Lupin III: The First

Inspector Zenigata did nothing wrong! 😤 Possibly one of the most lavish uses of CGI animation ever, Lupin III: The First is an absolute visual treat, full of joy and zaniness, a charming and old-fashioned adventure romp. It's an unspooling like a mashing of James Bond and Indiana Jones, but equally reminiscent of The Adventures of TinTin's stylings. The animation has fun playing with the laws of physics, it frees itself from the constraints of anatomy with gorgeous fluidity. Yes, the story may be rather straightforward and its twists are easy to predict, but it doesn't make the movie any less fun as the film manages to pull it off with exceptional speed and scale. Matched by its incredible vocal performances and simply magnificent score by Yuji Ohno, Lupin III: The First balances a hilarious sense of humour with genuinely exhilarating adventure, making it perfect for newcomers and hardcore fans alike.

Fun and entertaining.

Overall, while I wasn't overly familiar with this lead character, I found this film rather pleasing.  The film's animation is a major highlight as it's stunning, sharp and bright.  For the most part, the film's plot is also engaging and delivers many moments of action and adventure.  Naturally, existing fans of this character will be most pleased with the results here, but thankfully there is plenty to enjoy for those new to this world of a gentlemen thief.

An amazingly classic adventure and thievery that could very much fall into the same bucket as Indiana Jones. Amazing and fresh style of animation helps bring the zany and loveable character of Lupin to life.

Fun movie that carries the humor, charisma and charm that defines Lupin and his friends. The overall quality does not decline despite visiting familiar grounds for adventure films. The animation is great: colorful and fluid in every scene.

Movie was good until second act when yellow car exploded :(

I'm not sure how university admissions are conducted in Japan, but ripping up an acceptance letter doesn't just ... rescind the offer. Somehow that's a plot point in this movie. I can't call myself a longtime fan of the Lupin III series, it's never made the rounds in America in the same way that it has in Japan. My only prior experience with the franchise comes from Castle of Cagliostro, the 1979 film that served as Hayao Miyazaki's feature directorial debut. However, it's a juggernaut of a property, with seemingly endless adaptations and narratives in print and film alike, all built around a relatively formulaic design; a likable, capable, and goofy protagonist with a series of companions proceeding through a rotating cast of adversaries and adventures that usually leave the crew about where they started. Characters and relationships don't really change, but that's part of the point; it's animated cinematic comfort food. The franchise knows what it's about, and while the plot and particularly the villains feel somewhat lackluster and the film stalls a bit towards its conclusion, The First is still a charming film that understands the humor that makes the franchise work. If there's a larger criticism, at times, it feels a bit less like a Lupin III film and more like an action-adventure, focusing surprisingly on the 'visiting protagonist' rather than the main cast, and giving off action setpieces and plot twists that are a bit more reminiscent of the Spielberg Adventures of Tintin, or even (shudder) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. While other Japanese studios, notably Ghibli, have tried to make the move to 3D animation in what has largely been perceived as a misguided effort to keep up with the times, this first attempt to bring Lupin to the current visual style actually works quite well; the animation is pretty fluid and used to exaggerate the character features accordingly. When this movie is firing on all cyinders with the charm, it's hard not to get caught up in it. Honestly, I just love hearing Inspector Zenigata shouting "LUPIN!", it's essentially a Tom & Jerry routine, with the same level of endearment. Need to find time to dive into the past 50 years' worth of movies that Lupin has inspired. (3.5/5)

This was my first look at Lupin III as I wasn't familiar with the series or the storied franchise, but I thought the movie was quite adventurous with this group of characters. I look forward to the next installment as I'm sure it will continue.

I never thought that the CG adaptation of anime will be nice

Proving that in the right hands, a long-running hand-drawn franchise can in fact look great when translated into CGI, the springy antics and historically-amiable fun of Lupin III are back and still swinging from the days of "The Castle of Cagliostro", but this time with a final act that gets more in over its head even by the expected standards.