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      Patlabor: The Movie

      1989 1h 40m Sci-Fi Anime List
      Reviews 82% Audience Score 5,000+ Ratings Two police officers must stop a computer virus from ruining crimefighting robots in futuristic Tokyo. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (3) Critics Reviews
      Chase Burns The Stranger (Seattle, WA) For a crime-fighting mecha anime, I find the film surprising, philosophical, and funny. Somehow, it doesn't seem like science fiction. Feb 2, 2022 Full Review Robert Roten Laramie Movie Scope O.K. movie for kids, but there really isn't enough meat on its bones for the average robust adult movie appetite. Rated: C+ Feb 21, 2003 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 30, 2001 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Clever idea on the future use of automated robots. Gave me zombie Gundam cross-over vibes. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Fun police procedure with mechs and great animation, one of the best examples of japanese animation of the time. A must-see for fans of the genre. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member (This review contains spoilers) Mamoru Oshii's Patlabor: The Mobile Police is an awful entry into the anime genre, an imperfect orchestration of uniqueness and creation as dull as it can get. Despite the one action scene at the very end, the storyline of Patlabor: The Mobile Police (only seen the first movie) may bore you to the core. It takes place around Tokyo where robot-type machines manned by humans help with projects such as laboring and policing. Throughout the course of the movie the machines will act as if they have a mind of their own and cause destruction and mayhem. A special police force is dispatched with Nao Izumi, Asuma Shinohara and Kanuka Clancy taking the lead. However, don't let your hopes get too high as Patlabor may unintentionally leave you worse off than you were before for many reasons. The story itself drags out as they try and find the source behind the malfunctions, but--spoiler alert--you'll find out that the person who started it is actually dead or "so they say", making half of the movie a bore as they try and find the impossible to find criminal. Compared to other robot/mecha anime' s such as Gundam, Code Geass (tv series) and others, this contains a near little amount of fight scenes. Toppled together with the slow pace of the story and not enough explanations for why things are happening, Patlabor may possibly be erased from your "movies to watch" list. If you're use to the fast paced, action packed anime, Patlabor definitely isn't for you. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the most entertaining films in its category. Great animation with fun characters and memorable moments. Not as deep as the sequel but truer to its source material. Recommended. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Oshii's unmistakable directorial touch is evident, and it elevates an otherwise pretty clichéd, sometimes annoying anime plot. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Such an awful movie. Never have I've been stressed with boredom for any mecha story. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Patlabor: The Movie

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Two police officers must stop a computer virus from ruining crimefighting robots in futuristic Tokyo.
      Director
      Mamoru Oshii
      Production Co
      Studio Deen
      Genre
      Sci-Fi, Anime
      Original Language
      Japanese
      Runtime
      1h 40m