Kid the Phantom Thief has sent word that he will pilfer a Japanese sword from the affluent Onoe Family in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Kid's capture is the mission of Conan and Heiji Hattori, who just so happened to be in Hakodate. The collection of the Onoe Family is linked to the historical person who died in Hakodate, Toshizo Hijikata. Why is Kid pursuing a Japanese sword while he is an expert in jewels?
Review:
One term that best describes this movie would be craziness. A thrilling action movie with nearly every beat you could hope for is found in The Million-dollar Pentagram. There are explosions, appearances by franchise characters, strange coalitions, and entertaining turns and twists around every corner. This is the kind of movie where something new is shown to you every ten minutes. If I could offer the movie one big compliment, it would be that I never got tired of watching it. But does the entertainment value equal a high-caliber film? It depends, I would contend, on the goals the movie is attempting to accomplish.
There are numerous plotlines and threads in the movie. The primary plot is around the theft of ancient swords that contain the secret to unlocking a historical mystery. Essentially, this is a treasure-hunting film in which Kaito Kid, Heiji, and Conan discover the treasure before the stereotypical mobsters do. I was constantly wondering who was behind everything, what this enigmatic treasure was, and what this was all leading up to, so this part was intriguing from start to finish. Not only did the general mystery take me by surprise in a few instances, but the entire climax had a far more somber tone than I had anticipated from this movie, and some extremely original riddles made use of particular setpieces.
Naturally, exquisite set design and animation are used to achieve this. The setting of Hakodate is very effectively used in the plot. There was a ton of live-action video that was shown throughout the credits, which I suppose was used as inspiration for the movie. There are a few pieces created by guest animators, but every image is drawn in exquisite detail. The film makes some really creative use of the running joke in the series—that Gōshō Aoyama, the mangaka of Conan and Kaito Kid, has an art style that, regrettably, makes a couple of his characters seem the same—which I like. Additionally, the soundtrack is among the greatest I've heard from the series; some sequences are suitably opulent thanks to massive, spectacular numbers.
The movie's ability to suspend disbelief is a touch lacking. A few times, characters would meet in ways that seemed a bit too convenient for the plot to develop, and there were other times when guest appearances felt like they were interfering with the main narrative. I also can't even begin to count the number of times the antagonists surrounded our heroes and I couldn't help but wonder, "Why aren't the antagonists drawing their guns?" This is what I meant when I said you have to approach the movie as an action movie because, if you can get past the fan service and cheese, what you're left with is a picture that ultimately collapses under the weight of its own pretense. You have to be in it for the ride when you have two characters engaged in a sword fight on a biplane.
I didn't think Conan would play such a minor role as the movie's protagonist. This story is really more about his opponent, Heiji, even though he is there the entire time and may even be the one who spoils the big discovery at the end. Heiji, who essentially does nothing for the first part of the movie, exudes more major character energy than Conan does from the manner he is presented in this one. In addition, Heiji finds himself in the center of what could be considered the main B storyline of the movie, which involves him searching for the perfect place to confess to his boyhood friend. You can already sort of piece together the outcome of this narrative point because it is a carryover from the original series and, to the best of my knowledge, it has not been resolved. Although that unfortunately turns the plot into filler that fills the running time, it did result in a few amusing scenes throughout the movie. The point is, it could be detrimental if you don't like the bait-and-switch where Heiji essentially becomes the primary character.
That's not an unreasonable concern to bring up, considering that Kaito
Kid was also a huge part of the film's marketing. While he was involved
throughout, his presence felt more functional than character-driven.
There is a reason why he is here, and there are even some reveals that
tie the lore of his series to the lore of Detective Conan,
as they both exist in the same universe. However, I would've liked a
little bit more direct interactions between him and Conan specifically.
Again, as it stands, he seems to have more of a rapport with Heiji
throughout the film, and while it is cute, it also doesn't get any major
resolution. Things are strongest in the middle when concentrated on the primary action plot, but things become a little messier when you consider all of the overlapping branching plots.
All things considered, I can say that this is one of the most entertaining Detective Conan films I have seen recently, even though it is a little deceiving. In the worst case scenario, it's just endearing fan service concealed within an exquisitely choreographed show. With some incredible set pieces in mind, the mystery is captivating and the comedy is well-developed. If you're ready to accept the foundation that the movie lays, it will keep you entertained all the way through.
In the UK, the movie debuted on September 27 and was subtitled in both Chinese and English.Level:
synopsis:
0 Comments