Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa

Well, after the masterpiece of Fullmetal Alchemist gets a terrible ending, this movie "solves" the ending. Was it better than the original? NO. Well, there might be spoilers in the following review, so you have been warned.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!

Story (3/10) Well, I wanted to see more of the world of the original fma that we all grew to love. But instead, this movie got involved in some plot about the Nazis. So yeah, very disappointing. At least we saw a little of the original. But I hate the story because it literally goes nowhere....except for the screwed up ending. Literally, the choice Ed made at the ... end of the movie was so stupid.

Art (7/10) Well, the art was actually a little worse. The animation was still fluid, but the art was so dull and gray. In the original series, it was beautiful to look at, but here, it was just gray everywhere, dark, dull, just not as good. It wasn't horrible, but was a real letdown.

Sound (7/10) Okay, but still, lacking compared to fma. That's all I have to say.

Characters (6/10) Well, the original characters (some of them at least) come back very well. Alphonse came back much diferrent, but the movie didn't have ENOUGH OF HIM!!!! You wanna know why? Because the movie put focus on useless characters that literally had no development or anything interesting about them. One of them even DIED! Wow, such a waste. At least Armstrong came back though.

Enjoyment (2/10) Boy, I really wanted to quit this movie in the middle of it. No, all of it. I hated it. I was extremely disappointed. I know most of you don't agree with me, and that's fine, but I had no enjoyment at all except for the few scenes when some of the original characters came back (for about a minute)

Overall: Pros:
+Some things from the original series are resolved.
+Nice to see some characters come back.
Cons:
-Everything was a step down from the original FMA.
-Awful story
-The art, while still decent, was very lacking compared to the original.
-New characters have nothing interesting about them and have no development whatsoever.
-Even worse ending then the original FMA.

Overall Score: 5/10
My Score: 3/10

I don't recommend this film to anyone, neither newcomers nor FMA fans.

Well, this is my first review. So here we go...

I started watching this movie hearing mixed things about it. Sure it had a pretty good score on this website, but some people I know who had seen it said it was just OK. But I started watching it still hopeful that they could be wrong and it would be great. But it ended up being just OK, like they had said.

Story (6/10): The end of the TV series left a lot of questions. All this movie does is add more questions to your mind and then answer them poorly or not at all. The story ... was just plain confusing, and the setting made it not even feel like Fullmetal Alchemist. It was slightly interesting about the beginning, but my interest started to slip towards the later portion of it.

Art (8/10): The art was pretty good. It's better then the TV series, which is expected considering that it's a movie. One thing I didn't like was that they are these armored suits in the movie, and when they move they are shown in this awkward 3D animation. I've never liked 3D animation mixed with 2D, so this kind of turned me off...

Sound (7/10): Nothing outstanding. The music blends in well in the background (I didn't really notice it), and the opening music is pretty good.

Characters (5/10): I feel this is where it mainly fell apart. It felt like it tried to squeeze in all the characters from the original series, and it did a poor job of doing so. A lot of characters you see for like five seconds, and then they are gone from the movie. And the ones they did show a lot didn't really act like themselves. The ones introduced weren't amazing either. I liked Noah, but the main antagonist was just your stereotypical villain who was very bland and not interesting.

Enjoyment (6/10): Another mediocre area. I was enjoying the beginning, but I began to get kind of bored 30 minutes in. The action was kind of monotonous and felt forced, and the only reason I didn't forget I was watching a Fullmetal Alchemist movie was because I saw Edward on screen. It was not nearly as epic as the original show and everything felt out of place.

Overall (6/10): This movie was mediocre. Nothing about it really stood out to me. I felt it was unnecessary, and slightly tarnished the original 2003 series, which already didn't have an amazing ending. The ending for this movie was not very good, and the setting and characters felt like they were from another show. It had some good elements, but was not nearly as enjoyable as the anime. Edward felt like himself, but Al didn't at all. I would tell you if the other characters did or not, but they only appeared on screen for five seconds, so I couldn't say. I wish I could say more about the ones that had more screen time, but then I would be spoiling stuff.

So is this worth watching if you watched the original anime? I don't think so. But I won't say you shouldn't watch it. It definitely could have been worse, and not everything about it is bad. I may sound a bit overly negative in my review, which is probably because the ending left a bad taste in my mouth. The movie really isn't BAD. It just isn't GOOD.

