Blueghost I remember seeing this title in the Anime section at Tower Records years ago, and loosely recall reading about it and maybe seeing a preview or two.So I bought a copy and was very pleased with a very solid story about a colonized Venus that proved to be an allegory for turmoil in the middle east, complete with massive fire fights, daring heroics, and fanatical religious overtones. Venus, as some of you may know, is world embroiled by a massive greenhouse effect by sulfuric acid clouds, creating molten like heat on the surface. This film shows us a terra-formed Venus suitable for human habitation. But, humans being humans, they bring their ways, good and bad, with them to the worlds they form to call home. There's the dashing loner teenager who races bikes for a living, his caring love interest who helps harbor him during times of crisis, the spunky and energetic reporter who is also a one-woman video crew, and the older and wiser veteran bikers and pit crew chief. Then there's the malevolent and monomaniacal Saddam Hussein type who has initiated the entire political conflagration on colonized Venus. Race scenes, battle scenes, massive tanks and air ships, tracers shooting through the air, espionage--it's all here. The voice acting in the original Japanese language is typical Japanese; marginally over the top, but all the while complimenting the film at the same time. The music is okay (though I can't remember much of it), the translated and dubbed English dialogue is okay, but the restraints and compactness of the Japanese language as usual give the English translation a rushed feel (nothing new to anime fans, or anyone who's seen a dubbed Japanese film).The animation is above normal for a Japanese feature, but isn't quite up to Disney specs. Still, it's very watchable and entertaining.Nothing deep here. This is a good simple action film with some comments on the situation in the middle east. Good action and battle sequences, as well as romance and heroics. If you're an anime fan, then give it a shot.Enjoy.

Aaron1375 This film is a bit strange, it features a futuristic setting on the planet of Venus. Why Venus, I can not really answer that. Seemed like the story could have been set on Earth, but I guess you need the isolation only being on another planet can offer. On the planet of Venus there is a bit of a power struggle going on. Seems like some sort of group wants to take control of the planet. Well oblivious to this are a group of bikers who are racing and not really worried about the dire situation that the planet is going through. That is until the power struggle turns into a war that engulfs the planet and shuts down their track. They are in lock down and unable to leave their homes thanks to a curfew. Well they decide to fight back and go after a tank stationed at their track. They take it out and end up fighting for a group of rebels that are out to stop this take over. The film is at its best before the group joins the rebel force as the story seems better developed during this stage of the film while the part with them being in the rebel group seems rushed. Before you get the coolness of seeing them do their daily lives, the take over, and a nice chase scene involving one of the group. There is also a touching scene involving the main boy and a girl. There is also a reporter who is more important during the first stretch. Not that the second half is all bad, most of the action takes place during this time and the final fight is rather good too. Just needs a bit more development during the second half and this film would have been super success.

benshinobi One of my personal favorites... can't beat the classics, eh? This film is hard to come by these days but it is a definite "gotta-see-it." Apparently an icy comet hit Venus around about now and made the planet habitable. The planet contains a population of relatively disillusioned human beings who, when not complaining or uni-bike racing, raise armies to try and control the planet. Bleak, eh? Our heroes are a bunch of hot-shot biker punks who team up with some rebels to fight the evil warlords... Good stuff. The animation is fluid and lovingly rendered... the sort of quality that made "Akira" so popular. Occasionally, live-action shots of what I assume are Arizona are incorporated into the backgrounds to give the whole film a "real feel." Do not miss this film. Get it get it get it. There's next to nil in the way of flesh, but that's not important. Great plot, great action, great characters... not to mention some hilarious lines here and there for fun. This film makes a powerful statement about human nature.

valcom17485-1 I first saw this back on the Sci-Fi Channel when they used to show Anime on Saturday morning at 9 pm. I may have been 15, and it was my first exposure to anime, and I watched every single week. One week they showed Venus Wars, and I loved it when I first saw it. Something about it really stuck with me, atmosphere, story... I never forgot about it. Then recently I had an opportunity to order a copy and I did. I popped it into the DVD player, hoping that it would be as good as I had imagined it... it was. This movie just plain rocks. Every character is textured and believable, and the animation, while not being mind-blowing, is just perfect... it relays the grim reality of war time on Venus perfectly and the atmosphere it generates is what I remembered the most about it.If you like anime that has an awesome story, good animation, I would suggest tracking this down.