Even though Tezuka is held up on a high pedestal, as one of the the most important creators in all of manga and anime history, if you dig down into his works, turns there's plenty of bad mixed in with the good. He was just so prolific, so many stories he produced over the years. Fortunately, 2772 turned out to be one of his better works. And this movie is a minor cinematic gem worth watching. In the distant future, a young boy is raised with only one goal in mind: to become aspace pilot. Earth is slowly dying, and the world has been divided into the small fortunate elites, and everyone else. At first tasked with a mission to capture the enigmatic space firebird (2772), but then tossed into a hellish prison for the sin of seducing one of the elites, he finds a way to escape, assemble a rag-tag group of companions in search of the firebird and Earth's salvation.

Some of the most impressive features of this movie include the orchestral score, which works well with the animation, and the musical interludes are among the best parts to watch. It also features a sympathetic protagonist, and a clear "quest" type storyline and clear resolution.

However, it also suffers from some of Tezuka's omnipresent flaws. For example, his tendency to re-use the same character designs over and over again in different works (e.g. Dr. Black Jack, the Professor) - I know his justification for it (as a "cast of actors playing parts"), but no matter the justification that doesn't make it any less annoying. Also, Tezuka can get a little preachy at times, but at least he is able to successfully pair death with rebirth in his Phoenix stories. And, of course, the mixing in of the silly characters with the serious ones can also be off-putting (the worst part of this is the "Star Wars cantina" menagerie of creatures on his first extraplanetary visit. Ugh.)

But while an imperfect film, it remains worth watching, as one of Tezuka's stronger works.