Robotech: The Movie (1986)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Directors:

Noboru Ishiguro
Carl Macek

Writers:

Carl Macek (story)
Ardwight Chamberlain (screenplay)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The adventure never stops in this full length animated feature

Plot:

Re-edited version of a Japanese TV serial, released in the U.S. as a feature.

Plot Keywords:

Anime | Independent Film

Cast

Kerrigan Mahan	...	Mark Landry (as Ryan O'Flannigan)
Brittany Harlowe	...	Becky Franklin
Muriel Fargo	...	Eve
Gregory Snegoff	...	Colonel B.D. Andrews (as Greg Snow)
Michael McConnohie	...	Rolf Emerson (as Jeffrey Platt)
Greg Finley	...	Commander Leonard (as Guy Garrett)
Tom Wyner	...	Robotech Master #1 (as Abe Lasser)
Mearle Pearson	...	Professor Embry
Edie Mirman	...	Kelley Stevens (as Penny Sweet)
Wendee Lee	...	Stacy Embry (as Wendee Swan)
Wayne Anthony	...	Additional Voices
Spike Niblick	...	Additional Voices
Bruce Winant	...	Additional Voices (as Bruce Nielson)
Ike Medlick	...	Additional Voices
Jonathan Alexander	...	Additional Voices

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

Japan | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Harmony Gold

Trivia:

The film was only in very limited theatrical release in Texas and was released on home video in a small number of international markets.

Movie Connections:

Edited from Megazone 23 (1985) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Future Is Now

Finally got to see it!

When I was a kid, and HUGE fan of the Robotech series, I kept hearing a promise of a Robotech Movie. Because I didn't live in Texas, I never got that chance.

The film was screened in one city in Texas, tested poorly, and never heard from again. Later, Robotech's creator, Carl Macek, denounced the film in his writing and interviews, saying he'd wish everyone would just forget it ever happened. But, I wanted to judge for myself.

They released a comic book adaptation of the film in 1996 which was honestly quite bad, and it wasn't enough to quench my appetite. I even found a copy of Megazone 23, the film in which this is edited from, but I still wanted to see the actual movie.

This has only been released on video Europe and after paying 30 pounds (around 50 dollars) I finally got my hands on it. My friend was able to dub it for me from the Euro format to the US format, but unfortunately it was transerred without any color. Oh well, at least I got to see it.

And, I can tell you that everything you've heard is true. The movie is filled with inconsistencies, bad dialogue, bad storylines, you name it. It should have never been made.

The only thing that bothers me is that had this film been readily available, I might have seen it once and dismissed it. But just because it's SO hard to find (it pops up on online auctions about two or three times a year) I felt compelled to hunt it down.

A good comparison would be the "Star Wars Holiday Special." You want to see that one last chapter of a series you love, yet the payoff is not worth the hunt.