Review: Lupin the IIIrd starts the year off with a breezy adventure in The Immortal Bloodline
My first 2026 release this year is also an animated one, which is exactly how I want to start off the new year. And what a fun, breezy start it was with LUPIN THE IIIRD: The Movie -- The Immortal Bloodline, which surely has more to deliver to diehard fans of the franchise, but still proved super enjoyable for a casual enjoyer like me.
While The Immortal Bloodline definitely feels like a fan service-driven movie, it's a super easy watch even for the uninitiated. There are various characters who pop up who the main cast clearly has history with, and there are some brief flashbacks and dialogue explaining some of those connections, but it doesn't matter much. Everything basically boils down to: Lupin and his comrades have a lot of enemies, and some of those enemies are back and trying to kill them in the midst of this largely, even deadlier adventure.
That adventure sees Lupin, along with Goemon, Fujiko, and Jigen (with Inspector Zenigata on their tail) venturing the a hidden island where, they believe, they'll find the mastermind who keeps sending assassins after them. Their theory definitely holds some water, because as they approach, they're shot out of the sky, leading to a crash landing and the gang being split up on an island that pulses with life and is covered in the remnants of death. Everywhere you look, there are dregs of war: abandoned tanks, ominous lines of guns in the sand, and lots of zombie-esque and robotic minions with death on their minds (or what's left of their minds).
The runtime for this movie is listed as 93 minutes on IMDb, but with how long the end credits are, I think it clocks in at something closer to 80. It's a super breezy affair, with plenty of intense action scenes, fun character moments, and some cool world-building. The setting is definitely one of the stars here, mysterious and strange and very dangerous-feeling. There's a strong sense of foreboding, not to mention the ticking clock: the island oozes a poisonous gas that kills most humans within 24 hours. This movie has all the right trappings for something lean and propulsive, and that's exactly what it is.
I've only seen two other Lupin adventures: The Castle of Cagliostro (obviously, Miyazaki is the GOAT) and Lupin III: The First, which was the first (and I think only) CGI adventure for the beloved thief. I always enjoy the time I spend with him, but none of the movies have ever stopped me in my tracks to think, "Huh, I need to delve into this in a much bigger way." And The Immortal Bloodline didn't, either, which is fine. With such long-running franchises, sometimes the way to go is to just jump in when you can, enjoy what you see, and then wait for the next one.
While The Immortal Bloodline definitely feels like a fan service-driven movie, it's a super easy watch even for the uninitiated. There are various characters who pop up who the main cast clearly has history with, and there are some brief flashbacks and dialogue explaining some of those connections, but it doesn't matter much. Everything basically boils down to: Lupin and his comrades have a lot of enemies, and some of those enemies are back and trying to kill them in the midst of this largely, even deadlier adventure.
That adventure sees Lupin, along with Goemon, Fujiko, and Jigen (with Inspector Zenigata on their tail) venturing the a hidden island where, they believe, they'll find the mastermind who keeps sending assassins after them. Their theory definitely holds some water, because as they approach, they're shot out of the sky, leading to a crash landing and the gang being split up on an island that pulses with life and is covered in the remnants of death. Everywhere you look, there are dregs of war: abandoned tanks, ominous lines of guns in the sand, and lots of zombie-esque and robotic minions with death on their minds (or what's left of their minds).
Seemingly pulling the stings of the island is the immortal Muom, a sort of evolved ape-man with a head so long you couldn't in good conscience call it a forehead -- it's at least a sixhead, in my humble opinion. Even when his body is burned or his head is blown clean off, he regenerates and regains his incredible strength and speed. He's a seemingly impossible-to-beat foe, so he's a worthy opponent for our cunning thief.
The runtime for this movie is listed as 93 minutes on IMDb, but with how long the end credits are, I think it clocks in at something closer to 80. It's a super breezy affair, with plenty of intense action scenes, fun character moments, and some cool world-building. The setting is definitely one of the stars here, mysterious and strange and very dangerous-feeling. There's a strong sense of foreboding, not to mention the ticking clock: the island oozes a poisonous gas that kills most humans within 24 hours. This movie has all the right trappings for something lean and propulsive, and that's exactly what it is.
And if it isn't the meatiest movie you've ever seen, that's more a symptom of what kind of movie this is. Some anime movies feel like a big event, or cover an entire arc. This one, not so much. I guess this might be a full arc, but it really feels like a single big episode, not a ton of meat on its bones, but enough to be pretty thoroughly entertaining. It doesn't waste your time, provides a few thrills, and wraps up nicely while teasing what's next. It's a bridge, not a destination, and a very entertaining bridge, at that.
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