Robotech

The Shadow Chronicles

Review by Matthew Anderson

Feature Animated Film

Company: FUNimation

Running Time: 90 minutes

Region: 1

Rated: PG-13 for violence and mature situations

EXTERNAL EXAM

It is the year 2044, two years since the failed attempt by the Robotech Expeditionary Force to reclaim the Earth from the alien Invid. General Reinhardt, head of the REF has one simple objective, take the Invid home base, Reflex Point. If he fails, then he is to bombard the area with Neutron-S missiles.

Just when they are about to launch, Reinhardt receives a mayday from Admiral Rick Hunter on the SDF-3. He dispatches Captain Vince Grant on a rescue mission while the REF begins the attack. When Captain Grant arrives, he and the SDF-3 are attacked by a mysterious foe, bent on destroying both ships.

Lt Commander Scott Bernard, one of the few survivors from two years ago, is working with Ariel, a sympathetic human/Invid hybrid, to convince the Regis, the leader of the Invid, to leave the Earth.

Above the Earth, Lt. Marcus Rush, still mourning the death of his sister from the previous reclamation attempt, is ready to destroy every last Invid he can.

What Captain Grant, Lt. Commander Bernard, or Lt. Rush don't know is that their respective battles are the start of a new conflict, one that threatens to destroy the entire human race.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Wow. The video quality on this DVD is fantastic. The colors are solid, the image is sharp, free of pixels, color bleeds, rainbows or any other kinds of defects. I zoomed X4 on our region free LG LRY-517 and the image was sharp and clean.

AUDIO: The English 5.1 and 2.0 audio mix are very well done. There is plenty of directionality on both tracks, and the sound was crisp and clear, but I was expecting more oomph from the 5.1. It may have been my setup, but I don't think that will change things much.

EDITS: As this is an original feature, I'm sure the only edits that were done was for pacing purposes.

EXTRAS: There is a 45 minute special feature on brining "The Shadow Chronicles" from concept to screen, and some trailers.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Robotech has always been an example of great story telling. Unlike Gundam Wing, which concentrated on soap opera drama, Robotech took realistic characters and placed them in tough situations. Fortunately, story writers Tommy Yune, Thomas Bateman, and Steve Yun have managed to up hold that tradition. The plot is intriguing, the characters are three dimensional, and the interaction between them keeps you wanting more. The screenplay by Ford Riley and Frank Agrama has a couple of hiccups in the dialogue department, but nothing too severe.

ACTING: The entire cast of "Robotech" is fantastic. Everyone plays their parts with the right amount of humanity. You believe every word that pours fourth.

Original Robotech voice actors Greg Snegoff and Richard Epcar along with new cast members Yuri Lowenthal and Arthur Santiago really steal the show with their top notch voice acting. I found their character portrayals believable, full of intensity and emotion.

FAN SERVICE: Nothing in the nudity department, but there is plenty of bouncing bust lines to keep you fan boys happy. For the true Robotech fans, who are unconcerned with that kind of "fan service" there are so many references to the original series, The Sentinels, the comic books, and even the novels, you will spend the entire movie Roboteching out!

FINAL EXAM

Here it is, the moment we all have been waiting for. After the disappointment of the aborted "Robotech II: The Sentinels", after the never released (some say fortunately) "Robotech 3000", we finally have a new chapter in the amazing saga of Robotech, "The Shadow Chronicles". The question on everyone's mind: "Is it any good?"

The answer is a resounding yes! However, it's not perfect.

Let's go over all the positives, and there are many. First, the animation is outstanding. The motion was fluid, the transformations were sweet, and in most cases, the blending of CG and 2D animation was seamless. DR Movie, one of the premiere animation studios in Korea, deserves all the accolades they receive.

The updating of the designs from the original series was incredibly well done. I was in awe at how great Scott, Ariel/Marlene, Louie, and Rick Hunter looked. They were sexier, more detailed, yet still kept the cool designs from the original series. The concept designers even managed to improved the look of Vince Grant and Janice Em from "The Sentinels". I mean, they really improved the look of Janice Em. She has one of the best designed asses of any anime character, past or present.

