Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

This 2001 feature based on the anime series of the same name flirts with being the perfect introduction to anime for viewers unfamiliar with the genre, but be warned that some of its cliches might still put off non-converts. Highlights include:-A mostly great English dub, right down to the ancillary characters. Steve Blum will be associated with the wiry, perpetually unperturbed spacefaring bounty hunter Spike Spiegel till the end of his days, and here he imbues the character with an infectious joie de vivre and a flirtatious attitude to go along with new one-time love interest Elektra Ovilo. I also loved Nicholas Guest as the mysterious Rashid, as well as Michael Gregory as the soft-spoken (though stereotypical) Native American chief Laughing Bull.-Impeccable music. Yoko Kanno's versatile and jazzy tunes are layered over explosive dogfights and tranquil strolls in equal measure. Her music remains one of the most vital reasons to watch the original television series, and it is a major draw for this film. Most of the tunes are joyful and exuberantly funky, as if they were lost Motown classics. But there are quieter, contemplative pieces too, especially towards the end of the film.-Jaw-dropping action scenes. The fight choreography here has to be seen to be believed. Scenes from this film have indisputably gone down in animated film history: the hand-to-hand fight between Spike and Vincent on the speeding frail line, the wild aerial battle featuring vintage WWII biplanes and futuristic fighter aircraft; the improvisational fight between Spike and Electra where the former's weapon of choice is a broom handle; the final, vicious confrontation between Spike and Vincent during a rainstorm. These will suck in just about any viewer, and they almost all top even the better fights from the TV series.An interesting plot. There's a bit of a mystery here, so viewers can get their procedural fix too. Interviewing leads and pursuing suspects involves some actual detective work that leads to a sinister bio-tech company with a front as a generic pharmaceutical entity. As in the show, the main characters (Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, Ein) all go off on their own in pursuit of the truth, rather than sticking together as a group; they're all loners at heart, which especially became apparent in the final episodes of the TV series.-Moroccan Street. The director wanted to explore a different cultural setting than he had in the TV series, and the scenes that take place on "Moroccan Street" provide a unique Middle Eastern aesthetic that feels both respectful and celebratory. The art department was clearly fascinated by Middle Eastern culture, and it shows. Don't know of any other anime that pays this much reverence to the style of the Mid East. What is unfortunately generic is the villain, Vincent. Clad in a billowing cape and with a hilariously dead stare, plus an unintentionally ridiculous voice by Daran Norris, he's about as stereotypical as a self-involved suicidal terrorist mastermind can be. His vampiric appearance is occasionally effective when he sets off bombs or kills one of his lackeys, but his backstory couldn't be any hokier. He creepily romances Faye and Electra; it all comes across as comically emo.Other odd anime-isms that might threaten this film's consumption by a non-anime watching audience include the character of Ed, who is just as loopy as she was in the TV series. She'll be endearing to anime fans and off-putting to everyone else, though Melissa Fahn's performance is great. There's also some slapstick jokes that might feel out of place to neophytes, as well as some cartoony characters like the old coots who help out in the dogfight scene. And the runtime is a bit long at two hours.Still, this is one my favorite anime movies. It's slick, sexy and cool, with a familiar Westernized flair that distinguishes it from other kookier shows and movies in this Japanese medium. I recommend it.

Cowboy Bebop is without a doubt one of the greatest television shows of its time. It was smart and thought provoking and was more than willing to dive headlong into some pretty heavy philosophic themes in its episodes (especially in the later episodes of the series). But despite its brilliance, or perhaps because of it, the show never lost focus on the importance of emotion to the characters of the show and through them it helped to shed a light on the motivation behind their actions and helped allow the audience to connect with these characters which has helped them to remain iconic and loved nearly 20 years later. The best thing that I can say about this movie is that it continues these feats from its run on television to the big screen. The characters are the main focus of this film which ends up being both the movie's greatest strength and its ultimate failure. The people that watch this movie are more than likely to be fans of the original series and have thus have already become very attached to each of the four main crew members of the bebop and their own mentality over the course of the show's 26 episode run. The point to that is that the focus on the characters of this movie is simply the cherry on top of the already great franchise. We didn't really need it unless it helped further flesh out these 4 and provide new context to their decisions in the final episodes of the series. These complaints obviously don't apply to any of the new characters who I found very enjoyable except for the fact that I knew none of them would have any impact on the rest of the series. I wish that they had as it would have added to the importance of this movie on the franchise as a whole instead of the one-off adventure that this turns out being. Overall I don't think that this is a bad film at all. In fact I really enjoy this movie and think it would be great as a stand alone film, however as part of a series I just do not feel it to be a necessary addition to Bebop's legacy. That's not a knock on the movie really at all though because the music, animation, shot composition, and story are all really rather amazing. I just think that the movie would have benefited from being either more important to the main series or completely separated from it instead of being a tacked on extra long bonus filler episode that it ends up being.

I have not watched a second of the show, so I came into this with no prior knowledge about it, and can not draw any comparisons. With that said, I had no trouble following this. I can imagine that I might have appreciated it even more if I had seen the episodes, but this is such solid and capable story-telling that I could jump right in for the two hours of this and not feel like anything went completely over my head. The atmosphere is excellently built up, and the futuristic city is a fascinating world(not to mention a stunning sight to behold). All of the design work is marvelous, and the style is impeccable. Whether establishing mood or delivering awesome, unforgettable epic action(in the form of bad-ass gun-play and intense, high-speed chases), this hits the nail on the head. I saw the English dub version, so that is the only one I can comment on: The voice acting is masterful, no performances felt off. Music is cool, with a lot of jazz, and in general, the sound-side of this is magnificent. The plot is engaging, and the pacing is spot-on, never losing the audience's attention. Editing and cinematography are amazing, and this has tons of incredible visuals. The humor varies a tad, with a couple of really funny jokes and gags. Language is moderate/strong. There is sensuality and hints towards sexuality, though no nudity in this. Also, the violence can get bloody, and there is disturbing content in this. I recommend this to any fan of Animé. 10/10

There's a horde of 10's here and not quite sure if I watched the same movie. There's definitely things to rejoice about here with familiar characters and awesome fighting sequences but this movie was too slow and never fully engaged me. Vincent and Eleka were cool characters but I've never felt like they were worth the emotional investment to really care. OK, so he thought his whole life was like a dream because they erased his memory. You poor baby, and now he's going to try to annihilate everyone. Couldn't really relate there because I was thinking, just move on then! Beside this, the TV series set such high standards and although it is unfair to compare the two, it really can't be helped. This movie is a 5 but if you want to watch a 10, watch the last two episodes of the TV series, "Real Folk Blues".