Rating: 
Summary: The labyrinth inside the story
Review: "alright, you've got me convinced it's a good movie..but what's it about???" you ask.. Lots of symbols / surreal imaging! The story is set in a different world, a different time almost fantasy-like, with surreal images (floating chalkboards in school and weird lands), where ghosts can exist and roses bloom at night. The setting is like Final Fantasy PSX game series. It starts w/ Utena in tomboyish short hair being introduced in school by Wakaba. There she meets the other characters (Juri, Miki, Saionji..etc.). Unintentionally, she fights Saionji for the rose bride (Anthy -- who is incredibly sexy in the movie, and totally NOT INNOCENT as in the tv eps. versions). Utena wins, thus Anthy stay w/ her. during their intimate relationship, they share a bond of love and of secrets, with darkness and evil undermining other character's world. There are frequent flashbacks of Anthy killing herself, of the "Ends of the World," a person controlling the future of what's to come, and of awakening. The movie also has a relationship with Touga and Utena as deep lovers, once loved but lost. Later on, Utena turns into a car and there is an action-packed racing scene. Again, there are symbols everywhere. In the end, Utena and Anthy break from the "world" and reach enlightenment...they "cracked out of the world's shell."
Rating: 
Summary: Wow...
Review: I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up this DVD. By the cover, it appeared to be a shoujo anime (pink, very pink). The first time I watched it, I was left disturbed, with a vague "Huh?" feeling similarly produced by the finales of Lain and Evangelion. The second time around it was more understandable, but was still unsettling. The movie, Adolescence of Utena, is visually stunning. Rose symbolism coats everything. Many characters are beautiful, and the architecture of the highschool is elegant and creative. Anthy's field of roses high above the school makes a good example.
As for themes, this movie is full of most any controversial one you can imagine. Instances of lesbianism, murder, incest, child molestation, and suicide might make this movie inappropriate for children's viewing. Not having seen the television series or manga of Utena, I don't know whether or not to recommend this movie to fans of those. As a standalone production, I would only recommend it to a mature, open-minded audience. On a final note, I wouldn't suggest getting too attached to the characters, as half of them are dead even as the movie is going on. I had to watch it twice to fully figure this out. Also, watch out for the ending. Utena, Shiori, cars...???
Rating:
Summary: A Mysterious and Gorgeous Masterpiece
Review: "Utena - the Movie" is a masterpiece, brilliant in color and concept, and fascinating in its plot and meanings. Of course, if you want connect-the-dots animation and plotting, or if you think that Utena and Anthy are sweet little teenagers, then you'll hate it, but this film was made for viewers who will want to see it again and again to puzzle out its secrets and mysteries. And "Utena" has secrets as well as some of the most gorgeous animation ever done, like the dance sequence and the final car chase. --- The film operates on two distinct, but interpenetrating registers. One is symbolic, and the other surrealist. Utena and Anthy, now older than they were in the television show, have once again met at Ohtori Academy, once again to find each other in a kind of karmic repetition of their past lives. Symbols of the past echo throughout the film as dying monuments. Utena's no-longer-really alive, once-boyfriend/lover Touga emerges from white shrouds to talk on the phone to Anthy's equally dead brother Akio, the unprincipled headmaster of a previous Ohtori Academy that nonetheless still enslaves Anthy. Crimson roses grow on a platform cantilevered high above Ohtori, tended by Anthy, still the Rose Bride to be won by duel. And splashes of blood red crimson stain not only the roses but the walls and walkways of the surreal world of Ohtori. The crimson of the roses is also the crimson of Anthy's blood, but the rose that Utena finds and that Anthy gives to her is white: unstained. It is a symbol of their undying love, loyalty, and interwoven fates. --- The film lacks the virtually Wagnerian high drama of the television show. Instead, it is more modern (as befits the reprise of Utena and Anthy's love story) and sharper edged, not absurdist, but surreal. The architecture of Ohtori Academy looks like a cross between de Chirico and a mecha designer gone mad, but that's Ohtori for you, the world from which Utena and Anthy escape. --- At one level, the film is simply the story of two young women who escape the repressions of adolescence to find themselves and each other. At another, it is an allegory of love, this between two women who will build their own roads together. At yet another, it is a portrayal of sexuality, warped and truly corrupt within Ohtori Academy, and centered and intimate between Utena and Anthy outside Ohtori. Ohtori is the world of consensus reality, and of acceptance of what is given and commanded, in brief, all the things that Utena and Anthy must escape. The Castle of Eternity, previously a hoped-for panacea for instant happiness, is now a polluting illusion, corrupt and lethal. It represents all that Utena and Anthy must destroy if they are to become real people, genuine and authentic. --- That the film succeeds in all this, and much more (the music is marvelous), is a tribute to the skills of director Kunihiko Ikuhara and artist Chiho Saito, the woman who drew the original manga. It is not necessary to know the previous versions, although that adds depth to the film, because ultimately the film stands alone: the story of two young women in love who find their way to freedom.
