fullmetal alchemist live action review

To top it off, what little alchemy the Elric brothers actually perform in the movie boils down almost entirely to laying their hands limply on the ground and summoning barriers from the pavement. Violence, gore, peril in live-action manga adaptation. Someone early on marvels at Ed's ability to do alchemy "without a transmutation circle," but characters throughout the movie snap their fingers to summon fireballs and perform other unexplained feats. Nerdist‘s Scott Begos gives it 2.5 equivalently exchanged burritos, which sounds about right: “The good news about the live-action ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ movie from Netflix and Warner Bros. is that when it’s silly, it’s fun. Check out this trailer for the live-action version of Fullmetal Alchemist, which will be available to stream on February 19th on Netflix. Copyright © 2021 Penske Business Media, LLC. Resident Evil Village Release Date Is May 7, PS4/Xbox One Versions Confirmed, PS5 Restock Updates: Check Latest Stock, Updates, And More, Xbox Series X Restocks: Check Availability Here, By Netflix’s new take on “Fullmetal Alchemist” appears to be no different, alas, as reviews of Fumihiko Sori’s adaptation have been mixed at best. That is what happened here. Unlike the Attack On Titan live-action film, Fullmetal Alchemist actually made sense, even though some rather important bits and pieces of information that was crucial to the story in the original anime was removed. Parents need to know that Fullmetal Alchemist is a live-action, subtitled Japanese fantasy movie based on one of the best-selling manga (Japanese comic book series) of all time, which has also spawned two animated TV series, video games, audio books, and more. Needless to say, this movie has a lot to live up to. March 2, 2018 F ullmetal Alchemist is one of the most celebrated and recognized Japanese fiction properties in … And to add to the confusion, it's the adult version of the character--not the child--who loses his limbs and strikes a deal to get his brother's soul back. It was cool to see how they adapted it for live action. He loves Game of Thrones and dogs. If you've never experienced FMA before, go watch the anime (preferably the Brotherhood series); if you're already a fan, boot up Netflix and watch the Fullmetal Alchemist live action movie at your own risk. Although the live-action Fullmetal Alchemist gets the nuances of Ed and Al's relationship right, it steers clear of all the shady stuff going on within the Amestris military.To be fair, the film probably didn't have the time to properly tackle such a complex conversation. At least it looked great, sporting the budget, design, and effects it deserved. It's extremely violent, with everything intensified due to the fact that it's live action rather than animation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The movie's ample CG effects, from alchemical spells like rippling cobblestones to a goopy army of groaning golems, look so bad you'll actually marvel that this was made last year and not in the late '90s. Fullmetal Alchemist (2017) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. There's one extended fight scene between the brothers themselves that manages to simultaneously make no sense, feel completely pointless, have no bearing on the story, and break the already vaguely defined rules of this world all in one. Fumihiko Sori is the director for the film and interesting enough, all of the casts are Japanese despite the film being shot in Tuscany, Italy. The sun will rise (for now, anyway). Al's suit of armor is the one exception, as it looks like they mixed some practical effects with the CG there. If you’re an anime fan, you’re used to being disappointed by live-action adaptations of your favorite stories. Fullmetal Alchemist Live Action - Review It’s worth a watch, and, as an entry point to raise interest in the originals, it might serve a greater purpose. on February 21, 2018 at 8:25AM PST. Ed definitely needed a better wig though... — エリン @ Anime NYC (@Rinlin) November 20, 2017 Fullmetal Alchemist is infinitely more interested in parroting the sights and sounds of its source material than in exploring the anime's ideas or adding anything original to the formula. Fullmetal Alchemist film review: With all long rich story adoptions you are going to lose a lot when trying to fit it into a 2h film. Perhaps in an effort to contain the sprawl, Sori chose to work with a small cast of a chosen few, but fans will be disappointed to find key characters are missing, including the brothers’ nemesis Scar and their boss, King Bradley. The tides will flow. There’s a juvenile streak running through the entirety of director Fumihiko Sori’s adaptation that boosts the broad comedy but absolutely batters any moment trying to be deep and sincere.”. There is something in there for a large audience to enjoy.”. The same can't be said for director Fumihiko Sori's live-action Fullmetal Alchemist adaptation, which manages to feel cheap in every imaginable way. Michael Rougeau Fullmetal Alchemist [Live-Action] Summary : Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese-language, live-action adaptation of the massively-popular anime and manga franchise. Fullmetal Alchemist 2017 is a live action movie based on the original series Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa.The film lasts about 133 minutes and it was just on air recently on October 25, 2017. Audience members unfamiliar with the source material are likely to simply scratch their heads at the ensuing action scenes, in which a young man in an ill-fitting blonde wig chases down a magic priest with the help of an empty suit of armor. This Article is related to: Film and tagged Fullmetal Alchemist, Netflix. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! It both adds nothing to the original and does a poor job imitating it. 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In beginning of the 20th century, in a reality where alchemy is real, extremely developed and respected. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! If you’re prepared to be let down yet again, read on: “The film’s greatest weakness is failing to adequately transmit the huge guilt Ed feels for having brought about his younger brother’s fate. Review: Fullmetal Alchemist (2017) It seems that in recent years there has been an uptick in the amount of manga based stories getting live-action treatments. This live action adaptation is as bad as M Night's Last Airbender. When the movie finally revisits that opening scene, it's as a flashback Ed sees while dreaming. This fundamental emotional element doesn’t receive proper attention until the story’s in full stride and then fails to resonate under the weight of uninspired dialogue and unconvincing delivery by Yamada.”