Rating: 
Summary: Bebop's in the Blood
Review: I only discovered the Cowboy Bebop series some six months ago. What I found was a surprising series that featured three eccentric bounty hunters (Spike, Jet, and Faye) and their two sidekicks (Ed the hacker and Ein the data dog) as they careen across known space looking for an easy credit, and all too often finding the truth instead. What made the series exception was a happy mix of writing, art, and music. Given the tight budgets that TV series have to work with, Cowboy Bebop managed to exceed everyone's expectations, and still does.Now the producers have created a feature film set in the period around episode 21 of the series. At this point in time the characters have reached full development, and the series has left behind its happy-go-lucky outset and turned toward closer examination of the issues that made its main characters unique. The film picks up these threads, but does not overemphasize them, instead providing a new story line that fits into the series as a gem does into its setting. A tanker truck explodes in a crowded Martian city, and suddenly people are dying from something that kills swiftly and leaves no traces whatever. Faye, while tracking down a hacker, witnesses to the explosion, but decides not to get involved until the bounty offer or 300,000,000 woolong proves so attractive that the Bebop's entire crew enter the hunt. What they find is part hush-hush military secret and part Zen tragedy as they find their real opponent is the final survivor of a terrible biological warfare experiment. Vincent, cold and alone, without a past, seeks to end the life of a world as a means to reopen the closed doors of his own heart. The byplay of the crew keep this from being a deathly serious film, but it touches on many issues. Love, loyalty, the cruelties of war and the inevitable human foibles that happen when people become more intent on saving face than saving the world. Spike displays a fore echo of the strength of character made the end of the series so remarkable. But all of the performances are extraordinary (Ed is a standout). A feature film offers an opportunity to focus on art and animation in a way that cannot be done in the TV world. Cowboy Bepop is no exception. What the aficionado will discover is that, while the are is at a whole new level, the visual continuity with the series is so careful that one doesn't really notice the difference until it is looked for - and then it is spellbinding. Yoko Kanno's music, which has been a highpoint all along continues to reflect and extend the film without ever overwhelming it. This, along with Miyazaki's Spirited Away are this seasons to must see films. As different as they are from each other, they offer great insight into the breadth of Japanese anime. The only thing I regret is that there isn't a sequel -- yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Runs Like a Regular Bebop Episode
Review: "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" (Knockin' on Heavens Door) has aquired more American reviews than any other anime film yet released in the USA. The trailer was released in several movies, and the film was featured in movie theatres around the country as well. The Bebop's series has done quite well in America, and the film is a great addition to the series. The movie runs just like a regular Bebop session, except for the fact that it is 115 minutes.
Bebop: The Movie is a great action flick with little character development. To truely understand the characters, and appreciate the plot, it would be advised to have already seen the first few sessions of the Bebop series. Here, we join Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein somewhere between session 8 and session 14, for a massive martian crisis involving a nihilistic terrorist and biochemical warfare. Closing in on Halloween, a used soldier who has died once returns to the world of the "living" to seek revenge and find redemption for his previous life. Hmmmm... sound familiar to the Bebop plot structure, except this terrorist doesn't have a mechanical left eye to remember his previous lifetime. It's up to Spike and Faye to save Mars from Bioterrorism! Go Team Go!
Small philosophic ideas are expressed through Vincent the nihilist such as human choice, accountability, and which is the "real" world, dreaming or living. The best thing about Bebop: The Movie is the pumped up fight scenes that the series rarely offered...(expensive to create often). Some sweeter sides of characters are offered (Spike, Jet, and Ed), some more bitter sides of characters are offered (Faye and the ISSP), new characters are introduced (Vincent, Electra, and Lee), and others left out (Vicious and Julia).
If you like action/mystery plotlines with introspective characters, then this is movie to see. If you are a Bebop fan, you should own this. If you love anime and have not seen Cowboy Bebop, buy this with the Box Set right now.
Rating:
Summary: An Anime Worth A Buy
Review: Now im a big fan of anime. as a wishful otaku, i wanted to see this movie, because its on (a certain channel) all the freakin time, so i watched it, and despite a minor audio problem it was an overall good movie. i watch animes for their intriuging and deep plots, along with detailed backrounds, and charecter design. though sometimes they lose there glamour when translated to english, i really dont care. this is a good anime for all those who like movies( not specificly anime), it is a lot better than some other animes( hint, hint nija scroll), but is a definete must see, especially to those looking forward to the new cowboy bebop video game
Rating:
Summary: True to the series and just as creative.