Rating:
Summary: Adolescence of Utena
Review: Yeah, I saw the fansub on video. Excellent little film. If David Lynch did anime, itd probably be like this. Maybe not as twisted as the last episodes of the tv series, but still a treat for surrealists and lovers of dense incomprehensible metaphor. (Count me in). Like I said, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, that sort of thing, but with murder, incest, rape, betrayal, obsession, posession, sacrifice, true love, swordfighting and architecture Frank Gehry would puzzle over. But dont worry about family values, most of the adult themes are so densely obfuscated, it'll go right over kids' heads. Its all about friendship, love and loss, and growing up, essentially. A great soap opera romance novel heavy melodrama and bizarre satire, with a cast of just too many princes and princesses, but this aint yer mom's fairy tale. And if you watched the tv series, all the characters are still here, but rewritten to be parodies of themselves almost, so if you havent seen the tv show, it will still be fun, but there'll be weird references at times that are quite funny if you have seen the tv version. And I dont want to hear any gripes about the Wagnerian heavy metal soundtrack music. Its really quite appropriate and grows on you. Oh, make sure you watch a subtitled version. We all know dubbing is demeaning to the director and voice talents.
Rating:
Summary: A gorgeous piece...
Review: 'Adolescence Mokushiroku,' released in English as 'Revolutionary Girl Utena- The Movie,' is the alternate-universe abstract retelling of the 'Shoujo Kakumei Utena' television series. While the movie differs dramatically from the portion of the TV series released in the US (which halts suddenly after the first story arc), it remains faithful to the surreal, abstract rhythm of the full series. Full of symbolism and strange plot twists, this movie has a broad appeal, extending beyond the regular anime audience to anyone with an appreciation for the beautiful and bizarre. This is NOT Pokemon- while the heavy male/male homosexual undertones from the television series (absent from the U.S. release) are almost nonexistent, the lighter lesbian undertones are transformed into an out and out love story between Utena and Anthy. The animation and music are beautiful, the story is fascinating and utterly strange, and I'm thrilled to see this film released in the United States.
Rating:
Summary: Watch this for pure oddity, at least!
Review: SPOILERS: Why in the world did I just give the Utena movie five stars? Hell if I know, in all honesty. I'll be straightly blunt: it's a really, really, /really/ weird movie. (This is what is recommended when some really weird people come on rec.arts.anime.misc asking for yet /another/ acid trip after End of Evangelion.) Yet, even though it's weird, I find it very appealing. I'll say that I haven't seen the Utena TV series. Well, four eps, but that doesn't really count. But a friend's friend who's seen all of Utena still can't get why characters just /happen/ to turn into cars. Hell, the thing that got me was that Touga was dead. That's a pretty heart-wrenching scene when Utena remembers this, too. *sniffs* A big plus for the movie: the animation. Utterly gorgeous. Visually, the movie is just astounding. Anthy gets the most changed design other than Utena, and I like her movie design a lot better. (I don't like what they did to Utena's hair for the movie, though. >_<) As I only viewed my friend's DVD, I can't give a good review of /all/ the features. The art sections with character sketches are nice, and the trivia quiz is good fun. ^_^ Well, if you liked EoE and are a very strange person and want /another/ movie that's weird like that, check out the Utena movie.
