That being said, I first was recommended Gundam SEED from friends who thought the anime was groundbreaking and excellent. After watching a couple of episodes of the series, I could tell I was going to have to deal with the "Gundam Drag" in this show, as well. Instead of writing off the show as too slow, I decided to watch the much more concise movies.
I will admit, I wasn't terribly impressed by the story. The plot was very much scripted from previous Gundams, which is pretty much understood to be the norm for any Gundam series, but I felt some of the character interactions let it at least stand alone as a separate entity. If you have watched another Gundam series, except for a few of the lesser projects, then you will not be superbly impressed by this one. Both the start and end of the plot are near carbon copies of other Gundams, only the culmination of events is slightly different.
Even so, the films still seem to deliver. In the little time that the series of movies has to capture your attention, it is easy to get attached to or disgusted with any of the characters. As the events unfold, nearly every moment is enjoyable and feels somewhat fresh.
As long as you don't start role-casting from other Gundams like I found myself doing, you should be able to enjoy these films in their entirety and not have to worry about far too much time spent watching the entire series.
