Les vengeurs de l'espace

My review was written in July 1982 after a Greenwich Village screening.

"Space Firebird 2772" (also known as "Phoenix 2772") is a well-drawn, imaginative Japanese sci-fi feature made in 1980. With the proper trimming (at least 30 minutes could be excised) and additional work of dubbing the film into English, pic could attract an American audience on the basis of the distinct look and entertaining narrative.

Adventure tale concerns young hero Godoh and his sexy blonde robot Olga sent on a mission to capture a spaceship wrecking monster (the title firebird). Conflict is with Godoh's brother, Rock Schlock (even in subtitles the name garners some laughs), chief of science who marries Godoh's sweetheart Lena.

Departing in a space shark (so named because of its shape) ship, heroes are accompanied by comedy pets Pincho (a dog-like alien intent on brushing everything clean. Crack (who lives in a shell resembling a gambling die) and Pooks, a bagpipe-shaped animal. Silly musical interludes of the pets cavorting draw the film to a halt, and should be edited out.

Drawing upon influences ranging from Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" to hit space films "2001" and "Star Wars". Writer-producer peppers the film with ideas. Main theme is a rapidly depleting Earth, fueled by power from the planet's mantle, with Dr. Salka (looking like one of the seven dwarfs, among other Disney influences here) seeking the legendary phoenix's blood to scientifically rejuvenate the planet. Mystical fantasy conclusion crowds out previous sci-fi elements in accomplishing just that.

Animation directed by Taku Sugiyama is modern and often Day-Glo colored, with some corners cut: static backgrounds, shake and shimmer characters in place of constant, fluid movement. The firebird itself figuring prominently in action scenes in later reels, is disappointing in design, and out-of-place in the futuristic world.

At present two-hour length, return to Earth for confrontation with Schlock and extended mystical denouement come off as anti-climaxes. Pruning of some chases and climactic cataclysm on Earth would allow focus on the appealing main characters (especially the robot Olga, who transforms mechanically into many functional shapes) while retaining the ingenious sight gs which translate sans subtitles. Human cast is styled as Caucasians (though Space Shark is the only English spoken) rather than Japanese, so a careful dubbing job could only enhance the film.

I saw this movie when i was 7 years old and i still remember it as th e matter of facts i have it on my collection, it may look not good to adults or to the "newer" anime fan. but to me this is a classic(note it's very suitable for children) if you grew up with Starzinger(Spaceketeers) Mazinger Z, Voltes V, Techno Police 21C, Starblazers, Space Warriors Baldios many more from the era you will enjoy this! You will love Olga (Godo's female cyborg) and Pincho (friendly alien pet)This is the original serialized story for the theatrical film "The Phoenix," the theme of which is the immortality of life. Against the background of a futuristic universe, Godo, who at first has karma as a human being, is transformed into a god through numerous ordeals. As this was the first full-animated film, the outlines of human figures are slightly blurred, presenting a technical problem to be overcome. The entire story reflects Tezuka Osamu's desire to portray transformation, including the episode in which a female-shaped robot falls in love with a man and has her dream granted by the Phoenix.

Winner of the Inkpot Award at the 1980 San Diego Comic Convention, and the

Animation Award at the 1st Las Vegas Film Festival, 1980

Apparently 2772 has suffered much the same way that Nausicaa suffered in translation, further add the dilemma of context and we have something that no doubt has justifiably earned some low scores from reviewers. I haven't seen the old dub, but now with its Region 4 reissue on DVD (and I assume an R1 to follow), what we get is something truly magnificent. Not perfect by any means, but definitely Tezuka working at the peak of his animating ability. For those who have seen his experimental short films, this film seems to be much from that same vein. Here is where context comes in, because as a stand alone film, 2772 may seem weird and hard to appreciate. Taken as a whole--with Tezuka's other work under your belt--well, then you have something truly special.

