Space Adventure Cobra The Movie: The 4KUHD BluRay Review
Discotek Media Release
Based on a Graphic Novel by Buichi Terasawa
Directed by Osamu Dezaki
English translation directed by Carl Macek
Opening Thoughts: I have never seen this movie before and most of Japanese animation pre Akira minus Lupin the 3rd, Gundam, and Ghibli films just don't interest me much. I can't really put my finger on why other than maybe when I got the animation from Japan was much more developed and it is just hard for me to watch from this era and before.
That said Discotek's release caught my eye simply for one reason. The 4KUHD BluRay format has been available for North Americans to use for almost 4 years. Up until Cobra's release in November 2019 no other anime from Japan has received a North American release.
I would think that release would have been Akira, Ghost in the Shell, or even Cowboy Bebop the Movie. So why does a film like Space Adventure Cobra the Movie from 1982 get that honor? I really want to know does the film deserve this honor.
Plot: Jane, a drop dead gorgeous bounty hunter, has captured the head of a notorious criminal. That causes unwanted attention from the people within the town. One of those mysterious strangers, who is cocky, arrogant, and probably thinks with his dick first in her opinion follows her. Jane just doesn't realize the man following her is the most wanted man in the universe. That man has been presumed dead for 2 years. The same man a vast criminal organization known as the Galaxy Pirates are scared of. That man is Cobra with hidden psycho gun for an arm that can makes him a deadly adversary.
The only thing Jane doesn't know is that Crystal Bowie, the leader of the Galaxy Pirates wants her dead. If Jane wants to live she has to put her trustinto a renegade cowboy by the name of Cobra.
Can Cobra help her escape the clutches of Crystal Bowie who looks like the love child of Darth Vader and Destro? Does Cobra have the wit to defeat the Galaxy Pirates? What makes Jane so special that the Pirates want her dead?
Review: Cobra himself is an interesting character that lends himself towards western audiences loving him. The best way to describe him as is the blonde Hans Solo of the universe. Cobra is not a good guy or a bad guy by any means, more of a guy with some morals that is not afraid to take on anyone as long as the end goal fits within his agenda. If that means stalking a hot lady and coming out of retirement to bang her, Cobra will do it.
Cobra's hijinks is what makes this film fun to watch. I wanted to see characters' reactions to him in the film from the moment he introduced himself in the first few minutes of the film. Those reactions are sometimes funny, sad, and even shocking. That there is probably the most enjoyable part of the film and worth the watch alone.
Then there is the opening credits it's as if the film producers want to Maurice Binder of James Bond threw a pile cash at him and said go nuts. Off all the films I have seen, I would put the opening credits in my top five of all time.
As far as the story goes, the film feels like it is three episodes thrown into one. What I mean is simply there are three different acts, in which the purpose of the film changes drastically. In which the first act has the best animation, action, story everything going for it. By the last act the film seems rushed to get it over with and push the narrative to a love conquers all story. It is not bad, but a been there seen that and lost my interest by then because a character I was deeply attached to was gone.
Though the one thing that was constant in the film was how menacing Crystal Bowie of the Galaxy Pirates was. Bowie delivered on all levels the fear of him, the respect for him, and the hate for him all at the same time. The main question was always how can Cobra stop this indestructible force.
4KUHD BluRay Video Quality: I will be very honest with you, most animation from Japan in this era I think looks like absolute crap. Cobra does not fall in this category. I'll even say Cobra's animation for many parts of the first 2/3rds of the film in most instances is better than Akira.
That is what Discotek's 4K transfer on this 4K BluRay shows. I don't think I have seen a film in which a 4K release adds a new depth atmosphere as well as shown in this release here. The colors are much more vibrant, which leads to a depth of a background that looks as if the filmmakers had multiple cels spread apart to give the film a 4 dimensional look that seems like I can walk right through my tv screen and be apart of the action.
I want to see this print on the big screen. 10/10 I couldn't ask for much more from Discotek.
Closing Thoughts: Space Adventure Cobra is far from being the best Anime production I have ever seen, but the film deleivers for the most part a fun atmosphere and some of the best animation you will ever lay your eyes on.
Would I rank this film higher than Akira? Yes
However I would not put this film storywise above than Nascica, Wings of Honnemaise, or the Castle of Cagliostro. Animation wise at one time this may have had some of the most gorgeous sequences in the history of animation.
Definitely worth watching gets a solid 7.5/10 from me. The last act is really what drags this film down for me.
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