Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

markcasa-63624 Ah, Hayou Miyazaki the one and only director of one of my favourite films and for a person who has made so many amazing movies, this is the one that people talk about the least.

eclipsesonic Not only is The Castle of Cagliostro Miyazaki's most underrated film, it's one of the most underrated films of all time that a lot of people and many Miyazaki fans are missing out on. It is an extremely entertaining action/adventure film that has a very memorable main character with some hilarious moments, an upbeat Jazz soundtrack and great writing that make it a joy to watch. It's a shame that this film has been so overlooked! You don't have to watch the Anime TV Show that this film is based off. I haven't seen the Lupin III series and I could follow this film fine! The Castle of Cagliostro is my 4th favourite from Miyazaki's filmography and I've seen all 11 of his films, so it is top 5 material for me. I love it! If you are from the U.K. you can buy the Blu-Ray on Amazon. It's totally worth blind buying it!

bcheng93 i remember this as a kid but never got the chance to see it. i remembered that it looked so fun and really wanted to see it. well..., i found out that this is Miyazakis first effort and just had to see it.if this movie doesn't put you in a good mode at the end then you are a ogre and need to stay in your cave. it is an action, comedy, romance with a little 007 and also Inspector Gadget all rolled into one. the script is very tightly written and there is no holes in it. the main character Lupin the 3rd is very very likable, in fact all the good guys were! there was non-stop action and non-stop laughs in this movie.the animation considering that the movie came out almost 35 years ago is pretty good considering. the animation feels nostalgic and you can see hints at what Miyazaki will become in the future. there was still a lot of beauty in some of the animation, comparable to todays. i would recommend this movie to people of all ages..., there is something in here that everybody will love and even though the main character is a rogue, he is a gentleman rogue who lives by a righteous moral code. old school anime rocks!one thing i want to touch on is the original soundtrack which in my mind was awesome( i loved the start and the end song )and puts one right in the mood. for some reason it was a gripe of a lot of non-Japanese viewers and i heard that the western dubbed soundtrack was very good, i've never heard it and even if i did i would disagree. the original soundtrack just puts you in the mood and you could tell that it was the late 70's and early 80's by the music. i don't like and don't recommend dubs of foreign movies cause the real translation rarely ever comes through. what is wrong with people, have they forgotten how to read???

MissSimonetta Though Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro is often called one of Hayao Miyazaki's weaker efforts, I beg to differ. Though there aren't many deep environmental or humanist themes to glean from the story, this is probably the most entertaining movie he ever directed. It's got everything a good old-fashioned swashbuckling adventure film needs: exciting chases, comedy, daring rescues, tender romance, a sneering villain, and a wonderful climax. I think the Miyazaki films which adhere closest to the tone of this film are probably Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Porco Rosso.Like I said, this movie is Miyazaki's most fun. For all his prowess for quiet moments, the action scenes in this are outstanding, so outstanding that everyone from Teen Titans to Disney have made homage to them. The first car chase alone is worth the price of admission; in fact, I'd go as far to say it's one of the best car chases ever put on film, animated or otherwise. There's tons of comedy too, slapstick even Buster Keaton or Bugs Bunny would be proud of.I will admit, the animation is not the highest quality compared to the films Miyazaki would work on later and its age is obvious, but honestly, it's not as bad as some make it out to be and it's miles ahead of the animation in the first Lupin feature, The Secret of Mamo. The animation is not "horrible". Yes, it looks rushed in some places, but it's never hideous. The backgrounds are quite lovely and give the picture a great old world atmosphere. Oh, and I adore Yuji Ono's music, especially the film's several renditions of "Fire Treasure". The vocal version played over the opening credits has to be one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.Lots of Lupin the Third fans have criticized this film for not being faithful to the harsher personalities of the characters, and as a fan, I can see where they're coming from. Like others, I am upset that cool characters such as Jigen and Goemon are barely given anything to do (especially so since those two are my favorite characters in the franchise). However, I adhere to the idea that Cagliostro is set at the twilight of Lupin's career as a thief. The Lupin we see in this film is no longer the skirt-chasing, selfish fellow which originated in the manga and first television series; he is an older, more mature man who seems to be weary of the life he has chosen (the film has a bit of a melancholic undercurrent actually, though it never spoils the comedy). Plus, the character of Lupin often changes from adaptation to adaptation anyway. Heck, even his personality in the popular second television series is nothing like the character in the original manga.Many have also criticized the character of Princess Clarisse for not being as proactive as later Miyazaki heroines such as Nausicaa or San. Yet if you take a closer look, Clarisse is not as weak as she initially seems. She's an ingénue and a damsel-in-distress, yes, but she has an inner strength to her. She escapes from the count's goons on her own at the beginning of the film, is not afraid to throw herself over an unconscious Lupin when the count threatens to shoot him, and she attempts to throw herself and the count over the edge of the clock tower when he tries killing Lupin yet again during the climax. And while some may say she's terrible and antifeminist for trying to persuade Lupin to teach her how to be a thief just so she can stay with him, you have to remember she's a love-struck, naïve, and sheltered girl who's only about seventeen or eighteen years old. Nobody thinks much through at that age.All in all, this is far from being a "weak" film. It's a fun ride, a popcorn classic, and a wonderful debut for the great Miyazaki.