Steamboy

It's 1866, the height of Victorian England, and the world is filled with wondrous technologies, devices that would dazzle the high-tech wizards of the 21st century... except that they're all powered by the mystically nuclear-like power of steam. A scientist with the family NAME of "Steam" has invented a device called a "Steam Ball" which concentrates that power with such force that it could change the course of the world, and two sides are fighting to the death over the right to possess it. Doesn't sound quite like the Victorian England you remember, does it?

Well, it certainly isn't, but part of the wonder of this fascinating film by Katsuhiro Otomo, his first as a director since the classic anime "Akira," is how the world he has created is so similar to the one we knew while at the same time being so startlingly different. Another part is how absolutely stunning it looks... if you think "Robots" gave you incredible eye candy, you haven't seen anything until you've seen "Steamboy." But perhaps the single most interesting element of this amazing film is the one that not so much as one single review of it that I've yet seen has made any mention of: the blatantly obvious parallels to a certain nation south of Canada and north of Mexico, and its recent escapades into the areas of "homeland security" and armed invasion and occupation of countries across the sea.

Why in the world has this not been brought up? I'm certainly a long way from the most perceptive genius writing movie reviews, but when you hear the unmistakable voice of Patrick Stewart condemning the character voiced by "Doc Ock" himself, Alfred Molina, for selling out to the corporations who build the 19th century equivalent of weapons of mass destruction and allowing him to use his device to power their weapons of war so they can invade and dominate foreign nations, and Molina responds that "No nation can be safe until it is secure! This is what a secure nation does: it takes action!" (against other nations that haven't attacked it yet), it's pretty hard to ignore the obvious. And what I've mentioned here only begins to touch on the parallels. The political aspect never interferes with the story... it never forgets to be a rousing, action-packed adventure... but that extra element definitely makes "Steamboy" a much richer experience. You can ignore the politics completely, and still have a great time... but you'll have a better time if you don't ignore them.

As for the basic film-making, Katsuhiro Otomo (who has made short films and written screenplays in the years since "Akira") has not forgotten how to hold an audience's interest with spectacular visuals while never ignoring the often-forgotten element of character and plot.
The fact that the film is in English is for once not a problem even for purists, seeing as how it's SET in that country and all of the characters are supposed to be British. And the voice actors all do fine jobs, including not only Molina and Stewart but Stewart's "X-Men" co-star Anna Paquin as the MALE lead, Steamboy himself (son of Molina's character and grandson of Stewart's).

There aren't many science fiction stories this futuristic that take you back over a hundred years into the past, but this is no ordinary science fiction story. However, there is a novel that comes to mind that might appeal to the same audience: "The Difference Engine" by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson. I know that most movie reviews don't urge you to read a book, but I don't can't ignore the chance to recommend a novel that I'm sure will appeal to this film's fan base. And besides, I'm not ignoring my film reviewer duty: go see "Steamboy," you'll love it! (See... who SAYS I can never do the conventional thing?)