The designs for the new characters were quite well done. Each was distinctive and they fit in well with the other characters from "New Generation". I found the look for Maia Sterling the most interesting, not because of her big boobs, but because they kept some of her Zentradi heritage alive in her hair and body shape. Okay, maybe it was the boobs.

Along with the characters, the mecha designs are just as impressive as always. I have always like the look of the Alpha and Beta fighters, and the Cyclones. To see them fully rendered in CG was a definitive "Roboteching Out" moment for me. They also did some updating of the battle cruisers, and the new designs of the "Children of the Shadow" attack ships were an interesting blend of Zentradi and Robotech Master design, with a little "Marduk" from Macross II thrown in.

I was very psyched to see how they wove in elements from the last two episodes of "New Generation" to the overall narrative. Several chunks of dialogue were lifted directly from those episodes, which goes to show you how tight the writing was over 20 years ago. From there they added in elements to help explain some of the open-ended remarks made by the Regis, especially the references to the "Children of the Shadow". In addition to that, the writers were able to weave in characters and plots from the Robotech Novels, The Sentinels one-shot, and even "The Masters" segment of the original series into the main story line.

The acting in Robotech has always been top notch, and having many of the original characters come back to voice their characters led to another "Roboteching Out" moment. Richard Epcar has long been one of my favorite actors, and hearing him reprising his role of Vince Grant was one of the shining moments of this anime. He really gave Vince some emotional fleshing out, much more than in "The Sentinels". I love the fear in his voice when he mentions his wife. Any one who is married knows how Vince feels.

Another actor I love is Greg Snegoff. From the prissy Khyron in "Macross Saga", to the by the book Scott, to tough as nails Golgo 13, his vocal range has always been impressive. Scott is one of the most interesting characters in Robotech, thanks to Greg Snegoff's portrayal. His reading still keeps the tough guy Scott we all know and love, but now there is a softer, more open tone to his voice. As the character has evolved, Greg Snegoff's voice changed to match.

Two new characters, Marcus and Alex, played respectively by Yuri Lowenthal and Arthur Santiago are two standouts from this movie. It's not hard to believe the camaraderie between the two. They joke, they have fun, and when they both fail at picking up the hot Maia, you can really feel their disappointment. The two of them can switch from jocular to combat ready in a snap. I am looking forward to see what these two actors will do next.

Now that the raving is over, there are a few things I should point out. While this movie is a dream come true for the hard-core Robotech fan, new viewers may be a little lost. One of the problems with tying into an established story is that the impact that comes from in-continuity references or characters is lost with the new viewers. If "The Shadow Chronicles" is to re-launch the franchise, they may be limiting the marketability of the title with all the "fan service".

Another issue is that some of the actions of the characters don't quite match what they are saying. There are several instances where the characters look as if they are whispering, but the voice actors are practically yelling. The reunion between Scott and Marcus is a little hollow when the serious look on Scott's face doesn't change, even though his voice is full of joy. It makes things look a little odd.

Now, if you will forgive me, I am going to have an "otaku" moment. The last thing I want to mention is the re-working of the conversation between the Regis and Ariel/Marlene. I was extremely disappointed that Lunk, Rand, Rook, Lancer, Sera, Corg, and Annie were missing. Part of what made "New Generation" so good was the interplay between the characters. Eliminating them, and having Scott flying around in his magically restored Alpha Fighter while Ariel and the Regis talked just didn't feel right. While it doesn't detract from the overall narrative, I felt a little slighted that the continuity was altered. Especially when they went as far to recreate other scenes from the final episodes. Okay, I'm done now.

All in all, "Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles" still keeps that old Robotech magic. Stories of love, loss, and adventure are to be found through out its 90 minute run time. You will join in with the characters highs, and you will feel their loss. The death of a characters is an emotional event, just like in the original series. The battles are just as cool as they ever were, perhaps more so thanks to the CG animation. If you have been waiting for a Robotech infusion, "The Shadow Chronicles" is your much needed injection!

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