. For those who liked the anime, and for those have never seen it before, it is definitely a worthy movie to watch. Specifically, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is my favourite anime series and possibly my favourite piece of animated media ever, and hopefully, I’ll get to awkwardly gush over it more one day. Fullmetal Alchemist Review Reviews The Fullmetal Alchemist live action movie adapts the beloved anime about bonkers alchemy and brotherly love with mixed results. Fullmetal Alchemist, or at least the manga/2009 adaptation, is among my all-time favorite anime series. Tokyo Film Review: ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ Director Fumihiko Sori's live-action update of the classic, oft-adapted manga from Hiromu Arakawa is a hit-and-miss affair. Alphonse loses his entire body while Edward loses his left leg. © 2021 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. There are no featured audience reviews for Fullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no renkinjutsushi) at this time. Fullmetal Alchemist Movie Review The latest in Netflix’s brand of live-action anime adaptations is Fullmetal Alchemist; taking what is normally long-form media, and squishing it down into a shorter format, with all the problems associated with that downsizing. That should be obvious, but in case it isn't, here's why. Despite its high profile and fan hunger, Fullmetal Alchemist is everything wrong with live-action anime adaptations. If you’re an anime fan, you’re used to being disappointed by live-action adaptations of your favorite stories. These boys--especially Ed--are supposed to be inhumanly skilled alchemists, and yet they remain totally unimpressive for the entire film. Ditto Kaori Shoji, who reviewed the live-action adaptation for IGN: “The narrative often suffers from a lack of coherence and sequential breakdown. As kids, the brothers became disfigured after an alchemical ritual gone wrong--Ed loses an arm and a leg, and Al his entire body, his soul coming to rest inside a hulking suit of armor. Al's suit of armor looks good in most scenes, Jams too much in while still feeling boring. This is more than just cutting things out to fit dozens of hours of story into a two hour-plus movie; what they did cram in meanders between poorly set-up, rushed emotional pivots, like the infamous Nina twist, to scenes that simply feel boring or pointless. Unfortunately, those sensory elements are poorly imitated as well. The live-action Fullmetal Alchemist tries to jam too much of the story from the anime and the manga into the film’s 135-minute runtime and it’s just too much to digest in that amount of time. The bad news is that when it tries to get serious, it gets silly. Just this year, we had to witness the crash-burn wreckage of Tokyo Ghoul on the cinematic tarmac. Fullmetal Alchemist is a live-action adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga series by the same name.. Arakawa’s manga is one of the most successful titles of the 2000s, selling almost 70 million copies worldwide. Thankfully, the anime handles these themes well, especially in Brotherhood. Overall this would be a good anime to start with if your looking for one. Say whatever else you want about last year's Ghost in the Shell adaptation, which pissed off most fans by changing the ending and allegedly missing the point. The movie uses multiple early scene info dumps to lamely get its core rules across: Alchemy isn't magic, despite looking like it, because of the "law of equivalent exchange," which doesn't seem to have an actual definition except in rare instances the plot requires it to. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. Years later, the boys have joined the army as official State Alchemists in the hopes their adventures will lead them to the Philosopher's Stone, which Ed can theoretically use to reunite Al with his real body. Fullmetal Alchemist overall suffers from unimaginative visual design, particularly in the characters' outfits and many terrible wigs, neither of which ever seem to fit right. The film didn’t waste any precious time on unnecessary romance scenes or include bizarre moments. You will be redirected back to your article in, Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. More positive is the Excelsior‘s Michael Alford II: “Overall, condensing two iterations of an anime was done in an astounding manner. Fullmetal Alchemist screened in Japan and at the Anime NYC convention. The plot features brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who, after attempting the forbidden technique of human transmutation, suffer the consequences. Fullmetal Alchemist follows the Elric brothers Al and Ed in a pseudo-European world where the science of "alchemy" is nearly indistinguishable from magic. The story is set in an alternate version of early 20 th-century Europe, where alchemy is possible and recognized as a legitimate form of science. There are some things that simply seem less plausible in live action than in an animated format, and Fullmetal Alchemist seems eager to brush past as many of them as possible. The Fullmetal Alchemist movie was good! I LOVE Fullmetal Alchemist! There's only 51 episodes, a movie -Full Metal Alchemist and the Conqueror of Shamballa- and a couple of games so it won't burn too big of a hole in your pocket. Fullmetal Alchemist finally gets a live-action film and it’s going to be very love and hate with fans of either of the previous versions of the series. Mike Rougeau is GameSpot's Senior Entertainment Editor. The scene of the ritual gone wrong cuts off halfway through, followed by a jarring jump several years into the future. And live-action movie versions of big-name manga rarely work out. In life, there are certain unshakable truths. Read full review The "Homonculi" Lust, Envy, and Gluttony--three ghoulish baddies whose motivations or purposes the movie never bothers to explain--are especially corny, with cheap-looking outfits and terrible CG "powers.". All rights reserved. Editor’s Note: This review for Fullmetal Alchemist may contain near complete to complete spoilers for the film, as well as potential spoilers for both the manga and its two anime adaptations. The first live-action adaptation of the phenomenally popular Japanese manga created by female author Hiromu Arakawa proves to be a mixed bag of eye-catching visuals and uneven storytelling — rushed and choppy at times, and draggy and repetitive at others. 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