War of the Worlds: Goliath (2012)

IMDB listing: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2320924/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Netflix: don't think so
Amazon Prime: ??

A retro-futuristic epic of steampunk battle set in 1914. It has been 15 years since the original H.G. Wells Martian invasion. Fearing another attack, the human race has prepared itself. This is the story of the battle tripod 'Goliath' and its young crew. 'Goliath' is the vanguard of an army of steam-powered battle walkers, heat-ray biplanes, and armored zeppelins facing a Martian fleet of giant fighting machines and flying wings. Within the cockpit of 'Goliath', courage under fire, conflicted loyalties and the struggle to save earth, in this new War of the Worlds.

I was kind of torn on how to rate this. Compared to some of the more recent stuff I've been watching, the animation was only okay...but...hmmmm. Let's look at it this way:

You got the idea from the plot synopsis in the first post. It's an animated movie. Kicker is, it's NOT a kidsy animation, yet it is a 'Western' creation. Not 100% if American, but that's besides the point. This was NOT Japanese animation. There's some swearing, and some REALLY cartoony gore effects. Almost the whole thing is done hand drawn, with the characters being over exaggerated in a 'Batman: Brave and Bold' style, with the huge chest/shoulders and squared off chins. That, with the sometimes clunky character motion, gives it an almost 70s cartoon vibe... until you see the Martian tripods, which are of the newer CG-looks-almost-hand-drawn variety. Then they unveil the human tripod walkers, done in the same CG style, and that little bit of steampunk drool starts to run.

The story... was decent. Rushed, but decent. Some nice alternate history tidbits thrown in (I mean aside from the whole movie... they added some bonus tweaks to history). The plot synopsis really tells you what you need to know without giving away spoilers. This is not based on some old manga or 70s cartoon. It's all original (minus the whole Orson Welles War of the Worlds).

Even with all the clunk, I gave it a high rating simply because it was an enjoyable watch. The Germans sounded like Germans. The Irish sounded like Irish (except for the one who sounded like Adrian Paul (SPOILER ALERT!!!  )). The Canadian sounded... black. The Japanese sounded... Canadian? Oh well, it was just kind of fun from front to back, with steampunk and dieselpunk thrown into an interplanetary war! Also, kudos have to be given since the director managed to pull it off with a damn small budget. I recommend giving it a view on a day when thinking is NOT a high priority.