Rating:
Summary: Confusing? Yes. Disappointing? No.
Review: I loved Shoujo Kakumei Utena (best known as Revolutionary Girl Utena) ever since I first watched it...renting a dubbed tape from Blockbuster. Utena is a wonderful series, and it puzzles us again and again with new twists and turns that make it enjoyable to watch over and over again to try and figure it out, and this is also a good reason to watch it with a close friend. The same goes for the movie, I believe. It is...confusing, to say the least, if you haven't seen at *least* to the Black Rose Saga. I, myself, bought the dubbed tape of this movie when I had only seen the first four episodes from Blockbuster. This was a mistake. However, I enjoyed the movie anyway, and also ending up buying the DVD later on (which has the better Japanese subbed version). Most people give this movie a 2 or 3 star rating. The art alone is enough to give it a 3, I think. It's wonderful, and even if you don't understand it, it's just plain beautiful to watch over and over again. True, there are some images in there that I'd rather not see, but all in all, it's worth it. My most favorite scene (which seems to be everyone else's as well) is the rose garden scene, where Utena and Anshi dance. It's worth buying this just to see the scene. The music is wonderful, which is why I have the soundtrack to this as well. This is *not* a movie to watch if you either haven't got a clue what Utena is, or haven't had someone explain it to you with some depth. I will not lie, Utena is a very complicated story. As I stated before, there are many levels of this movie that I still haven't gotten, even after watching it over and over again. However, some of the movie ties together, although it does so loosely--you must pay attention to every detail or you'll miss it. I also think that the characters were a little...strange, namely Anshi. But this didn't stop me from liking it. I discarded trying to figure it out watching it the first time and just let it flow over me, enjoying the astounding graphics and flowing music. Save trying to understand it for the second time you view it. I suggest this DVD to anyone who has a slight interest in Utena who has seen it before. Even though you might not have seen all of it, I'm sure it will come together once you have seen all of the series. It might come off as a very shoujo-like series (i.e. Salior Moon), but it can appeal to males as well as females. I hope you'll take the time to let it soak in before you sell it to somebody two days after you buy it. 'Cause that's just wasted time, you know?
Rating:
Summary: Power of the Revolution
Review: I was immensley pleased when I heard that the Utena movie was coming out in America, being a very big fan of the original series and manga. At first seeing the movie, I was not dissapointed one little bit. The animation in this movie is supurb. Beautiful, rich, crisp images captivate your eyes throughout the entire movie. The graphic qaulity of this movie is in the same leauge as any Miyazaki movie, which is very good indeed. Even now, several years after the first release the movie visual capasity of this movie is better than most anime movies and series. In no way was the animation flawed at all. I especialy loved the dance scene between Utena and Anshii, which in my view is one of the most graphicly beautiful in all of anime, and certainly the highlight of the movie. The plot of the movie is based losely on the anime and manga series Shojo Kakumei Utena, or Revolutionary Girl Utena in English. The major theme of the plot is the same, Utena getting involved in the duels to keep possesion of the Rose Bride, Himemiya Anshii (in Japanese, last name then first name). And soon Utena and Anshii develope a very close friendship. That is one thing that the series has over the movie, it is that the relationship in the movie is lesbian, unlike in the series when the two are always trying to keep their feelings to themselves. Also unlike in the series which the movie is superior to it, is that Utena is clearly in love with Anshii, and she isn't being torn between either Touga or Anshii. That part of the series really bugged me, and the movie dosen't do that. However one flaw in the plot is that the movie presents Saionji as some insane woman beater. Although he has that outward apperence, it dosen't give his rather sad story like it dose in the show that shows exactly why Saionji is the way he is. Even the part at the end when Utena is morphed into a car for her and Anshii to escape in is wonderfully original and creative. Each of the characters is