First of all, I decided to write a review for this movie because it left a strong impression on me, and not a pleasant one I might add. I am a big fan of One Piece and I especially like where and how the story is going in the manga and the anime series and that's why I was really anxious to watch this movie too, only to be wondering why have I even bothered after seeing as much as half of it. I really had high expectations from this one, especially with all the hype around it and all, even though the past movies
...
weren't anything special.
I don't wish to ruin anyone's enjoyment, that's why I will try to be as objective as possible and give all the arguments necessary for my score decisions.
BUT LET ME WARN YOU, THIS IS A NEGATIVE REVIEW AND IT MAY CONTAIN SOME SMALL SPOILERS, SO DON'T READ IT IF YOU KNOW IT MAY AFFECT YOUR VIEWING EXPERIENCE!
STORY: The story is nonexistent. There is absolutely nothing in this that could be considered a story. The crew just beats the crap out of the bad guy saving the damsel in distress in the process and all for some cheap reason. When I say that the reason is not worthy to mention is because the viewer just doesn't seem to relate to the seriousness of the situation, mainly because we only HEAR about what the bad guy (Shiki) is going to do. There is almost NO VISUAL REPRESENTATION of the tragic that such a situation would represent, so the viewer remains unfazed emotionally most of the time. My score for the story is 3, yes you read it right, 3. All the hype about Eiichiro Oda being the one to write the script for this film I think it was mainly done for publicity reasons, as there is little substance to the actual story.
CHARACTERS: The characters that we all love and adore are full of clicheistic behaviour and unnatural reactions. But let me elaborate a bit on what I mean. The Straw Hat crew seem to behave throughout the story mostly in repetitive ways from past series' episodes. Now, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if done with care and moderation, but here we just see this many behaviour patterns brought together from several different arcs from the anime series and mixed to form this "thing" that lacks substance. On the other side of the barricade, the bad guys are... well... just silly. I mean, Shiki is one bad dude, his power is awesome, I can't deny that. I was really surprised by it, but his personality is just demeaning for the "legend" that he is supposed to represent and his actions and his master plan are just at a kindergarten level. His crew is stupid, and I mean stupid... There is no way such a crew could ever pose any threat to anyone, especially Gol D. Roger. They're not scary, they're not smart, they're not powerful and they're not even funny... especially funny. The jokes are terrible. And not only their jokes, but the jokes throughout the hole movie. They're really D grade material. The only thing that really stands out about the characters is the clothes they wear. Now, I don't dislike them, they're pretty cool, but I think this is mainly for the fanservice and the publicity and don't really fit well with the adventurous atmosphere that the One Piece world should have. So... for the characters I think a score of 4 is just about right. There are some good points but too few to make a difference. The not so good points just seem to overwhelm everything...
ANIMATION: The animation, at first really blowed me away, but slowly started to seem less and less attractive. The opening and the first part of the anime has astonishing graphics, wonderful views with top notch computer finishes. The battles are also very beautifully animated and really give a sense of awesomeness. But... yes... there is a but here too... There are some sequences where the animation just seems rushed and others where it seems plain. Not many I might add, but it still adds this feeling of inconsistency throughout the movie. Talking about inconsistency, the pace is very uneven. Either a fast pace is invoked or a slow one and they don't really transition smoothly between one to another. So, for the animation, I think an 8 is appropriate, and yes, I don't think I'm being generous. This is probably a fair score.
SOUND: Now... here you will find a problem. One of the first thing you may notice is that there is NO SOUND... yes, you heard me correctly... NO SOUND. And when I say this I mean there is no music through much of the film. The music is the most important thing when one wants to create an atmosphere suitable for the different situations that arise. And this movie lacks everything when it comes to atmosphere, and mainly because of the music. I was really disappointed by this. The characters' voices are pretty decent... the ones' everyone's already familiar with, so no problem here, although there isn't really much dialogue to be found. So for the sound, another 3, and now I'm being generous...
ENJOYMENT: I was really flustered about my expectations from this movie and it's real value. So, while I can't say I didn't enjoy it I can't say I felt any kind of satisfaction either. More like dissatisfaction. So... for the enjoyment, let's say... 4 will do.
RECOMMENDATION: If you're a One Piece fan, watch it. Also, if you're age is not greater than 12 you'll probably find it cool. Otherwise don't waste your time with it.
OVERALL my score is 4. Now, I don't know, maybe I was in a bad mood when I watched it and it deserves more, so don't go screaming your eyes out at me. If you disagree with me then I'm really happy for you, because the time you spent watching this film was enjoyable and it probably became a happy memorable experience for you.
Jul 26, 2010
One Piece Film: Strong World
(Anime)
add
First of all, I decided to write a review for this movie because it left a strong impression on me, and not a pleasant one I might add. I am a big fan of One Piece and I especially like where and how the story is going in the manga and the anime series and that's why I was really anxious to watch this movie too, only to be wondering why have I even bothered after seeing as much as half of it. I really had high expectations from this one, especially with all the hype around it and all, even though the past movies
...
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