Otomo Katsuhiro, the director of "Steam Boy", was once famous for the science fiction film "Metropolis" (2001), and some of the shapes and concepts in this film were directly integrated into "Sky Colonel and Tomorrow" "World". When the director once again used his usual style to create "Steam Boy", which is known as the longest-running and most expensive animated film in Japanese history, the film's science fiction creativity still makes us sincerely amazed.
1. Background: The magical imagination of the steam age
This movie can be said to be a typical "steampunk science fiction movie".
The term "Steampunk" comes from the science fiction novel "The Difference Engine" written by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling in 1991. The protagonist of the novel is a real person in history. The British mathematician Babbage designed a difference engine for table calculations in 1822, which could automatically complete the entire calculation process. In 1834, he devoted himself to the invention of an analytical engine that was more perfect than the difference engine. This analytical machine has arithmetic units, memory, controllers, input and output devices, and has the prototype of a modern electronic computer. But his computer relied on mechanical devices and ultimately failed. The novel "The Difference Engine" goes against the historical facts and describes Babbage's successful creation of a steam-driven computer, which made the steam age directly leapfrog the electrical age, changed the course of history, and entered the information age. The term "steampunk" therefore has a specific connotation, which means that the development of science and technology has not followed the real historical process and has moved to another state. For example, the science fiction film "Sky Colonel and the World of Tomorrow" filmed last year is of this type, and the ninth issue of "Science Fiction World" last year's "The Journey to Different Sky" is also an attempt at this style.
"Steamboy" is a movie that can be seen to be closely related to "steampunk" even in a literal sense. The story takes place in London and Manchester in 1866. This was an era when steam ruled the world as the driving force, and the Industrial Revolution began. In the film, we see the ubiquitous presence of steam, the textile machines powered by steam, the ubiquitous factories that spit out thick smoke, and the trains running on the earth, all showing that the industrial revolution with steam as its core involves that all levels of society.
However, just as the steam age is in its ascendant, the electrical age has jumped out of the horizon like a spring star. In the video, we see that the steam boy Lei uses electric energy lighting at home. The gap between steam and electricity is obvious. Steam is a substance, while electric energy is a kind of induction. The power of steam relies on material contact, while electric energy Can penetrate space and sense power. This determines that the steam age is short-lived. It can be said that it was left behind by the electrical age before it was fully developed.
However, "Steam Boy" follows the "steampunk" model and imagines that the steam age will continue to improve and develop according to its own destiny. Therefore, in front of us, the incredible "steam" appears. "New invention. In the film, we see that Ray invented a one-wheeled steam car shaped like a big circle and started a race with a train. O'Hara invented a set of steam-powered land, sea and air force. The important invention in the film is steam. The ball is equivalent to a battery. Even more amazing is the towering machine city designed and manufactured by Lei's grandfather and father. This is a huge castle that is powered by steam, uses curved rods as transmission tools, and is operated by manual coordination. Its way of advancement actually uses robot-like mechanical legs to move forward with difficulty. When it overlooked the model-like city of London and trampled on the city in a devastating way, the steam age reached an unprecedented peak.
Like all "steampunk" works, its content is absurd and a history that does not exist. However, it reveals from another level the wrong path that technological development may take.
Various inventions of the steam age in the film can actually be seen in similar products in the electrical age. Steam pilots can drop bombs in the air and conduct reconnaissance activities, which is equivalent to modern aircraft; steam vehicles correspond to modern tanks; The machine cities of the steam age are even more common today. Aircraft carriers, spaceships, and space stations can all be regarded as dense, multi-functional machine cities. The scientific fantasy of the steam age in "Steam Boy" is completely based on the height of civilization reached in the electrical age and electronic age, thus giving steam extraordinary power and perfect imagination. Therefore, when the film presents the weird inventions of the steam age before our eyes, we are surprised, but at the same time we think it is reasonable, because this invention supported by steam is closely related to our daily life today. We have an intimate encounter, and the fantasy of the film is based on this reality.
2. Theme: Dilemma of Scientific Invention
"Steam Boy" has an amazing imagination of the inventions of the steam age, but like all science fiction films, What it exhibits is never technology, but human beings’ attitude towards technology. Therefore, how to treat scientific inventions constitutes the main conflict clue of the film.
The film uses the perspective of a young British boy, Ray, to gain insight into the value and bias of steam civilization. At the two extremes are Lei's father and grandfather. These two elders, who have the same status in Lei's mind, have great differences in the use of technology. Lei's father believes that technology is everything and does not need to worry about justice, but his grandfather realizes that if technology is If it is used to harm human beings, then it loses the meaning of technology. The dispute between dad and grandpa is like the dispute between all sciences. The double-edged sword of science and technology makes us feel the power of technology on the one hand, and at the same time, it also makes us deeply appreciate the harm that technology brings to mankind.
In the dispute between his parents, Lei was forced to make his own choice. When technology goes in the opposite direction, like when the machine city alienates into a killer that destroys modern civilization, then the only option is to kill this technological invention that destroys human culture. So in the last paragraph of the film, we see that Lei, who was involved in conflicts and entanglements due to the steam ball, an invention of the steam age, used the same steam ball that can serve evil and justice to disintegrate Machine City brings peace to the city again.
As a Japanese science fiction cartoon, the film emphasizes the devastating side effects of technology on human beings. We can read similar hidden pain from the historical facts of this country’s suffering from atomic bombs, and With the help of people's self-conscience, they can control the harm caused to themselves by human inventions to the maximum extent. This is the inner meaning of this movie. On the surface, this is a movie with Western themes and Western characters. It is a film with Japanese as the main body, but the inherent themes in the film are imprinted with Japanese characteristics and thinking. Many times in this film, I always distracted and regarded Westerners as Japanese. It can be seen that the creator’s Position and motivation are the key to determining the nature of a movie.
3. Sound and Picture: Exquisite Presentation of Historical Fantasy
As a science fiction film, the scene design of the film does give people a sense of visual shock. On the one hand, the film vividly outlines the cityscape of London in the 19th century with detailed images. In many parts of the film, it uses an objective lens looking at the city from a bird's eye, a subjective lens looking at the city from an elevator, and multiple perspectives of the machine city stepping onto the city of London. , resurrecting an ancient city of London that can only exist in museums. On the other hand, the film uses vivid and detailed shapes to design a series of magnificent and culminating technological inventions in the steam age. These two aspects, one is history and the other is fantasy. The historical aspect is made realistic, while the fantasy aspect is imagined to be magical. In contrast, the character modeling and movements in the film appear artificial, not smooth and natural enough, and the handling of ideological conflicts and character conflicts in the film also seems to be evasive and not complete and creative enough, which somewhat weakens the depth and value of the film.