wonderful and has their own original personality. Utena's personality is kept pretty much the same in the anime and in the movie, which was fine with me. However, Anshii lost her 'gone with the wind' type of attitude that she held in the manga and series. After a while you get used to the personality change, and learn to like her new character. Touga and Shiori's character are kept pretty much the same, in which I can't stand Shiori. Although I don't remember Touga taking much of an interest in Shiori as he dose in the movie. Juri and Miki aren't really mentioned much so there really isn't a whole lot that changed in their character, and for some odd reason Miki still has that blasted stopwatch. Sound wise, the Japanese version was suberb while the English dub had some problems. Okay maybe more than some problems. Alright, the English version had A LOT of problems. While the dubbers kept the music the same, all of the voices made me want to chringe. Utena's voice was okay, there was a lot of room for improvment, but I delt with it. I could of pee'ed my self when I heard Anshii, Saionji, and Touga's English voice. They were AWFUL. The only good thing about the English dubb is that Miki for once, sounds like a guy. I never got why in the original he sounds like a girl. Not neccicarily a good voice that matched his character, but it was a masculine voice anyway. Overall, The Shojo Kakumei Utena movie, or The Adolesence of Utena was a wonderful movie. For any Utena fans out there it is a must see. I would not recomend that you watch this unless you have seen at least all the way through the Black Rose Arc and the Akio Arc in the series Shojo Kakumei Utena. If not you WILL be lost and confused. When I showed this to my friend, who had not seen the show Utena but knew the basic plot information, she was VERY lost in the movie plot. Also, THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES. PLEASE HEED THE PG-13 RATING. Like I said, this movie is a must see for any Utena fan, weither you like the manga version of anime, The Adolesence of Utena is a wonderful movie, with a lovely images, a creative plot, and awsome characters.
Rating:
Summary: A new perspective on Utena
Review: I have watched this movie three times since I purchased it. I watched it once in English the same day I bought it, then again in Japanese. It completely confused me. However, after watching the entire series so far and then viewing it again I can now understand and appreciate it. It is a marvelously animated and depicted RETELLING of the anime series. Certain characters change personalities but the essence of the Utena series remains, Revolution. One thing to keep in mind when viewing Japanese anime and cinema is that you most likely prescribe to the western idea of symbolism. So if for example you see Utena turn into a car you may think that it must be symbol of power or speed but feel uncertain, when in fact all it is is transportation. Get it. I highly suggest buying this movie after you have watch most of the series (through entire black rose saga) and then you may be able to grasp some of what it going on. It's nice to see a movie that isn't afraid of stepping outside the boundries of the series because when you hold yourself to that mold you can only go so far. This movie is an exploration into many lingering ideas in the series. That is why it's a must see for Utena's fans, dubbed and subtitled alike.
Rating:
Summary: ...To Revolutionize the World!
Review: Hi, I own a copy of this movie now. I haven't seen the tv series so I can't compare them really, but i can give an honest opinion about this film. This is one of the most interesting Anime films I have ever seen. The movie itself is visually stunning, and the characters have many layers to them. Also, the cover design could be better...the cover doesn't represent the film that well (the cover image and lettering is a bit cheezie).
Utena is very memorable as a character and inspirational, and the film challenges both femininity and masculinity in a new way. I perhaps interpret the film differently than most and it is ok because the film is very open to interpretations. That, in my opinion, is true art. This film includes a sequence in which Utena turns into a race car. I will not give away what happens but it blew my mind. I feel that Utena is more sophisticated as a person than the Sailor Moon character. The film gives a lot of information about the characters at once, but it is not impossible to figure out what is going on. This is definitely worth seeing.
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