Cowboy Bebop (2021) Review: Netflix's live-action remake of the classic anime
has moments worth watching but serves as a reminder of how good the previous
version was.
There's an extraordinary feel to Cowboy Bebop's 1998 original animated
series, directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. The elegance of the visuals, the
fluidity of the animation, the seamless blend of sci-fi, westerns and noir –
all enhanced by Yoko Kanno's vibrant blues and jazz soundtrack.
Netflix's live-action version is, in some ways, an admirable effort, though
on the whole it's nothing more than a bland imitation.
Set in the year 2071, in a future where humanity has invaded the solar
system, Cowboy Bebop follows the adventures of bountiful bounty hunter Spike
Spiegel (John Cho) and his partner Jet, a grumbling ex-cop with a metal arm,
played by Mustafa Shakir, wowhay.com shares with you.
The remake retains the basic structure of the original. Each episode is set
up around a different issue or bounty – a bomber dressed as a teddy bear; a
murderous clown who seems to be ingenious – while telling the larger,
overarching story of Spike's past (as a member of a criminal organization)
comes back to haunt him.
Developed by showrunner André Neme (co-writer of Mission: Impossible – Ghost
Protocol) and written by Christopher Yost of Thor: Ragnarok, this is an
uneventful adaptation. The tight and crisp 20-minute stories of the original
have been stretched to almost an hour, making the episodes feel a lot
slower.
While the story itself shines when it comes to recalling the original
material's odd moments, they never accept them in a way that you find
imaginative or interesting. If anything, it just ends up reminding you of
how good the anime is.
Unfortunately, some of Cowboy Bebop's worst moments also stem from its
original ideas, such as a tedious episode in which Spike is trapped in a
virtual VR timeline, or versions Adapted from a story like Jet in search of
a strange man.
Throughout the first season, Spike and Jet added several new crew members,
including an amnesiac bounty hunter named Faye Valentine, played by Daniela
Pineda (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”) and an adorable Welsh corgi named
Ein. Each episode sees the group on the hunt for a new criminal with a
quirky, often deadly plan. Each episode brings them closer together and each
episode threatens to tear them apart if all their secrets are revealed,
wowhay.com shares with you.
There's plenty of action to watch taking place throughout season 1, which is
a fluid mix of fierce martial arts brawls and John Woo-style gunfights.
While it may not be possible to have action scenes like the original anime,
there are thrilling moments that switch between exciting and engaging
battles and truly terrifying moments.
The anime shows a lot about its era, and the live-action show Cowboy Bebop
retains a late '90s aesthetic, featuring retro tech like CRT monitors and
analog computers. This gives the sense that the show's universe feels
uncomfortable and alive, with the characters clinging to stale and damaged
relics of the past - both technologically and philosophically. It's a
visually pleasing and well-founded look at life in space.
The new Cowboy Bebop series largely succeeds in recreating and expanding
upon the original's signature style and soulful tone. One of the reasons for
that is composer Yoko Kanno's original work in the live-action series.
Classic songs like Rush, Green Bird and The Real Folk Blues also make a
return. But because Kanno and her band The Seatbelts produced a brand new
soundtrack for the show, the music feels equally nostalgic and fresh.
Netflix's Cowboy Bebop still sticks to the spirit of the original series,
but it's really at its best when it comes to doing its own thing.