Eiga Reiton-kyôju to eien no utahime

Professor Layton is an archaeologist by profession but he is also a puzzle solver and amateur detective, along with Luke, his young sidekick he is about to solve a particularly strange case. When singer, and former student, Janice Quatlane invites them to help solve a mystery they attend a concert at the 'Crown Petone' opera house. After the performance there is a surprise announcement... one of those attending will be granted eternal life; the rest will perish. The winner will be selected via a series of puzzles. There is no opportunity to escape for reasons I won't spoil.

I enjoyed this more than I expected; I haven't played any of the associated video games so can't say how true to them it is. While there are a number of puzzles for our protagonists to solve it didn't feel too episodic like some game adaptations. The story is fun and suitable for all but the youngest children; there are a few mild scares and some of those are played for laughs... such as the Scotland Yard detective who considers a swim in shark infested waters to be refreshing. The plot may be fairly ridiculous but it works in the context of the film. The animation might not be the best I've seen but I believe it follows the look of the games so makes sense; changing styles and character designs would understandable not work for established fans. There is a decent amount of action which is exciting in a child friendly way. Overall I'd recommend this for anime fans wanting a film suitable for all ages.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.