ALL SCI-FI

[Bongopete]

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No true scifi fan should not see this film. It IS a conventional animated movie, coming out in 1987 so no cgi here....but you will find very few films (and I'm talking live action here!) that are so rich in look and detail.

The story takes place on a world very much like our own at around the same level of technology.

Essentially you have your main character (Shiro) who is sort of a slacker and is a member of the Royal Space Force (a sort of NASA which really isn't doing anything about getting into space..seems to be 'there' for political reasons). A rivalry exists between two border countries (sort of like the two Koreas) Shiro belonging to the Kingdom of Honneamise and their enemy, "The Republic".

Shiro meets a religious (obsessed) girl who inspires him to volunteer to be the first man into space. He matures during training along with the rocket and capsule being built. Political things go on, explanations for what the real reason for backing the launch and finally war.

The film does have a couple of, well..stumbling sequences perhaps...perhaps not. It is NOT a kids film however and does not have monsters and is pretty rooted in reality. The art direction is fabulous, designs are often just a little different.
One of the most heavily realized alternate worlds done for film.

I would recommend people to watch this...beware an earlier DVD that is floating around, the image is worse than the earlier VHS tape...look for the Bluray instead. You will want to see this on a good sized tv screen and the best picture quality disc you can.

This came out back in the 80s, somewhat around the same time another groundbreaking anime called 'Akira' did. Thumbs up.

[Gord Green]

The animation in this movie was amazing! Better yet---it worked to tell both a rousing space saga as well as an adult level story.


















The key staff travelled to the United States for aviation and spacecraft research, including the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. Production began on the film after their return in September 1985.



Wings has received universal acclaim from film critics since its release in 1987.








Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a visually sensational two-hour extravaganza". DVD Times said that the animation "gives the storyteller complete control over what you see and ultimately how the viewer interprets the directors dream...the astounding animation, the attention to detail seen in every frame is quite daunting, but allows the viewer to discover new subtleties on repeated viewing."

Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies called the film "marvellous" and added that nothing "can disguise the sheer quality of this film." She praised backgrounds and designs, noting that they "show a level of commitment that borders on fanatical".








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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

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Gord, what happen to all your jpegs?

Meanwhile, here's the trailer so that we can see the animation you so highly recommended.

__Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987)


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)