Lupin III: The Columbus Files Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Chainclaw
• Review Date: 2011-08-21 (updated 2011-08-21)
• 2.5 stars out of 5 (?)

The Columbus Files looks temptingly like a film focused heavily on the complex, passionate, chaotic, and occasionally violent relationship between Lupin and Fujiko. Sadly, on account of amnesia, it ends up being mostly a wasted opportunity. Still, it's got everything that makes the series so fun to watch: Great action scenes, wild chases, and an impressive array of environments. The plot is cheesy and doesn't do anything with the historical tie-in, but at least there's a wide variety of vehicles and an uncommon attention to detail. The one-shot characters are also good--the action-oriented add-on girl Rosaria has a real role in the plot, and the generic villain has a subordinate who's a sort of anti-Lupin, and a worthy adversary.

Overall, The Columbus Files is about the most average Lupin movie I've seen so far. Most of the positive aspects of the Lupin franchise are present, but there really isn't anything to distinguish it from other films in the series, and the one opportunity to do so was totally wasted. Still, it's worth a look if you're an established fan.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Chainclaw
• Review Date: 2011-08-21 (updated 2011-08-21)
• 2.5 stars out of 5 (?)

Appearances certainly can be deceiving. When I first picked up a copy of this film, I thought it would provide me with what I've been hoping to see in the Lupin franchise for a while, a film focusing very heavily on the complex, passionate, chaotic, and occasionally violent relationship between Lupin and Fujiko. But while it technically does that, it doesn't really feel like it, since Fujiko spends nearly the entire duration of the movie without her memories. She gets an occasional Jason Bourne moment where she reflexively pulls off an amazing action move without realizing how she did it, but for the most part she's stuck in the role of a helpless victim. So really, this felt more like a wasted opportunity than anything else. Still, it really isn't a bad movie overall. It's got everything that makes the series so fun to watch: Great action scenes, wild chases, and an impressive array of environments. So really, it's... well, more Lupin. That's the best description I can come up with.

One thing I did like was some of the extra characters. In charge of the villains is a typical mad scientist named Burton. Not much to say about him, but I liked his warrior subordinate named Nazaroff, especially since he shared so many traits with Lupin. He's a master of disguise, uses many high tech gadgets, is good with a gun, and is a total womanizer, though in a much more dark and sinister manner than Lupin. It was almost as though Lupin was up against his own doppelganger, which made for an interesting match.

Another one I liked is Rosaria, an action-oriented girl who joins Lupin's crew after a wounded Fujiko stumbles into her home. At first it seemed she was just a convenient plot device, essentially a competent female warrior to fill in for Fujiko until she gets her memory back, but there is actually a lot more too her. She's got her own unique abilities and skills, and, most importantly, a key role in the main plot. Rather than a Fujiko substitute, it really felt like there was a legitimate reason for her to be in the film, even if Fujiko had been okay.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of Lupin's rival, Zenigata. If there ever was an example of the running problem in the franchise of the insistence on him being in every movie combined with the common refusal to give him any significant role in the story, this is it. There simply is no reason for him to be in this movie. He does nothing significant, adds nothing to the plot, and really serves no purpose whatsoever. Fortunately, Jigen and Goemon get much better treatment. They are along for the adventure with Lupin the whole way through and play a major role in all the film's biggest events.

Another thing I especially enjoyed was the wide variety of vehicles--on land, air and water. This film features classic cars, jet fighters, prop planes, helicopters, speedboats, and submarines, which help give the film some superb action and chase scenes. As usual, the weapons used by the main characters are well animated, with some excellent attention to detail both in look and utilization, such as showing the process of manually reloading Jigen's revolver one round at a time (though you would think an expert like him would use a faster method, like speedloaders or moon clips) and showing how Lupin's Walther P-38 needs the thumb safety lever disengaged before it can be fired. I do have an issue with Goemon's sword, however, in that it's way over the top and used as a solution for almost anything, including toppling buildings. I know Goemon routinely pulls off superhuman feats with that thing, but this film takes it way too far and almost reaches the same level of absurdity seen in Dragon of Doom. The variety of environments is also one of the high points of the show. It has a nice mix of Indian Jones-style ancient cave exploration and Mission Impossible-style operations in high-tech facilities, both of which are well presented and effectively used.

However, this movie does have one glaring weakness: The plot. It's way too cheesy, with a lot of aspects added in seemingly for the sake of convenience or a weak attempt to give the story some historical significance. The best example is the Christopher Columbus theme. While the movie has his name in the title and uses it throughout the show, the story really doesn't have anything to do with him. It's just about some treasure he supposedly found. Really they could have replaced him with any other famous explorer from that timeframe--or any other timeframe, for that matter--and not changed the plot one bit. The treasure has some special powers, but no further explanation of where it came from, who made it, or how it grants the powers in the first place. Another example is an ancient temple where the treasure is supposedly hidden. What does that have to do with Christopher Columbus and his voyage? Absolutely nothing, but ancient temples look cool and are fun to explore for treasure, so who cares, right? It's hard to get really immersed in a story like this when important historical figures are used solely for their celebrity status, locations are used solely for their visual appeal, and special powers of treasure are added in solely for the purpose of making it desirable to have.

Overall, this is about the most average Lupin movie I've seen so far. Most of the positive aspects of the Lupin franchise are present, but there really isn't anything to distinguish it from other films in the series, and their one opportunity to do so was totally wasted. Still, it's worth a look if you're an established fan.

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Related Recommendations

Has a lot in common with most Lupin films, but probably the most similar one is Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure.