Michael's Movie Grade: B
A very engaging and fun animated action fantasy from Japan.
This movie is composed of the last few episodes of season one and the first few of season two of the popular anime TV series. With this in mind this works better as a standalone movie than one might think. It may not be perfect in this regard, but it can be watched as a single film surprisingly well. It is perfectly accessible to newcomers. I have not seen a single episode of the show before watching this film and I was able to follow the story perfectly. There was not even a single moment when I felt like I was lost or missing something. It doesn't hurt that the story and action are very engaging as well. The main character is incredibly easy to relate to and root for. He is a complete underdog, who is underestimated by everyone. Because of this we take a certain joy in seeing him show people what he is made of. Yet he is also a complex character with a bit of dark side. This however just makes him may engaging to watch. The action scenes here are perfect. They feel larger than life and very exciting. Under all the blood and gore is a real sense of suspense that makes many of these action scenes keep us on the edge of our seats. The visuals here are also amazing and go far beyond their TV origins. These visuals simply look fantastic on a big screen.
This film does have its flaws though. The whole movie is filled with constant dialogue that narrates every single thing that is happening. This honestly can become a little much and a bit annoying at times. It can also feel un-cinematic. Though this works surprisingly well as movie despite its TV origins, the fact that it is comprised of various TV episodes makes it so that it has multiple points that feel like an ending. This can get distracting as when you think the movie is over, it continues. The start of the film can also be a bit rushed, but it is still easy to follow despite this.
A movie that works surprisingly well despite its TV origins.
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