This movie, aired in 1982, reprises the events from the original series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino back in 1979, from episodes 31 to 43, with almost a whole new animation.
The story in this one it is really well paced and covers almost all of the main events from the original series, with less political background than the previous movies and more focused on the battle scenes. It's plot revolves around the fictional characters Char and Amuro, where their rivalry reaches new heights with the appereance of a new female character called Lalah, who finds herself very attached to both of them, and the upcoming decisive battle between Zeon and the Federation.
The art is also unbeliable. Even today, i am still impressed by it and i certainly think that it won't discourage anyone who decides to give this movie a chance thirty years later. The character's design are quite appealing for an anime this old and they match the characters personalities pretty well. Also, i find that many of the battles which happen during the movie are extremely well animated and would put in shame many animes from today.
The sound... what can i say about it. Amuro, voiced by Toru Furuya, and Char, voiced by Shuuichi Ikeda, two of the most well know seiyuus in the anime industry, reached a legendary status within this series, giving birth to one of the best rivalries ever made in anime. The soundstrack suits every scene pretty well, specially in the most touching scenes from the movie, and the great ending theme "Meguriai", which made me shed a few tears...
As for the characters, there is some development from the White Base's crew members, specially Mirai, and from the Principality of Zeon, but it mainly focus on Char and Amuro. For those who also watched the original series, there may be some criticism about the characters in the movies simply because their development seems to be a bit rushed, which is very true, but you can still apreciate how they feel about themselves and others, along with their particular perspective on war, friendship, love and death.
Overall, the movie is very enjoyable, with a fair balance between romance, action and drama, and characters with a depth way ahead of its time. But not everybody may be used to watch anime this old, and would be understandable if that hold them back from enjoying this beautiful movie to its fullest.
I personally think an anime movie can't get much better than this.It is never too late to give Gundam a chance and enjoy this fantastic movie, along with the rest of the Universal Century related series.
