Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo · review
Such a CRAZY movie. The plot is... kind of absurd actually, but sometimes absurd doesn't means bad. Lupin gets involved in some crazy stuff just to impress Fujiko, and sometimes is such a FREAK with her. The persecution scenes are very impressive and some of the magical ways the gang gets to be saved are so absurd that are good. The main villain is also a bit wacky but scary enough to be a competent antagonist. In short, the story revolves around the search of eternal life and the consequences of playing God. It has such an interesting mix of tropes: sci-fi, action, comedy, mystery, politicaltension that could lead to the activation of powerful weapons...
There are some things that makes it really enjoyable. First of all, the characters are charming and the chemistry between them is great. Specially Zenigata is a very funny character with this (apparently reciprocal) obsession with Lupin. Fujiko is interesting too, but sometimes it seems that her role is just being a "sex symbol" and her motivations are unclear.
The visuals are INCREDIBLE, the art references in Mamo's island are so astounding that I was surprised. Escher, Dali, classic greco-roman art and more. And a bunch of historical figures wondering around, including Hitler himself.
And the music is also amazing, it sometimes reminds me of Fantastic Planet's Soundtrack (instruments, harmonies, idk), maybe it's a 70's thing, it's just amazing. And the TMS english dub is really good!!
Overall, a crazy movie that is worth watching.