Photo by: Ashlyn Eustace
DISCLAIMER: There are going to be some spoilers in here. You have been warned.
This is a long time coming, but it’s finally here. After heavy anticipation from the last year, the new Fullmetal Alchemist movie has been released to the public via Netflix. Based on the popular manga/ anime series of the same name (including Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) by Hiromu Arakawa, this live-action adaptation, put an interesting twist on the already dark, action-packed series.
This past week, after careful consideration, I decided to watch the movie. Let it be known, that I have been an active Fullmetal Alchemist fan since I first watched the first anime Though I do prefer the second anime adaptation of the series (considering it follows the manga, and doesn’t derive off to new plot line, with an original ending), I was curious on how this live-action version of my favorite anime would suffice.
To put things simply, I didn’t think it was too bad.
The opening of the movie stayed true to the actual beginning sequence that happens in the original series; Trisha dies (though rather suddenly in the first 3 minutes) and the Elric brothers are orphaned. They decided to bring her back, and obviously, it backfires, but that’s when the title sequence pops in and then we are suddenly thrust into Reole, with that conniving fake-priest, Cornello. With a grown Edward chasing after him. All things considered, when that happened my response was: WTF?
The battle between the two, which is supposed to happen inside a church, instead happens on the desolate streets of Reole where it swings into introducing who Edward is to the audience at home. While I was a bit miffed about how the movie was doing things, the graphics were top-notch, and that’s something I respect considering I am a digital artist. We’re then introduced to Alphonse, who clanks around in his hollow body of armor.
As I continued to watch, I kept pointing out details to my friends about the things that happened in either the manga or the anime. I also pointed out areas that were out of sequence, or not even supposed to happen. For example: Al starts to doubt his own worth as a soul attached to a hollow body, and wonders if his memories are even real, but Shou Tucker tells this to Al. In the actual series, the one who makes all question is a psychopath whose soul is also attached to a suit of armor.
I mean, they did keep things true to the anime/ manga as well. They kept the horrific Nina-Alexander scene that literally breaks heart when mentioned. They kept how Mayes Hughes dies in a telephone booth; with that scene though, it seemed like a mixture between the first and second anime. I’m not entirely sure, but if I had to complain about one thing, it would be the ending.
The ending was just…weird. Shou Tucker breaks out of prison, and kidnaps both Al and Winry, then forces Ed to rip his metal, prosthetic off? Then suddenly, at Lab 5 there are giant containers of philosopher stone’s that aren’t really philosopher stones? Tucker dies at the hands of Lust, and then this character who has been in the movie the whole time named Hakuro, (who people who have watched the first anime adaptation of FMA would probably know) comes in a says he built an army.
Yet, the things that kind of irritated me the most about the movie was the fact Lust died too soon. She was supposed to go on, and live for a while and then be killed, as is done in the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and in the manga. While she did die at the hands of Colonel Roy Mustang, as true in the series, it was way too soon.
Though I do have to say, they had majority of the character designs on point, except Winry cause she’s supposed to have blonde hair not brown, but besides that, it was great. The locations were true to the Germanic and Italian influences, especially in the building designs, and the cinematographic was beautiful.
To quickly summarize, the movie was good, it tried to keep in the lines of the anime/ manga but obviously went its own route for a while and ended the movie to make it clear that a sequel can happen. There were some aspects that were a miss and some things that hit.
Out of five stars, I give it three-and-a-half.