Galaxy Express 999: The Movie

1979 "Your imagination is the final destination"
7.4| 2h8m| en| More Info
Released: 04 August 1979 Released
Producted By: Toei Animation
Country: Japan
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/movie/999/index.html
Synopsis

In the future, one can achieve immortality by obtaining a mechanized body. Orphaned, young Tetsuro hitches a ride on the space train Galaxy Express 999 in the hope of obtaining a cyborg body to avenge his mother's death. Along the way, he meets Maetel, who is the spitting image of his dead mother.

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Reviews

Jose Cruz This is a sort of Star Wars in Japan, made for 12 year old boys, like Star Wars, but very different in many ways as well. It has some very strange stuff and the plot doesn't make any sense sometimes (note: this is different from not making sense in an art film, such as Tarvovsky's, where it is supposed to not make sense, here we have a traditional linear narrative). The is perhaps the product of the compression of a very complex story into only 128 minutes of film, which forces the movie to use many deux ex machina in several occasions.Also, there are something I find disturbing in the concept exposed in the movie of people having disposable bodies. The character designs also look a bit strange for me, who is not used to 1970's anime.Despite these flaws, however, the movie remains powerful enough to earn a 8/10, a rate score for me to give.
Aaron1375 This early Anime movie was a rather good film that I caught once on the Science Fiction channel when Anime was actually popular here in America and not the ratings disaster that adult swim claims it is on the cartoon network. I quite frankly think it has less to do with it being less popular and more with the fact people would rather now buy dvds or watch the episodes uncut on the internet. This film though probably did not have all that many cuts and the voice work was okay for a dubbed movie, though I would rather watch the original Japanese version. Americans tend to use some rather annoying voices for children in anything dubbed. This film features a young boy who boards a train called the Galaxy Express in the hopes that he can make it to a planet that has the technology to turn him into a robot. He wishes to become a robot to avenge his mother, who was brutally murdered at the hands of a robot who hunts humans for fun. During the course of his adventures he becomes friends with the various workers aboard the train as well as a woman that resembles his deceased mother, a beautiful woman named Matel, who as with most woman in Anime movies has a secret that could either be really good for our young hero, or really bad. He goes from planet to planet too as the train makes various stops and he runs into a space pirate named Captain Harlock who apparently starred in his own animated cartoon series, so basically the Galaxy Express takes place in that universe. All in all a very good ride with a rather strange and unexpected ending. There would be a sequel to this one, but it was not quite as good as this one, however the ending was a bit more final than it was here.
JeffG. Anyone who thinks anime is nothing but sex and violence will be silenced forever after watching this movie. This is a fine movie that tells about Tetsuro's quest to avenge his mother's death, but also grows up in the process. The journey on the train sort of represents Tetsuro's journey from boyhood to manhood. The music and visual styles of the movie are a bit dated (you can tell it's a 70's movie) and the animation is only slightly better than your average "Star Blazers" episode. But the story and the characters are so strong, it really doesn't matter. A must-see for any animation fan!
Meteru This movie inspired my IMDB name, Meteru. This, for some reason, appealed to me. Every 3 years, I see an anime that I'm really, really mad about, and this time it's GE999. Be forewarned- this film is very seventies. Bellbottoms are involved. There is scruffy, just-at-the-nape-of-your-neck-but-not-long-enough-to-be-cool hair. Some of the voice acting in the English version is really corny, albeit Saffron Henderson makes a good little boy. And some people interpret this to be a "children's" movie. Ladies and germs, this is not a children's movie. It isn't exactly "Orgasm in Demon City", as there is no nudity nor blood and guts. Some ignorant fools believe blood, guts and boobies are essential ingredients to Japanese animation. Go fig. Instead, this is a beautiful animation about a space-going train called the 999. Passengers are promised mechanical bodies that are practically immortal.Pain is deadened, but so is pleasure and purpose.And it's all up to young Tetsuro Hoshino to stop it. And he has to grow up, too. It has beauty, soul and a mind of its own, and that's more than most of us could say about the crap that's shoved down our throats these days. The End.