For those uninitiated into the series (much like myself until this morning), Professor Layton is a Nintendo DS released puzzle-gaming franchise, developed by Nintendo and Level 5, that has become a global phenomenon. Over the four games released so far, it's sold over 5.5 million copies worldwide, although only 2 of them are currently available on these shores. I’m led to believe that the events of this feature are set following the events of the third game ‘Professor Layton and the Specter’s Flute’, currently only available in Japan, which is a prequel to the first game. Hence, this is also a prequel, of sorts.
Following a conversation with Paul Everitt (from MyInsiderGame.com) who has played both UK games, certain characters who appear in the film are not part of either story, so, unless they're unique to the film, we'll have to hope we get introduced to them in the third game before the anime's release.
With between 40-50 members of the press invited to view, this screening was no doubt going to be quite a spectacle... and that it was!
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, currently set for release in September on DVD and Blu-Ray here in the UK, was stunning. Being a complete unknown to the franchise, I was going in completely green (so to speak) and had no idea what to expect.
But from the outset I knew this film would neither lose nor confuse me, because it did more than enough to establish not only the location, but also who the lead characters were and their relation to one another.
Professor Layton, an English Gentleman who dons a fabulous suit and unforgettable top hat, is renowned for his solving of puzzles, essentially playing the role of a Sherlock Holmes type character. He is very well respected and everyone in London knows who he is.
His apprentice, Luke Triton (or as he describes himself, Layton’s ‘number one apprentice’) is a very young (and much shorter) lad who's alongside Layton every step of the way, adding his thoughts and attempts at solving the puzzles. He ends up mostly on the right track to aid Layton, buts need an extra thought or two be entirely correct.
Other characters who have a presence during the feature are Remi, Layton's assistant, who seems able to dig up obscure and ultimately vital information in solving Layton's mysteries. And then there's the Scotland Yard Inspector Clamp Grosky, who sports a fabulous haircut that most men (let alone detectives) can only dream of. His presence is one of a more comedic value, so you’ll remember him even if he's only on screen for a few minutes at a time.
A female character who plays a moderate part in the film is Jenis Quatlane, a very popular female opera singer with a spectacular voice. She is the person who first contacts Layton, leading him and Luke to be involved in the unfolding story.
Now that the characters have been established, time to move onto the plot. Without trying to give much away, Professor Layton receives a letter containing opera tickets from his former student, now an opera singer, Jenis Quatlane. The letter tells him that one of Jenis's friends who died a year ago has now reappeared as a seven year-old girl, claiming that she has “immortal life”.
To get to the bottom of this puzzling affair, Layton, Luke and Layton’s assistant Remi set off to the Crowne Petone Theatre. Performing there is a new opera composed by pianist Oslo Whistler, based on research by Layton’s mentor Dr Schraeder, telling the legend of the ancient kingdom of Ambrosia, the land of eternal life.
The real motive of the spectators in coming, however, is to acquire eternal life. A mysterious man appears on stage and announces the start of a brain-teaser game, rewarding one person with immortality.
Now the biggest question I had coming into this was: if you're not familiar with the franchise, is this going to affect your enjoyment of the film for the worse? In my honest opinion, not at all! From the very beginning this movie clearly defines its fictional universe and, most importantly, the characters who make it. The character development throughout is detailed enough that you can see the depth and history of the personalities already established in the games. And for those who are familiar with the games, it can only add to their appreciation of the series. Luke Triton in particular takes a very strong journey through the film, and the difference in his maturity from beginning to end is greatly implemented, but still rings true, and doesn't seem bolted on for the sake of it like many other film tie-ins can fall victim to.
The animation in this feature is, quite simply, stunning. It looks brilliant, and tremendous credit has to go to the animators' composition skills, because they have truly done fantastic job blending the CGI and animation together. The whole way through I kept saying to myself: "How good does this film look!" And to compliment the brilliant animation comes the brilliant soundtrack, which add so much to the atmosphere of the story and characters' emotions. For those soundtrack nuts (like Hugo, and myself at least in this context), two soundtracks have been released in Japan: the first contains all the songs from the movie, sung by Jenis; and the second holds the fantastic orchestral score.
All in all, this was a fantastic introduction into the world of Professor Layton. There wasn't a single moment in the film that didn't captivate me, and that's not even mentioning the ingenious puzzle-solving that goes on. Just so that you know, the version screened for us was the original Japanese dub with English subtitles. While this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the film (I'll happily watch anime in Japanese or English), I'm looking forward to the dub, as I’m certain there are lots of moments I wasn’t able to see (or that I simply just missed) through reading the subtitles.
I urge anyone in the London area this coming Sunday (23rd May) to go to the National Film Theatre located on the South Bank (just a short walk from Waterloo tube station) and attend the 3.30pm public screening. It’s definitely not one to miss. But If you’re not able to catch the screening, you’ll have to be patient and wait the release by Manga UK on DVD and Blu-Ray, currently scheduled for September of this year. I know I'll be there!
For information on the screening of this film (including ticket prices) on May 23rd, visit the NFT Website
No comments:
Post a Comment