Patlabor The Movie Anime Review

Hey! You bastard crushed my squad car! Now I want revenge! Go get yourself crushed, damn it! Hello everyone, I'm Johnny and today we're taking a look at the first Pat Labor movie from all the way back to 1989. This movie is of course based on the Pat Labor universe, which is a rich science fiction and political universe, but the movie can be appreciated and enjoyed on its own. In fact, it's a great introduction to the anime if you're a first-time viewer. So let's check it out. I like the Pat Labor universe. It explains the tactical use of mechs in a more realistic way than other anime. These mechs, or labors as they are called in this universe, are primarily used for construction and logistics, able to function as a single replacement for a lot of heavy machinery. Mechs replacing heavy machinery for the purpose of construction has always made more sense to me than mechs replacing tanks and fighter aircraft, where weight, speed and size are paramount. But naturally these mechs or labors are also very powerful and could be used for purposes other than construction. Therefore they need to be regulated by a force with similar and more advanced capabilities makes sense. Hence the patrol labors or Pat Labors. In the instance of this movie, labors start going berserk on their own without input from their controllers. Rather than directly battling a typical villain in this movie, the Pat Labor equipped police investigate a software issue that threatens to send thousands of labors into a rampage throughout Tokyo. Labors in this universe are essential to day-to-day life, operated at wherever there is major critical infrastructure, including major power plants. What the police will discover is that a software engineer programmed the labors to behave this way intentionally before committing suicide. The investigation takes on significant religious themes, focusing on man's hubris, particularly as it relates to the Tower of Babel story. However, instead of man's hubris represented by the Tower of Babel built to reach the heavens, man is attempting to turn Tokyo into the super tech city of the future, along with creating a massive man-made island and labor super factory, all while neglecting certain strata of society. I do like the messaging here, a warning about technological advancement at rates beyond what we can socially manage. I also like that a single software engineer was able to create the dilemma, as this highlights how, at the forefront of advancing technology, there are often only a limited number of people in control, or who fully understand the technology, if any. The movie further reflects how governments and corporations are quick to try and capitalize on new technology before fully fleshing out regulation, often waiting for problems to arise before having to actively respond to issues. Then there is the politics of who responds and who takes blame. Is it the corporations or the government? Can this be blamed on individuals or smaller agencies? Can the people at the top be protected? These are all themes the movie explores, and this is a movie from 1989, so we can see how this issue has existed in the tech space for some time. The religious, political and bureaucratic themes of the movie will either interest you as they did me, or you might find they slow down the movie if you are expecting a significant amount of mech play and mech battles. The film does start out with a few good mech action scenes and ends with one amazing mech battle scene, but you do have to set the expectation that a large portion of the movie will be the serious investigation, though with a nice bit of humor thrown in. The film does not have a traditional villain, the software engineer who designs the labors to go berserk dies right at the beginning of the movie, so this review shouldn't spoil anything for you. The substance of the movie will come from what you make of the political messaging during the investigation, but if that doesn't do it for you, try to hold on for the end action piece. The climactic raid on the labor super factory at the end of the film is one of the best settings I've ever seen for a spooky mech battle against literally an entire factory's worth of berserk automated mechs, so enjoy. Alright, I'm Johnny, thanks for watching, do check out Patlabor the movie and let me know what you think in the comment section. Also let me know if you want me to review the other Patlabor movies because I'm definitely happy to do so. Anyway, do like and subscribe and all that stuff, but most importantly do take care and have a nice rest of your day.