A Few Thoughts on ORIGIN: SPIRITS OF THE PAST

2.5 stars out of 5.

Nostalgia is an interesting emotion. One feels it when remembering what once was; this doesn't mean that the “good ol' days” were exactly good at all, just comparatively better than the present day. Origin: Spirits of the Past embodies the theme of nostalgia in its story, its artwork, and even its title. I also approached this film for a second time from a nostalgic point of view. After this second viewing, I realize that the old saying, “Hindsight is 20/20,” only applies in the absence of nostalgic sentiment, which interferes with the ability to make fair assessments.

Agito and Tula.

While the story was good, the execution was lackluster; a bad plot is typically my reason for disliking an anime or film. At some point in the past the moon was strangled by frenzied experimental plant-life and eventually broke apart. The resulting lunar fallout allowed the plants to spread to Earth, where they made living conditions unbearable as they literally attacked humans unto near extinction. Many of the survivors retreated to stasis pods, awaiting a day they could successfully begin to reconquer the Earth.

The film starts in the distant future, where our protagonist Agito stumbles upon Tula and wakes her from her stasis sleep. Agito belongs to Neutral City, founded by his father years ago, where people attempt to live simple, peaceful lives some distance from the forest. The city next to them is Ranga, a military industrial complex that plans on destroying the forest. Ranga soon hunts for Tula after learning of her awakening; she holds the key to activating the Environmental Defragmentation System (E.S.T.O.C), a weapon her father engineered years ago to burn the forest down.

Moments before lunar devastation.

The film's themes should instantly remind die-hard anime fans of Miyazaki's works, where typically some military power ruins the environment and so the environment fights back. Unfortunately, this film lacks the ability to come out from Miyazaki's shadow and outperform a classic like Princess Mononoke. The first half of Origin is calm and arguably boring; I paused the film and then took a nap halfway through. When I watched the second half later on, suddenly there were too many things happening that first half did not prepare me for. Agito is suddenly so obsessed with recapturing Tula, a girl he never managed to develop a relationship with, that he allows the forest to transform him into a man-plant hybrid with extraordinary power so he can rescue her. Overall, one gets the feeling that the first half of the film was exposition and the second half quickly seeks resolution, without having a proper rise of dramatic tension in between.

The animation is spectacular. The money that probably should have gone into finding a better writer went into the art, which again is reminiscent of Miyazaki style. Character designs are humble; no one is too muscular or voluptuous. The colors are rich and vibrant, and shadows are strong. Settings are incredibly detailed. The use of computer CG for the Ranga's military vehicles was nearly seamless. There isn't much wrong with the look of the film. The music is nice as well. The opening and closing song are enjoyable, and haunting. Here's a link to the OP.

Neutral City.

Origin: Spirits of the Past has most of the traits an epic Miyazaki film possesses. The film's narrative, however, is more like a half-developed thought, an unhatched egg, a seed planted in poor soil. We get from beginning to end with a conspicuous lack of conflict in the middle; this conflict typically prompts a protagonist to action in the average story. Being different from the norm isn't inherently bad, but forgetting to include tension and drama and conflict is an unforgivable crime. It's a shame.

* Origin: Spirits of the Past is on Netflix instant streaming. It is also available for purchase at Amazon.com.

- Elijah Lee