The Lupin the IIIrd sub-series of Lupin the Third, first introduced in 2012's Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, has been sporadically getting new entries for a decade now—with Lupin the IIIrd: The Immortal Bloodline (Lupin the IIIrd The Movie: Fujimi no Ketsuzoku) acting as the climax to the story so far. With over a decade since the start of this story arc, it's no surprise that this film begins with a several-minute-long recap of the other relevant entries in the Lupin the IIIrd sub-series—the four previous OVAs. Since several of the characters introduced in the OVAs play important roles in the film to come, this turns out to be rather welcome. It also reinforces the stakes our heroes are facing—that if they don't take the fight to the man in the shadows, who knows when they will next be attacked?

From there, the story moves on to the crew arriving at the island (with Zenigata hot on their heels, of course) and promptly being stranded there. With the Bermuda Triangle serving as the setting to this film, we're subconsciously primed for a far more supernatural adventure than seen in the OVAs—and the film immediately plays into this. Soon we see that the entire population of the island—many who became stranded on it decades before—have all become something close to the walking dead. This is due to a poisonous mist that permeates the island, and it leaves Lupin and the gang with only a few days to escape the island before they end up the same way.

Thus, a lot of this film is about seeing how Lupin stands up against the supernatural. He believes that even behind something akin to magic, there is a trick—some kind of hidden weakness to be exploited. Finding and utilizing such a weakness—be that in a bank, a museum, or a person—is what Lupin is all about. But what does Lupin do when coming up against a villain who appears to be completely immortal, who can take a bullet to the brain and be up again in just a few seconds? Can even Lupin's genius intellect stop such an overwhelming power? This is something that pushes him to his limits and beyond.

Thematically, this story asks the question: Does the world need the likes of Lupin III and the gang? Would things be better without them? That's an interesting question. While they are all villains, their adventures often end up with a greater villain being punished (which is probably why Zenigata remains in charge of capturing them despite his numerous failures to do so). And the film doesn't give us an answer to this question. Instead, we are left to determine that on our own as we watch the gang fight for survival against overwhelming odds.

The film also touches on what lies at the core of Lupin himself: Why does he steal? While he values what he has stolen over the years—and is more than a little upset at seeing them destroyed—the material things aren't what's most important. Rather, it's the memories that are tied to each item that he truly values—and this is why becoming a mindless zombie and forgetting all that is even more abhorrent to him than death.

Like the OVAs that precede it, this film is full of crazy fight scenes. While it's less gory than the OVAs (though the recap portion does show the more graphic of these scenes in all their glory), it still keeps all the realism from those OVAs, even in the film's more supernatural setting. Each hit, fall, cut, and scrape does lasting damage to our heroes. By the end of it, more than a few of them are nursing broken bones at the very least.

The film is also fantastically animated, both in the action scenes and out. The fight scenes are fast, fluid, and impeccably detailed. The island is a well-crafted and utterly surreal location containing everything from temples and shipwrecked aircraft carriers to modern military vehicles and weapons. The setting is as much a character as Lupin and the gang.

As for the music, it remains understated like in the OVAs. There is no big-band music during the action scenes and no new rendition of the Lupin the Third theme at the climax. This gives the entire presentation a more serious feel, giving weight to the story being told. But if you are looking for a more upbeat tune, the movie's theme, “The IIIrd Eye” by the B'z, is a fun little song and more than a bit of an earworm.

Lupin the IIIrd: The Immortal Bloodline has a lot to live up to as the first traditionally animated Lupin the Third feature film in nearly 30 years—and it does so. It's fun, action-packed, and wonderfully animated. Not only does it serve as a satisfying conclusion to the OVAs, it also serves to connect the Lupin the IIIrd sub-series back to the first feature film, Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo—while, at the same time, exploring the gang's place in the world and what makes Lupin III who he is. If you're even slightly a fan of Lupin and friends, give this film a watch (but be sure to watch the OVAs before you do).