Well, that's my first review. Sorry if it's a bit messy, or if it's lacking detail or great reasoning. I just really had to review this one after seeing it's overrated score. It's a decent and unnecessary movie, but it could have been worse.

As someone who has only just recently had the chance to watch Fullmetal Alchemist despite reading some of the manga a few years back. Now I will preface this with: No I haven't finished reading the manga nor have I watched Brotherhood. Saving up my money for that.

Onto The Conqueror of Shamballa.

Honestly to sum up: Save the 2 hours you could spend watching this and rewatch the original anime or read some of the manga, or watch Brotherhood if you can - they are all better than this.

This movie has just no real weight, nothing is really accomplished and the worst part is - ... I didn't really care for the characters at during the film. Yeah I understand that's the point of a non-canon film but really even the fight scenes are not really worth sitting through the two hours because they are short and there's better action in the original series.

The best action sequence happens in the first 5 or so minutes of the film. The best scene is just seeing Alphonse and Edward goof off in the first few minutes as they would in the anime but that's the problem - it doesn't last.

Most of the film is spent with the many disconnected subplots which we don't really care about. Sure we want Edward and Alphonse to see each other again but we spend most of the movie building up to that with boring dialogue and explanations that no one cares about. Also they never explain how Alchemy just suddenly starts working in the otherworld again despite the ending of the anime stating that it couldn't be used - looks like they just threw continuity out the window there.

Otherworld Al is building rockets, he's only known Edward for 2 years - the time it's been since the last anime - so they don't really act like brothers, Alphonse and Edward don't understand each other's feelings. Edward is too busy moping about not being able to see Alphonse so he doesn't even feel like the cheerful Edward we spent 52 episodes getting to know. The other Alphonse can't remember his experiences so he doesn't feel like the strong little soldier we know from the anime either. That's the problem everyone feels like shells of their former selves from the anime. Even Mustang is moping around.

Despite all my complaints about this movie's Al, he does show off some impressive Alchemy and a nod to his soul being attached to the armour by being able to bring suits of armour to life by putting a bit of his soul in them. I still feel like that contradicts some of the logic of alchemy from the series but oh well none of this is canon anyway.

The only drama here is everyone being depressed until the portals open in about the last 20 minutes of the movie. Leading to fights with villains no one cares about and we know are going to lose because they are in a world with magic they don't truly understand the advantage to Edward and Alphonse is obvious.

Sure the voice actors are all giving it there best shot to try and make you care but the plot is just so empty and meaningless. There are plenty of cameos of old characters from the anime in the otherworld but since it's a parallel dimension none of them really act like themselves, if they ever show a hint of their real personality it doesn't last and it all just feels like a strange crossover that no one was asking for, why would anyone want a Nazi Maes Hughes? He was one of the nicest characters yet they made him a Nazi?

I guess you could say my main problem with this movie is the plot. How all the characters don't feel like the ones we know and love but rather empty depressed shells.

The music and animation is pretty much standard though nothing compared to that of the anime - the music also seems to start and stop in odd places here and there that ruin the dramatic tension for me. There are some parts where the animation is noticeably poorer only to have the next few seconds be in overdrive which is somewhat jarring. Mostly in the Wrath versus Glutton fight.

The voice acting is the same overall quality from the series but since the writing isn't near as memorable it doesn't carry the same weight or purpose.
Essentially that made me completely unable to enjoy the film.

The action is pretty subpar in comparison to the anime, in fact everything plot wise and action wise is boring and subpar compared to the anime series, why are you watching this when you could be watching that is all I'm wondering.

-Spoilers-

Also Alphonse and Edward care for Winry far too much to leave her behind like that, I expected better from Edward and Alphonse.

I was a little disappointed, it did not give me the satisfying ending I had hoped it would. It did conclude the business of the show, in a way, but I feel there is so much more left. The love arc with Ed and Winrey was what I really most wanted to see complete, but sadly that does not happen. I feel that Brotherhood has a more satisfying ending for the story of Edward Elric, even if it is a different story. Now if you remove Brotherhood from the equation I still feel like this movie left the show just a ... tiny bit incomplete. Watch it if you prefer the original show over Brotherhood, but if you enjoy Brotherhood more you will probably feel more like me.

