupin film, using wild takes beyond those of Part II. Goemon and Zenigata are useless, again upstaged by the plethora of guest characters. Various scenes throughout--and especially the ending--are cheesy as can be. The usual pointless Fujiko fanservice.

-Reed Nelson

Review: Lupin the Third: Die! Nostradamus

Reviewer: J. Loire

Review Date: ca. 2008

Of all of the Lupin films, this remains forever my favourite. It’s got everything a Lupin movie should be, and the snags it hits are rare.

The animation, to begin, is spot-on. It takes the Cagliostro visual style and gives it a more emotive quality, making the characters a bit more adult-looking and allowing more odd anime facial expressions, many of which are ridiculous and priceless at the same time. It has also aged a great deal better than most of the films or specials, and holds up well to the test of time. The villains are a touch on the overly buff side, but that’s all.

The story itself is simple enough, and with a minimal of convolution. It doesn’t play it strictly scientific, in terms of what’s presented for a vault that needs opening, but it still has a tinge of possibility that’s lacking in certain L3 films (DoA, anyone?). The biggest problem here is that Julia, the kidnapped child, is exceptionally annoying, and her mother Mary can hit screeching, nagging qualities often.

The lacking bits here are the action. Most of it is fairly run of the mill, with nothing too spectacular going on. Another complaint is that Goemon has exceptionally little to do but stand around and look stern when not cutting things, a common flaw in many incarnations.

Perhaps what is most enjoyable about the film, though, is that it is more reminiscent of the manga than most. Not in substance, say. There is no casual rape and backstabbing amongst the group, and the reminiscence is certainly not visual. But rather how it’s presented and how well the pace keeps things interesting is what moves the movie along so well, without any flagging of attention.

Containing one of the most enjoyable chase scenes right up there with Cagliostro or Plot of the Fuma Clan, Nostradamus is one of the better films to be sure, and needs to be seen by any fan.

-Juno Loire