The story does not seem a direct adaptation of any of the phoenix stories, but many familiar characters (both from Phoenix and elsewhere) appear. The story line will feel familiar and at home with anyone who has read the phoenix books, but it is something new (it is sort of a new twist on the book 'future'.) The real treat here though is the animation. With what is seemingly more funds than Tezuka knew what to do with, virtually every scene is fertile with new ideas. Shots are rarely 'flat' the way they are in TV shows like Astroboy and Kimba. Instead, we have fluid perspective where not only are the characters moving, but so is the 'camera'. There are numerous multi-layered scenes using various psychedelic textures and cloud patterns. Much effort is put into making every scene feel important. When all these techniques are not enough, Tezuka resorts to what he knows best, and just starts drawing the most surreal space creatures you could imagine. For instance, on a planet that seems to be run by Mustachio, we see every possible alien design, most of which are ridiculous (reminiscient of the surreal encounters in 'Nostalgia'.) From the perspective of a fan of animation and a fan of Tezuka, Phoenix 2772 (I'm not sure why it is translated 'space fire bird') is a 10/10. This is in so many ways the culmination of Tezuka's studies in animation, a celebration of new possibilities (and also of animation in general.) The flavor of the original Phoenix stories are also captured with perfection in this film despite 2772 being a new story.

For outsiders however; those who don't know Tezuka's works and may not have interest in pre-90's anime, 2772 could be a difficult work that at times seems pointless, and with an end that makes little sense. I think the original language with subtitles should help tremendously, but the film is still quite surreal and takes some chances (that may be seen as faults by some.) With that in mind, I've given the film an 8/10 (but fans will know it deserves more.)

I recently viewed animated manga feature SPACE FIREBIRD 2772 based on a series of Manga comics by Osamu Tezuka, with a dubbed English language soundtrack that sounded like it was recorded in the early eighties.

The picture flows like Disney's 'Fantasia' meets Star Wars, with the innocence of Astro Boy. There are moments of real beauty where the animation on-screen marries perfectly with the booming classical soundtrack that helps to propel the action.

Particularly enjoyable is the film's opening montage showing the lead character, Godo, growing from infant to adult in a mechanized environment that trains him to eventually become a pilot - all depicted free of dialogue. A voyage through a futuristic city via hover-car, all animated in a long, 'aerial' tracking-shot also helps to elevate SPACE FIREBIRD 2772 to a more 'cinematic' animated film.

Character design, artistic design and over-all animation is above-par for a hand-drawn Manga from 1980's. A great film for Manga purists but some of the more Japan-centric themes might be trying for less adventurous viewers.

NB: One interesting note on the English-language dubbed version viewed (Australian, region 4. Madman distribution) was the possibility that CARY GRANT may have provided one of the character voices. While not noted on the DVD credits or sleeve, a voice sounding like an older Grant (the actor would have been mid-seventies had the dubbed soundtrack been recorded shortly after the Japanese release) carries the actor's distinct vocal traits.

This film can be summed up in one word: Retro. Ah the late 70s/early 80s when voice acting was bad and dubbing worse. Because of the age of this film, a subbed version is difficult to find and it isn't available at all on DVD. If you snoop about the online market places, however, you can usually find an old video rental copy of the horrendous English dub on VHS for around $10-$8.00. The painful English voice acting aside, and the rather groovy character design (bell-bottoms, big shoes and bad hair- hey it was 1979, NOBODY had good hair) the movie is actually quite enjoyable. Be aware that this film definitely falls under the category of "experimental film". It employs some unusual animation techniques for the time. Anyone familiar with Osamu Tezuka's "star system" will be amused to see whom he casts in what part. Kenichi and Sapphire take starring roles as Godo and Lena and Rock- as per usual- plays himself as the villainous but not necessarily evil minister of science. The movie centers primarily around two intertwining plot lines: the love triangle between Godo, his robot nursemaid Olga, and Rock's fiancé Lena as well as the more obvious contention between Rock and Godo over the fate of their home planet (which is rapidly deteriorating) and who will win Lena's affections. It's a long movie, a solid two hours, and begins to drag a bit right around the part where Godo and Co. must battle the Phoenix. However things get interesting again and Tezuka takes an extra 20min or so to wrap up the film with his usual "harm not the earth" message. All in all, the voice acting is forgivable due to the trippy animation, weird storyline, and back-handed Star Wars references. I give it an 8 out of 10. I'd probably like the subbed version even more.