Urusei Yatsura 4: Ramu za Fôebâ |
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Japan • 1986 • 95m •
  • Directed by: Kazuo Yamazaki. • Starring: Fumi Hirano, Toshio Furukawa, Akira Kamiya, Kazuko Sugiyama, Saeko Shimazu, Shigeru Chiba, Shinji Nomura, Akira Murayama, Issei Futamata, Kazue Komiya, Tomomichi Nishimura, Michihiro Ikemizu, Natsumi Sakuma. • Music by: Bun Itakura.   Mendou invites Ataru & Co. to his estate for a viewing of a large, aging cherry tree named "Tarozakura", which is to be featured in an independent film which happens to be financed by Mendou, directed by Megane, and starring Lum. During filming, Ataru cuts down Tarozakura as called for in the script, but the downed tree starts foaming and disintegrates. Afterwards, bizarre incidents occur all over Tomobiki, a mountain emerges out of the ground, spring gives way to winter, Sakura's ghostly friends disappear, Lum begins losing her powers, and Lum's friends begin acting as though she doesn't exist.
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Review:
Lum the Forever is a carnival of fantastic imagery that bombards the senses with one nonsensical plot after another. There is just one thing missing: consistency. The lack of directing talent is quite apparent as there is a obvious lack of structure and meaningful material to piece anything together in a coherent way. Consistency is surprisingly important when making a film with a focus on powerful imagery and esoteric storytelling, as a consistent anchor of some kind is the major driving force behind interpretation.
Of course, there are the positives. The animation is very much the height of art in Urusei Yatsura, featuring many elaborate sequences that take place in a variety of locations. While the film itself may be a chaotic mess, the fact that it is animated so well adds a strange charm to the disorder. While overall lacking in consistency and structure, one can perhaps find some meaning in the fact that the release of the film coincided with the close of the TV series.
At the end of the day, the film is mostly but a minor copy of Beautiful Dreamer: though they may not share the same ideas, Lum the Forever is a structural mimic of the film, and an unsuccessful one at that. But a failure that strived to be more is more meaningful than the average piece of junk, and one could walk away from the film with mixed emotions but a general feeling of appreciation.
Review by udongexmyon from the Internet Movie Database.
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