Michael's Movie Grade: B
A really fun prequel to the popular anime.
This film may not be anything groundbreaking, but it is very entertaining and even kind of touching. The action scenes are fantastic. They are incredibly well paced and staged. Most of all though they are really exciting and keep you perfectly on the edge of your seat. Even with how far movie effects have come, there are still simply things you can do in an animated film that would not work as well in live action. This is perfectly shown in this film's action scenes, which know just how to use the medium to their advantage. The humor in this movie is also quite good. While it may not be consistently laugh out loud funny, there are definitely some moments that made me laugh out loud. However, what really makes this film stand out is our main character. He is incredibly likable and easy to relate to. It is hard not to care for this kid and root for him. This is what holds all the action scenes together and makes the story work so well. Yet it isn't just that he is likable, it is how he interacts and relates to the other characters. He plays off each of these characters quite well and forms a bit of a different relationship with each one. For a character who starts off simply wanting to make friends, this movie does a great job at establishing each friendship he makes. While I don't want to give much away, this movie has a strong emotional center to the story. This makes this action-packed film surprisingly moving.
On the downside the story can feel a bit rushed and not all the side characters are given the time they need to have. This can also make some plot points seem to come out of nowhere. This film also has too much dialogue that is clearly meant to simply be exposition or that clearly states what we can see or infer for ourselves.
This movie is a lot of fun for any fan of action films or of anime.
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