Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door (2001)

[カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉]

Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Starring: Koichi Yamadera, Unshou Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara

Synopsis:
The Bebop crew hunt a terrorist who threatens life on Mars with a mystery plague while the military runs interference as part of a massive coverup.

Impressions:
With a few exceptions, there are basically three kinds of anime movies: 1) standalone films with no connection to a preexisting series, 2) compilation films that boil down an entire season into one or two 2-hour installments, and 3) feature-length episodes. This would be the third variety, which isn't always a good thing, but because much of Cowboy Bebop consisted of episodic stories, having one such tale writ large fits in nicely with the kind of storytelling we're used to in the series. The story itself isn't bad, but more than anything, it's an excuse to spend more time with the Bebop crew. There are some very nice action set pieces that really show off the wonderful variety of action the series is known for. Gunplay, fisticuffs, aerial combat? You get it all here. While I didn't find big bad Vincent's motivations all that compelling, he does have good presence and poses a decent threat to Spike whenever they throw down. Electra, on the other hand, not only had a good fight scene but was actually a rather interesting character. (Usually such movie-only characters don't fare so well.) This is a solid all-around package and if you're a fan of the series, you certainly won't be disappointed. Add this one to the collection.

Rating:
Own It