I hate the ending. Why would You make both brothers live in the other world smh. Also i don't care about the villain. Dante should of been the final villain somehow and the homunculus should of been very important to the ending, not how they did it. Okay the way Wrath went out i'm actually happy with that but Envy? No. Just imagine a epic showdown between the Elric brothers and Dante! Edward Elric why the hell would You be so selfish and live in the other world!? I can't get over this ending. It just makes no sense out Ed was willing to just ... like in the other world without his brother (Yeah his bro joins him in the end but stilll) Winry etc. They could of handled it a lot better but it was a mess. If i watch Brotherhood i know for a fact I will prefer that ending more than this but the character SLOTH is different in both verisons and I like the 2003 version so that will be my only downside.

Story:
The story is a direct continuation of the 2003 series, and wouldn't hold as a stand alone, but works well as an extended sort of epilogue if you will. It should have worke as a conclusion too, but so little has changed between the start and end of the film that I really can't say it adds anything to the series beyond a few hours' airtime. As a fan of the series, of course we want to see more of our beloved characters (even if most only reappear for a few seconds), and it's enjoyable to see who Ed has become. But beyond that this ... film honestly has very little to offer.
The extended plot is simple and orthodox; the big bad wants to do evil, has tricked all the innocent people into following them, and only our hero with a few select comrades knows the truth of the matter and can stop them. There are certainly parts that are well done, but I can only say that this film is average, and depends on our pre-existing love for the franchise - somewhat ironically, as, although in some ways understandably, there is a glaring lack of one of FA's staples: Alchemy, or more specifically, the Fullmetal Alchemist; in the new world Ed is just an average young man. I still hated the ending, but I'm sure that's quite subjective, aside from it's inconclusiveness.

Art:
The art and animation were smooth and steady, just like the series... with the entirely random exception of the super-cgi army of armoured infantary (Why are the post WWI germans wearing suits of armour? Nobody knows, but Al's armour's doppelganger gets a cameo, so isn't that nice.)

Sound:
I can only say that, like the art, it was equal to the series, there was nothing particularly striking in a positive or negative sense.

Character:
The characters were definitely mixed in value, but I'll start with our protagonist, Ed.
At the start of the film it's very clear that Ed holds to the values he learned in his old world during the series, and also how his spirit is affected by his current life; I thought it was a great transition from where the series left off, his development felt very natural. Within the film however Ed has nothing to learn and therefore develops very little as a person, if at all. He's already learned who he needs to be to deal with the events in this film, and he already knows his place in the world. If there is any development, it's accepting the transition of his place in his original world to his place in this one. In a way I don't think this is all bad; it's satisfying to see a character be supported by his life's experiences having watched him learn the hard way the first time round, and it allows him to guide the characters around him who are still finding themselves. I do miss his doing alchemy though; it feels as though a part of him is missing, as alchemy is an integral part of his identity and his growth throughout his life, and him lacking his true abilities is achingly clear during fight scenes, making things feel very off. This adds to the story, as we experience an extent of how unsettling this new life is for Ed... or should have been, as apparently this doesn't matter at all according to the end of the film. Simultaneously if the Fullmetal Alchemist is no longer an alchemist, what are we even watching anymore? The automative scientist? There's a reason isekai transitions only go one way, and when it doesn't, the newcomers always bring their powers with them.
Al, who has been left as his younger self, is continuing the last objective he was set up with; to find Ed. Even though we know that, it feels very much as though he, and every other character in the original world, is moved according to convenience.
Even though no one should know anything about the other side of the gate or what is happening, somehow everybody is in the right place at the right time to fulfill the role required of the them when the conflict occurs, with very weak setups. Some might as well not have been there.
Winry for example happens to be there just at the one moment Ed needs her, and it feels like his needing her is literally written in exclusively so Winry will have a role, especially as she has zero consequence at any other point during the film. (Which, might I add, is frankly ridiculous, aside from being Ed's mechanic, she and Pinako are Ed and Al's only family, and should be the most important person in either world to both of them following each other.) The fact that despite her brief appearance her existence was entirely inconsequential is absurd, and she's not the only one who appears just so we can gawk at characters we already know and cherish for a few moments. Just about everyone from the original world, with the exception of Al, Wrath, and possibly Mustang (who is inexplicable for other reasons), have no effect on the story whatsoever, and might as well not have been there.
In the new world, conveniently for the character designers, apparently 50% of Ed's acquaintances are doppelgangers of people he knew in the old world, but interestingly enough, they do to an extent have their own personalities, and aren't just carbon copies of the versions we know.
Probably my favourite character is Noah, a gypsy girl who I'm sure looks like the doppelganger of Rose, but it's never mentioned (even though she's also judged by her race the way the people of Lione nearly were) so I just assumed she is intended to be an original character. Probably. Although it kind of falls apart at the end, she has a genuine purpose within the story, and is a likable character who's feelings the viewer can understand and sympathize with. Because of Ed she is given a space to grow, and by the end of the film she has undergone several experiences that we see have changed her significantly when compared to who she was when we first met her (even if the introduction was pretty cliche).
Several other new world characters have both purpose and development, to varying degrees, and the political state of post war Germany is well integrated into the story and the lives of everyone involved.

