Film Reviews:

Landlock

(Yasuhiro Matsumura, Japan, 1995)

[Landlock] This is a tale of magic, adventure and war in a land called Zer'lue ravaged by the evil Sana'ku and his military. As the forces for good and evil battle over the all important winds in the land, a young boy holds the key to defeating an enemy against all the odds because he has the ability to control the power of the wind.

Featuring character designs by Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow, Landlock is a good-looking OAV that shares a distinctive set of characters and costume designs that is a constant throughout Shirow's work. Directed by Yasuhiro Matsumura, it is a pretty unremarkable storyline that is helped along by impressive Chris Foss-like ship designs and detailed, painted backgrounds. Early on the story suffers from a lack of narrative clarity and the lead female (voiced by Ally Coyote) quickly establishes herself as a very poor and weak link in an otherwise reasonable dub. But despite the impressive visuals and a quaint 50s pulp SF novel quality, Landlock is easily forgettable. 4/10

Rob Dyer