Review: People interested in owning this movie might want to know, if they don't already, that it was created after the anime series and is probably best if viewed after seeing the tv show. Several reviewers suggested watching it after episode 22 (of 26) and I agree that it fits in well this way, because the series has already shown how all main characters came together, their back stories, etc. However, seeing the show first isn't necessary in order to understand and enjoy the film - Cowboy Bebop stories stray from plots requiring you to have seen anything previously. The DVD I watched was called a special edition version (although I'm pretty sure it's the...only...version) that featured several moderately interesting extras. There are voice actors commenting on the people they've played, storyboards shown alongside chunks of the animation for comparison, an illustrative gallery and lots of blurbs from the creators that never go into much more depth than, "This movie is universal because it is so amazing, and everything is just great, and the music is just great." The back cover's overrated "music videos" are really just 2 chunks of the movie cued again (without opening and end credits scrolling), from when an entire song had played without any dialogue. Subtitle and language options allowed for me to view it a second time in English, and I found that a lot is changed - even a lot of the feelings and meaning - during the twist they put on the translation. Additionally, this is one of the most touching and experimental anime movies I've seen. Cowboy Bebop fans ought to be impressed (the same people were called to work on the film), and I think anime fans would take to it as well as people who aren't into traditional japanese cartoons. Very cool, in my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Well Produced Action Flic
Review: * I haven't seen all the COWBOY BEBOP anime series, having only been
through the six-episode "Best Sessions" DVD, but that item was
interesting enough to make the COWBOY BEBOP THE MOVIE (CBTM) DVD worth
a look. I was also a little apprehensive, though, since typically
/SOME ANIME SERIES/ THE MOVIE usually translates as A SLIPSHOD
KNOCKOFF INTENDED TO MILK THE FAN BASE. As it turned out, that wasn't the case here. CBTM features the
familiar bounty-hunter crew of the spaceship BEBOP, including boyish
martial arts master Spike; older scarred ex-cop Jet; sexy and wild
Faye Valentine; loopy adolescent hacker femme Ed; and Welsh Corgi dog
Ein. They become involved in a manhunt on Mars for a psychotic
terrorist named Vincent, who has got his hands on a terrifying weapon,
and encounter both as an enemy and an ally a tough security officer
named Electra. There's not too much to say about the plot of CBTM because it's a very
typical "Urban Action Movie" story, with bits of violence and sleaze,
and nothing much is done in the movie to advance the stories of the
main characters. I didn't have any problem with the script, though,
since it was perfectly entertaining and snapped along very well, with
no more logical holes than typical of an action flic. It's just
wasn't particularly memorable. However, I was very impressed with the production values of CBTM.
While it misses being absolutely brilliant and has its failings here
and there, overall the art and design work is very good and highly
professional, and the soundtrack work is creditable too, mixing a wide
range of musical styles (country western in an anime movie?!) to help
give the mood of the multiethnic Martian city. In fact, the city is
the most striking character in the movie, sort of a cross between
Tokyo and Seattle and Paris and New York City and Marrakesh and ...
well, you get the idea. So COWBOY BEBOP THE MOVIE is actually very much worth the time and
effort if you have the right expectations. In fact, I think CBTM can
pass the real test for an anime production: you could give it to
people who weren't anime fans, as long as they liked B-fiction
action-adventure flics, and they might well buy off on it. Incidentally, CBTM gives you your money's worth in terms of time -- I
thought the "Running Time 114 Minutes" on the DVD disk might be
folding in extras, but it turns out it was that long, and it never
dragged either. Nice to see longer anime movies when there seems to
be a trend towards ever shorter and shorter anime DVDs. As far as the
extras went, I'll have to beg off saying much one way or another -- I
rarely find DVD extras very interesting, in fact I'm a bit puzzled
that anybody does, and other than mentioning it had trailers and
character bios and production staff interviews there's not much else I
can say.
Rating:
Summary: Great film, a must have for your collection!