Enjoyment:
Even with it's 3D armour and other flaws I was really enjoying The Conqueror of Shamballa until it ended without anything I could call a reasonable conclusion. Part of it is just my wishes for the continuation for the story, but, without spoiling anything, it's also to do with the fact that, aside from being cliche and wrought with convenience, again, the 'conclusion' also seems counterproductive to the initial conflict that Ed is dealing with, which is the one thing which we all really want to see resolved. The fact that it did not do this was a massive let down for me, additionally so because this conflict is then entirely discarded to to it's half-assed resolution.
This film felt very much like three steps forward, two steps back.

Overall:
I realise I've been dumping on the film quite a lot in this review, but I would in fact recommend this if you enjoyed Fullmetal. Equally though, I wouldn't push anyone to watch it when they could just move on to Brotherhood if they wanted to see more of the Elric brothers, and witness the original conclusion intended by the author. I definitely don't accept this conclusion, but because I know there is the alternative, I can watch this film without being too stressed about whether I like it's outcome or not.

I'm not entirely sure what to think of this. As someone who dislikes open ends, I was hoping this movie would leave me somewhat more content with the ending of the 2003 series, but I feel as if the movie left me more or less where I started - with some questions answered, some new added and overall the same level of satisfaction.

This movie introduced some interesting ideas that, similar to how I view the 2003 series as a whole, are intriguing to see play out as an "what if"-scenario - however while the 2003 series felt somewhat like a fanfiction version of brotherhood to ... me, this felt like a fanfiction continuation of the 2003 series.

It was interesting, it was entertaining, but I feel somehow less fulfilled than I did before watching the movie. The story was wild, and maybe just too off the rails for me to take entirely serious, and while the story-progression had big consequences, the stakes somehow didn't feel all that high for most of the playtime.

I feel like it wrapped up some loose ends from the main series (given that this is kind of a very long last episode), but even though I felt ready to dive into this new concept, it just didn't quite work out for me.

This movie is worth watching after the 2003 series, but the story could've used some more polishing. To be fair, it probably wasn't an easy task to write from where the show left off, but the story seemed to be lacking a convincing direction and pace.

I feel as if the writers somewhat wrote themselves into a corner with the introduction of their original plot-conclusion in the series, and the story here suffers from being unable to wrap up nicely what would need more time and setup to be wrapped up nicely.

This movie was well made with improved visuals and good music. The story was interesting to say the least with the clases of the parallel world aka "Real life" and the alchemy world. The "clash" was sort of anti climactic in my opinion. The characters were pretty much the same for reason even though its been a few years and I expected some character development for them.

There story seemed predictable. The plot seemed pretty linear and had to many flaws with no twists or turns. There were some unexpected moments which I didn't really like and was kind of confusing because there was no ... reason or logic behind them. And the ending was bittersweet. This was what I sort of expected from an FMA movie tbh considering that I watched Sacred Star Of Milos.

An ok story, good visuals and music. The characters were the same pretty much. I didnt really enjoy it. I wouldn't watch it again.