A simple plot that even then wasn't fully developed. The main antagonist is nothing but a name - neither physically present nor any hint of any motive or rationale. There's one minor twist in the plot but it's revealed too early on to register as anything particularly special; and isn't really believable in the context either.The characters are similarly simple and undeveloped. All you really get is a bit of goofiness and an overdone grump. There were family elements, differences in opinion, unique relationships, etc, that could've been exploited to good effect but were left empty.So what drives the movie? An odd mix of: a) Typical anime action. Nothing new - just robots and robot suits bashing on each other. b) Art-house style trying-to-be-philosophical long pauses and random quotes.Might be intriguing if you like both of the latter. But don't watch it for either the story or the human element.

It's worth noting before I begin that this was my first encounter with the Patlabor series - I went in knowing nothing of the characters or overall plot of the series. I mention it because, though it posed absolutely no problems for my understanding of the piece, it does relate to the one criticism I have.Positive things first, though, of which there are many. Most impressive, as with much of Ishii's work, is the scenery. From the highly industrialised city streets to the run-down shacks mastermind Hoba made his homes, each location is fantastically rendered and informs the mood of the piece easily as much as any of the characters. Not that Patlabor - The Movie is really lacking there, though; Both Asuma and Gotoh make for brilliantly likable protagonists, while aforementioned and never-seen villain Hoba is a more than worthy foil. The plot moves along at the right kind of pace - brisk enough to keep the viewer interested, but relaxed enough to allow one to savour the rich atmosphere of the world Ishii creates.If there's a problem, then, it stems simply from the fact that this is what it is; a spin-off movie which is only part of an ongoing series. As such, and great as the characters may be, there is very little in terms of development - next to none, in fact. Yes, this is an expected and necessary result of the movie's very nature (it can't do anything that's really going to significantly affect the plot line of the series); still, it dulls the impact of an otherwise excellent film. Of course, there may be (and I expect there are) many nuances of dialogue, story etc. that are lost on a viewer with no prior knowledge of the series and perhaps viewing the film in context would provide a more rounded experience. Regardless, as a stand-alone film, it's less involving than it could be.Despite this minor quibble, though, Patlabor - The Movie is a great introduction to a series I plan to familiarise myself with further in the future.

I started watching this not expecting too much. I was very pleased when the story turned out to be very tense and the characters quite believable. It was at all time a very entertaining movie, the score consisting of various types of acoustical underlay blended in harmonically with the visual art. Even though the animations look a little aged, they still did not disappoint me. I liked the high degree of details that was put into almost everything. I was surprised several times of the awesomeness, for instance when the rescue-team reaches the arc that lays in the dark. The atmosphere of that particular scene reminded me strongly of "Alien" which is also a very good movie I might add). There were some humorous parts as well that nicely rounded the mood of an otherwise sinister animemovie which I have to consider one of the best ones I've seen. I recommend it to everyone who in the slightest likes anime 9/10

It's the year 1999, the world we live in has Labors(human operated robot carriers) used for construction and giving mankind an easier living style. After The suicide of a mysterious man from the massive constructing Babylon Project a computer virus was created to infect the Labors. And make them cause havoc on their own free will. Which leads to Section 2 of the Patlabor team in investigating this incident. Before the Tokyo district faces it's destruction.I first saw this movie back in 2005, and it imminently got me into the franchise. Which I had no idea it existed before. Compared to the popular TV series. This movie has all the characters we all recognized and know. Only the theme to this movie is more serious than the theme of the TV show. In other words more seriousness and less comedy.But that didn't change the plot a bit. As the movie does have some great and believable moments in it, that make you forget it's animated. Plus it's directed by Masumo Oshii who was one of the dudes who made this franchise possible. And really knows how to make it the way it should.If you like a unique Sci-Fi anime or interested in seeing something new. Patlabor the Movie has been highly recommended by various websites. It's enjoyable even if you don't know the series.