Review: To put it simply, this a must have for any movie buff, not to mention the legion of Cowboy Bebop fans who fell in love with the series like I have. I know that all of the loyal fans don't need a review to tell them that this is a great movie, but even with that I have to say this movie lives up to and surpasses the bar set by the series. The animation is crisp and beautiful; the soundtrack is quirky and rich in dept and style. When you watch the movie you'll be spellbound by the uniqueness of its visuals and how great everything looks and feels. There's never a dull moment, from action to suspense this movie delivers on every aspect. The movie takes place around the 21st - 23rd (Just my guess!) episode of the series, and like the series it doesn't rely on you knowing what happen in previous episodes. It's self-contained and there is no reliance to the storylines of the series. Spike, Faye, Jet, Edward and Ein get themselves involved in another adventure that only leads to more trouble for the bebop crew. When a terrorist threatens the lives of all the planet's inhabitants the only ones that can save the day and prevent the disaster is of course the crew of the bebop. The movie keeps everything you loved in the series and expands it to a longer format, the same voice actors and the overall tone and setting of the series stays intact. The added length of a movie has given Watanabe the ability to explore more of Spike's personality, you get to see a different side of Spike and get a better sense of his feelings for Julia. There are countless things to love about the movie and I hope that the casual moviegoer gives it a chance, because it deserves to be seen by more than just us anime lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good movie for a non-cbbb fan, Great movie for a fan!
Review: Personally, I liked the movie. But I've also seen all of the episodes, which helps you understand a lot. The movie Doesn't introduce the charaters, so if you've never seen the show before you'll kind of be like, "Who are these people? Why is the dog smarter then all of them, why does the chic in yellow look like a [prostitute], why is the little girl look and act like she stuck her finger in a light shock-it?, etc. etc." All in all it was a pretty good movie. I rated it with a 4 for two reasons. 1) Im a huge fan, the music rocked, and cool special features. 2) LIke I said, it was a pretty good movie, but really didn't feel like a movie, just like a long episode of the show or something.
Another really cool thing about this movie is that you can find it at almost every Wal*Mart. So if your not big on ordering off the internet, or just can't wait that long, its a plus.
Rating:
Summary: An outsanding movie based on an excellent show
Review: When Cowboy Bebop ended, many touted it as being one of the best, if not THE best anime to ever come about. The show was so popular that a movie reuniting the cast for one more adventure was inevitable! Taking place sometime between the Sessions 'Cowboy Funk' and 'Hard Luck Woman', Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven's Door is basically like watching a two hour session of Bebop. The animation quality is much better and clearer than it is on the show, and the plot is pretty good. Main villain 'Vincent' is a very cool character and one of my favorites from the entire Bebop series, movie or not. All of the voice actors reprise their roles, and throughout the movie there are lots of little references to previous Sessions. Some may notice Andy, the Space Cowboy turned Space Samurai in the Halloween parade scene. The soundtrack for the film is great, a blend of music from the show and a whole new soundtrack. Overall I found the movie to be good, and a welcome addition to the Bebop collection. Even though its not really furthering the story or development of any character, since the movie was made after the show was already over, its still 2 more hours of Bebop, and there's nothing wrong with that! While it would've been nice to see a movie-based prequel to Bebop, maybe detailing Spike's involvement with the Syndicate, this movie was just basically a really good, longer Session. This is something that any Bebop fan can enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Faye Valentine man what a girl.
Review: Cowboy Bebop the movie is better than the series. I've been waiting for this movie to come out ever sence the series ended, its been a long wait but it was well worth it. This movie has great animation, good character design, and a pretty good plot but thats not why i got this movie, i got it all because of Faye Valentine and Spike Speigal (but mostly because of Faye she's so fine). Cowboy Bebop the movie is a nice peace of animation, i recomend it to fans of the series and eneyone who love's anime's its a must have movie.
Rating:
Summary: A great addition to the world of Bebop
Review: Having been a huge fan of the Cowboy Bebop episodes, I was curious to see how a full-length movie could compare. The series was incredible, with great characters, action scenes, and of course the music by Yokko Kano and the Seatbelts. The movie definitely continued these traits and even improved upon some. The animation is beautiful, some of the best I've seen in an anime, and looks much prettier than the series (there are more frames in the movie than in the show). The music was suprisingly up to par with the music from the episodes... a feat easier said than done. Though it may sound odd, the music of Bebop plays a huge role throughout the entire series and movie. Basically, if you are a fan of the Cowboy Bebop episodes, this is a must see movie. Knowing the characters and the style of Bebop well makes watching the movie a better experience. And even without seeing all the episodes, this is still a great anime.
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