When it comes to anime the motion picture is something of a strange bedfellow. Some big productions fizzle and fall into obscurity because for many it's the complete series that holds the biggest draw with regards to anime. If you keep an open mind and look for a theatrical experience there are several productions that deliver a massive amount of bang for your buck. Unfortunately Origin: Spirits of the Past isn't one of those films.

Way back when FUNimation first released the trailer for Origin I must admit that I was excited. Produced by GONZO the movie had some outstanding visuals and though the trailer gave nothing away as far as the story was concerned my interest was peaked. However, when I had the chance to finally sit down to watch the film I was less than impressed. For all intents and purposes Origin is indeed beautiful and creative but when it comes to entertainment value there isn't much satisfaction to be found.

The story in Origin takes place 300 years into the future of our future. To be quite honest the plot never divulges when exactly things occur but rather that it's at some point after humanity has developed some impressive technologies. At the apex of this civilization a mysterious forest being grown on the moon basically destroys the celestial body. Vines sprout out and shoot towards the Earth as the moon is left split in half, but the worst is yet to come.

These vines become known as a green dragon and their assault upon the Earth essentially decimated humanity. A handful have survived and lived through the ages though the forest is an ever-present danger that surrounds them. In more ways than one the forest is alive and there is sentient thought, almost as if it were a living creature. It attacks those who trespass and wages war upon those who would threaten its existence. It's in this tiny village built on the skeleton of skyscrapers and shopping malls that Agito lives with his father and friends.

At the beginning of Origins Agito and a buddy are trying to get into the town's well but quickly we notice that something is amiss. Mysterious entities known as Zruids step forth and as we learn early on they are basically beings from the forest. Agito manages to swim away but gets caught up in some strong currents that lead him to an interesting chamber. He climbs aboard a giant piece of technology and discovers a girl who is cryogenically frozen. Naturally he unwittingly wakes her up and things take a turn for the worse.

As it turns out the girl, Toola, is from Earth's past prior to the assault of the moon forest. She's a remnant from a destructive era that had no respect for nature and sought enlightenment through technological advances. Predictably Agito and Toola form a connection though none of the character relationships ever feel solid. Each of the personalities are far too one-dimensional to be taken seriously though Agito does show some promise thanks to his role in the plot. From this point a bad guy surfaces who comes from Toola's past and seeks to destroy the forest and all life on Earth. Cue Agito stepping up to be the hero.

Like a good Planeteer Agito joins forces with the forest and becomes "enhanced". This allows him to essentially be like Superman but with the downside that one day he'll turn into a tree. At any rate he's charged with stopping the madman, saving Toola, and restoring the natural balance to the world; which is of course man's servitude to Mother Nature.

In the end Origin comes up short in just about every department. It has the potential for greatness but for every step forward it feels like it takes half a step back. Agito is an unbalanced protagonist who you really won't care for, Toola is an obvious plot device, and on the whole the story is very underwhelming. The fact that the background is not fully explained is very frustrating and just about everything is predictable. Sure the movie has some amazing visuals and the action sequences are quite refreshing but if you're looking for something with depth, this sadly isn't it.

While Origin may disappoint when it comes to the actual story there's no denying that the video quality is absolutely stunning. Seriously, this movie is gorgeous the entire way through with some fantastic design and a great transfer from FUNimation. The 1.78:1 picture will hold your attention as you pick out some very fine details that ooze out of every second of this film. The image quality holds with no grain, compression, or aliasing to gripe about. From start to finish this project will impress and it embodies the level of quality that GONZO obviously holds themselves to.

As you'd expect from a recently produced theatrical anime, Origin: Spirits of the Past offers 5.1 English and Japanese language tracks. That's right folks, no 2.0 stereo mixes to be found here! Both 5.1 selections offer some fantastic sound with well directed scenes, a memorable score, and quality dubbings all around. The sense of immersion here is very good with the woodland acoustics coming through as a shining example of how anime can craft a fine ambiance. The speakers really get some play when the action kicks in and Agito starts using his enhanced powers. All in all this is an impressive sounding release.

FUNimation released the featureless single disc version of Origin about a year ago but the special edition has finally hit store shelves! This time around things are quite different as a decent selection of bonus material makes the cut here. Some trailers, TV spots, textless animations, and previews for the movie are available but original Japanese content is definitely a plus here.

The "meat" of this special edition is a documentary all about the making of Origin. A smattering of material is collected here with commentary from the production staff. From interviews with the director and producer to a discussion about the art style and presentation there's a decent amount of information. I found the talk about how different sequences came together to be the most interesting but overall this documentary is worth the watch no matter how you feel about the film itself.

I wanted to like Origin, I really did. Unfortunately an uninspired plot and one-dimensional characters didn't quite match up with the amazing art and sound direction that went into this production. It's a stunner to watch but it drags at points and never really takes any chances with its story. Because of that it winds up being more of a one-time watch than a "must buy". This special edition ups the ante a bit with some decent bonus offerings but that doesn't really push the envelope.

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