Venus Wars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Venus Wars Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see anime thrill-ride.

Venus Wars is an exciting action-packed thrill ride from animation studio Kugatsusha. The anime classic is produced by Yasuo Kaneko (The Three Musketeers, The Reason) and Tsuneyuki Morishima (Astro Boy, Antarctica) and has been distributed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. A fun action classic, Venus Wars is a thrilling science-fiction gem.

Humanity has found a way to colonize on other planets – and Venus is one of the first planets to become colonized. Susan Sommers (Eriko Hara) is a hard-hitting reporter who is enmeshed in researching the battle between the planets Aphrodia and Venus. As relations between the two intergalactic planets begin to intensify dramatically, Susan meets one of the rogue leaders of a Venus Battle Bike team: suave badass, Hiro (Katsuhida Uekusa).

As the battle bike team focuses on their cool racing skills, it becomes clear that the future of the planet might depend on the Battle Bike sport – with Hiro and Susan the leaders Venus needs to save the day. Who will win in the battle of the planets? The action-packed adventure unfolds.

The animation is one of the best elements of Venus Wars. The art works looks exceptional and gives the production a nice aesthetic. The animation direction by Sachiko Kamimura (Miyuki, Lupin III: Part 3) carries the action scenes. Working alongside art director Shichiro Kobayashi (Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro, Space Adventure Cobra), Venus Wars showcases the cool futuristic landscape of Venus nicely. The styling of the battle bikes is terrific (exuding cool factor that makes the film more entertaining).

A fantastic action-packed anime classic.

The fast-paced action sequences are one of the best elements of Venus Wars. There are several non-stop bike sequences which showcase a sci-fi landscape that brings to mind the likes of action hits like Akira or Tron: Legacy. Venus Wars is all the more fun because of these cool and thrilling sequences. Fans of racing films with a science-fiction element will enjoy.

The music score composed by Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) is one of the best elements of Venus Wars. Hisaishi is one of the best composers in Japanese cinema history (as the prominent composer on all of Hayao Miyazaki's Ghibli-era films). Venus Wars score is thrilling: excelling in action beats as well as character moments. The music takes flight.

The screenplay by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and co-screenwriter Yuichi Sasamoto (Ariel, Bodacious Space Pirates) is full of charm. The script never loses steam and manages to be fun from beginning to end. A terrific action-packed thrill-ride, Venus Wars manages to have solid characters and a fun storyline too. The experience is all the better because of it.

Directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Arion, Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space), adapted from his own manga, Venus Wars is a must-see anime classic. Fans of Akira and other action-packed anime films will find the filmmaking rewarding. Venus Wars has plenty of badass action scenes (especially bike racing sequences which are truly exceptional). Yasuhiko made a classic anime and it is a fun action-packed thrill-ride. Don't miss it.

Venus Wars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Venus Wars is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The print quality is generally quite good during the entire presentation. Colors pop and look fantastic here. The film has a lot of fast-paced action scenes and the encoding never struggles to present these sequences. There are no significant issues with regards to compression. Though the print does have some dirt and occasional thin scratches, the overwhelming majority of the presentation looks exceptional and benefits from the good encode.

Venus Wars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles) and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The English dub track (produced by Sentai Filmworks) sounds great and manages to make the filmmaking soar to entertaining and exciting heights. The engaging action scenes are given plenty of room to breathe too. The score composed by Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away) sounds exceptional and adds plenty of excitement to the presentation. A top-notch effort.

Venus Wars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a gorgeous slip-box housing the Blu-ray edition and a stunning 96 page booklet featuring an introduction about Venus Wars, a background exploration of Venus, character information, mechanics details, Venus Wars illustrations, and art showcasing Kow Yokoyama's works.

The booklet also includes the following:

1. Staff Interview: Director

2. Staff Interview: Mechanical Designer

3. Staff Interview: Unit Director

4. Staff Interview: Art Director

5. Staff Interview: Screenwriter

6. Staff Roundtable Discussion

7. Staff Production Credits

Venus Wars Japanese Promo (HD, 1:11)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other anime releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Locke the Superman (HD, 2:30), Majestic Prince: Genetic Awakening (HD, 1:15), Food Wars! The Fourth Plate (HD, 1:33), and Black Bullet (HD, 1:32).

Venus Wars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Venus Wars is an entertaining action-packed anime classic. The filmmaking soars with entertaining bike race scenes and a cool score composed by the great Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Ponyo). The animation is stunning. Directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Arion), Venus Wars is a must-see gem. A fantastic collectors edition, too (with beautiful packaging and an extensive 96 page booklet). Highly recommended.