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Full metal alchemist live action review7/23/2023 They learn of the Philosopher's Stone, which has the power to recover Alphonse's body. In the aftermath, younger brother Alphonse lost his entire body and his older sibling Edward an arm and a leg. The story, briefly, goes like this: In an effort to resurrect their dead mother, the Elric brothers had embarked on a dangerous and prohibited human alchemy project. Japanese fans are used to loving this like an old and trusted friend. And what better vehicle than Fullmetal Alchemist, the story of two brothers who are genius alchemists on a quest to find the mysterious Philosopher's Stone and make themselves (and the world) a little better? The original manga is retro-cute, with faux-science themes and a whiff of Harry Potter, and it has already spawned anime movies and TV series. We're ready for something stylish and fantastical, with moments of hilarity to alleviate the seriousness. “ Full Metal Alchemist the Revenge of Scar” does not reach the levels of some of the recent anime adaptations, as in the case of “Rurouni Kenshin” or “Mole Song”, but still emerges as an entertaining watch, particularly due to its action scenes, that will satisfy both fans of the original and of sci-fi movies.The timing is right: After Ghoul and Titan, moviegoers and anime fans alike are a little fed up with flesh-eating gore fests. Probably the best trait of the presentation of the story is the gradual revealing of a bigger conspiracy that is going on within the army, and the role the Fuhrer on the one side, and Mustang on the other, are to play in it going forward, with this aspect also benefiting significantly from the rather cool rendition of the two characters by Hiroshi Tachi and Fujioka respectively. The subtle moments of humor, though, are quite entertaining, with Ryosuke Yamada's enervation as Elric, every time someone mentions his height, and Dean Fujioka's realization that his powers are useless during the rain as Roy Mustang being the apogee of this trait. On the other hand, when there is no action, the movie truly suffers, also due to the aforementioned fact, of trying to squeeze all those characters and episodes in one film, making it really hard for any viewer to empathize, or even remember them after a fashion. Also of note is how close to the original the appearance of all the characters is, in a testament to the quality of the production, with the combination of Keiji Hashimoto's cinematography, Takeshi Shimizu's production design and Rie Nishihara's costumes resulting in a rather impressive outcome, even if the blond hair does not always work. Particularly the fact that the brothers get their share of punishment from Scar works quite well here, as much as the presence of Gluttony, who emits a constant sense of both idiocy and danger. ![]() This aspect actually permeates the movie, with the production working quite well in the action scenes, courtesy of the big budget allocated to the special effects, and Masayoshi Deguchi's action direction. ![]() The same applies to Tsubasa Honda's Winry, one of the most interesting characters in the film (and the franchise) who gives a rather appealing performance apart from the moments where she has to emote drama, which, unfortunately, end up being melodramatic instead. Mackenryu gives a very fitting performance, even if the dramatic moments could be handled a bit better. Some exceptions do exist however, with Scar actually being quite eloquently portrayed, as a very strong man who is tormented, though, by his past, with his connection with Winry highlighting this trait in the best fashion. ![]() Envy and Gluttony are still almost everywhere running their own schemes, while the whole past story of Ishval is eventually revealed, connecting all the aforementioned with Winry, in the most dramatic arc of the movie, and Roy Mustang and his crew.Īs usual, trying to fit around 20 anime episodes in a two-hour movie proves a futile effort, and much like the first film, Sori fails in highlighting both the characters and the events in their rather intricate style that was showcased in the anime. At the same time, Edward and Alphonse stumble upon a prince named Lin Yao and his two bodyguards, who are in search of the Philosopher's Stone, as much as Lan Fan, a kind-hearted girl who is from the same country as the three foreigners. ![]() As it is soon revealed, Scar is on a mission to kill every State Alchemist, in a desperate effort to exact revenge from the genocide the army committed years ago in Ishval, with his quest eventually revealing another side of the army and particularly of the Fuhrer, which was not evident at all before.
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