COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (CINEMA EXPO CINEMA NIGHTS AT THE DIETRICH 1/22 and 1/23)
- Matt Palmer
- Jan 22, 2024
- 3 min read
Monday - January 22 at 7 pm (subtitled)
Tuesday January 23 at 7 pm (dubbed)
Initial release date: September 1, 2001
Studios: Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan/Sunrise/Bandai Visual
Plot: Cocky Spike Spiegel and the crew of his spaceship, Bebop, an intrepid band of bounty hunters, land on Mars in the year 2071 chasing an enormous cash reward. The four-person team, also including looming cyborg Jet Black, fearless Faye Valentine and tech expert Edward, are in search of ex-military officer Vincent. The former hero has become a biological terrorist with an arsenal of devastating nano-bots that he'll let loose on Alba City on the night before Halloween if his demands aren't met.
Not too long ago, I took a look at the anime feature Ghost in the Shell which was shown at the Dietrich as part of the Anime Expo Cinema Nights series in November. Even though I'm not a huge anime fan, I thought it was fairly entertaining. And, now I checked out another anime film that's showing at the Dietrich tonight and tomorrow as part of the Anime Expo Cinema Nights series - Cowboy Bebop: The Movie.
Before checking out this movie, I had to quickly research and find clips about the Cowboy Bebop series since I wasn't really familiar with it ... and to be honest still not lol. And just like Ghost in the Shell, I thought that the Cowboy Bebop movie is really entertaining and can be quite interesting at times.
The animation style is visually incredible and quite appealing. There are quite a few action-packed segments that are scattered throughout that look visually appealing and the action is non stop!
One thing that also helps make the action feel compelling and rousing is the music that plays during the action. I can't really describe it but it really does fit the mood of the film perfectly. If you have seen this anime film, you will likely know what I'm talking about.
There are some moments that can be very thought-provoking and can even get quite dark at times. The story is also impressive and from what I can tell, this movie stays true to the style of the show - mainly judging from the clips I saw on YouTube. So, make sure to check this out at the Dietrich either tonight or tomorrow if you can! And, if you can't, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is also streaming on Tubi!
Here are some fun tidbits for Cowboy Bebop: The Movie!
This film takes place between Session 22 of Cowboy Funk (1999) and Session 23 Brain Seratch (1999) of the Cowboy Bebop series.
The full English title of the film is Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door. However, supposedly due to copyright disputes over the subtitle Knockin' on Heaven's Door (after a Bob Dylan song of the same name). Columbia-TriStar, who released the film in the US, shortened the name to just Cowboy Bebop: The Movie.
The movie was banned in Iraq and Iran.
The idea for a film was in the mind of director Shinichiro Watanabe during the development of the original Cowboy Bebop series, which he had originally envisioned as a film. Watanabe treated each episode of the series as a mainstream film, so to progress onto a feature length film seemed natural to him.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was first released in cinemas in Japan on September 1, 2001. After the film's international release, this date was subject to debate in the western fan-base due to its proximity to the 9/11 attacks. It was first shown to the west at the 2002 AnimeCon.
The film received a limited theatrical release in the US, opening on April 4, 2003. During its opening weekend, it reached No. 19 in the box office chart. The film's total gross in America was $1,000,045. Its worldwide gross totals $3,007,903.
In 2006, it was ranked as the 6th best-selling anime DVD in the US. It didn't receive a theatrical release in the UK, instead being released as a direct to DVD feature. It was eventually shown in the UK theaters on June 27, 2003.
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