WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

dee.reid I have an odd history with the "Patlabor" series of Japanese Anime' OVAs, TV shows, comics, and feature-length Anime' films.I saw "Patlabor: The Movie" (1989) when it was first released in a limited edition DVD set back in 2006. I had the good fortune of watching the movie over the Fourth of July weekend that year, and I must say that I remember thoroughly enjoying the picture for what it was: a detective story mixed with a strong science fiction backdrop laced with all sorts of thematic material about technology's ascension over human beings (there is little doubt, in my mind, that the story was inspired by "Blade Runner").But I've only seen the movie once, unfortunately, which was just that one time. Now over the Christmas break 2012, I have the fortune of watching the film's sequel, "Patlabor 2: The Movie." If you remember, the series is set over what at that time was the future (1998-2002). The story involved large robots (called "Labors") that were used for both construction work and law enforcement duties; the series focused mostly on the law enforcement Labors, which are called "Patrol Labors" ("Patlabors").Mamoru Oshii (most famous for the 1995 sci-fi cyber-thriller "Ghost in the Shell") returns for the directorial duties of the sequel (as does Kazunori Ito on the screenplay, who also worked on the script for "Ghost"), which is set three years after "Patlabor: The Movie." The film shifts the focus of the story from Noa Izumi and Asuma Shinohara, the plucky heroine and hero of the first movie, to Kiichi Gotoh, the understated yet calculating commander of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's 2nd Special Vehicles Section (SV2), Division #2. He and his immediate superior Commander Shinobu Nagumo attempt to investigate a series of terrorist incidents that they believe are the work of a disgruntled ex-Japanese Self-Defense Forces officer named Yukihito Tsuge. His main goal appears to be revenge for a failed United Nations Labor operation in Southeast Asia three years earlier in 1999."Patlabor 2: The Movie" is a very plot-heavy film with a strong political subtext meant to raise questions about Japan's place in world affairs in the late 20th century/early 21st century. Make no mistake, this is a politically-charged Anime' film, one that may be lost on non-Japanese audiences that addresses Japan's role as a (forcibly) pacifist society as a result of its defeat in World War II. According to Carl Gustav Horn in the booklet for the DVD of "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" (1998), Tsuge's campaign of domestic terrorism is meant to force Japan to face up to its largest "political contradiction": Its forced rejection of war (as a result of Article 9 of the 1947 Japanese Constitution - which was written by the Allies, not the Japanese people themselves) and the fact that Japan must rely on the United States for its primary defense (as a result of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty of 1954). Tsuge's plan, in effect, almost brings Japan to the brink of war. It is a troubling question, but a thoughtful one of what Japan should do to defend itself - without violating its commitment to peace (or at least within the confines of stiff Article 9 regulations)."Patlabor 2: The Movie" is a great film, one that may not be as action-packed as the first movie, but it's a more thoughtful picture than the first movie.10/10

Haradrim Mamoru Oshii has created an amazing work of political and military intrigue wholly different from the haunted proto-ghost story of Patlabor: The Movie. Although it parallels its predecessor in some plot elements (lone madman with delusions of affecting a world-change), the movie departs from all other aspects of "typical" Japanese cartoon work and enters a realm reserved for potboilers like Three Days of the Condor and The Hunt for Red October.Commander Gotoh, caught between his loyalty to his men, his sense of duty and his relationship with one of his troops and a coming civil war finds himself on the sword point of a massive socio-political upheaval with overtones of covert U.S. backing. What it all leads to is a potential breakdown of civilian governance of Japan and an end to that nation's independent self-rule. The terroristic acts of a lone military mastermind who bears a grudge against short sighted bureaucrats - and has the reasons for his contempt proved time and again during the crisis he engineers - push Japan into a state of near panic as the military and the police including Commander Gotoh's Special Vehicles Unit face off against one another. Will the final showdown end in the madness of a civil war? Watch the movie, find out.Forget preconceptions about Japanese cartoons, and discard the mental image brought up by the "giant robot" on the cover of the DVD. The "Labors" serve as mere background icons (much as the powered armor did in R.A. Heinlein's seminal Starship Troopers (not the execrable movie loosely based on that work)) and as subtle statements on the separation of men from society by duty and law.Please, if you have a prejudice against Japanimation, don't let it override your judgment. Don't miss this one. It's that good.

Chris Conner Patlabor 2 is an incredible movie all around. Let me begin. Point#1: The Story. The story is superior to Patlabor 1's by far. It is more enthralling and has all questions answered nicely. Point#2: The Directing. Mamoru Oshii does it again! This was his first film when he started becoming artistic, and he already has it mastered. He manages to visualize Ito's screenplay so well, it is just breathtaking. Point#3: The Music. Another beautiful score from Kenji Kawai! He makes some beautifully animated scenes and makes them even more beautiful! He was definitely ready to compose a movie such as Ghost In The Shell. Conclusion: Just watch it. Go out to Blockbuster and rent this movie. Then, buy it. If they don't have it, DEMAND IT! That's all I have to say. See you later. Rating: 5 out of 5

Dan42 This is a fine example of what Japanese animation can produce at its best. The style of this movie strongly reminds me of a Tom Clancy novel, which is unusual for anime. At the beginning I was a little put off by the slow pace of the movie, but as the story unfolded, I was sucked in by its complexity and realism. Indeed, the conflict and the political games between the government, the army and the police are so well constructed that I thought "this could *really* happen!"If you liked this movie you should try to see "Jin-roh". There's the same kind of political and military intrigue but the story is more personal and close to the action than the high-circle strategy atmosphere which permeates Patlabor 2.