While Lupin III has starred in a vast number of anime series and movies, I know the series only for its two auteur-driven products, Hayao Miyazaki's fun movie, Castle of Cagliostro, and Sayo Yamamoto's brilliant anime series, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine.

So this was the first Lupin III movie I've seen without a star at the helm. and I suppose it's probably closer to what fans normally expect from the series. Which, if so, is a reason not to watch any more of these.

Not that it's terrible. It's a light-hearted comedy-adventure with thieves and ancient mysteries and Nazis and super-weapons and the like, and that's all to the good. The animation is well done, it all moves reasonably briskly.

But its derivative, the characters are barely explored, the humor is mild, and the whole thing is utterly forgettable.

The director, Takashi Yamazaki, isn't bad; I saw a movie he made a few years ago called The Returner and it was a fun little B picture. But he's no Miyazaki and he doesn't have anything interesting to contribute to the basic series structure.

I probably won't watch another Lupin III product unless it's got a really good pedigree. I wouldn't bother with this one.

Characters & theft & events not at all interesting, likable or likely; even for a cartoon. CGI very good.

I heard a lot of people comparing this one to THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO-- quite a high standard. While I don't think LUPIN THE FIRST quite hits that lofty mark, it is a solid feature-length entry in the series. Like the original Red Jacket series, this movie is marked by slapstick and Indiana Jones style adventure. The more emotional elements of the script (represented by the Lettitia character) are rather conventional, but they work and never bog down the breakneck pacing. The animation looks pretty good on the whole, with the designs of these iconic characters transferring well to CG, though sometimes certain movements seemed to lack weight behind them-- and no, it wasn't during the comedic moments either. But still, this is a fun adventure I would recommend to Lupin fans, though if you've never seen a Lupin movie before, you're probably better off being introduced to this amazing franchise via CAGLIOSTRO or THE MYSTERY OF MAMO.