Reviews

I have to admit that I did not like the original full-metal alchemist series, I watched the entire show because there was so much hype about it, but I was never able to take it very seriously and I ended up giving it a 4 for various reasons. So I was pleasantly surprised by how good this movie was. The story was really well put together with some surprising plot twists which always had me guessing, and the art and sound are a solid upgrade from the series. I watched it in english which felt natural compared with the sometimes awkward translation from the series. But the most impressive thing about the movie by far is the characters. One of the biggest problems I had with the series was how shallow the characters were, but in this movie the characters have fantastic depth and personality, both the old familiar characters, and the some of the new ones. Their were some subtle and some dramatic changes to the characters which gave them a dynamic and compelling presence in the film which really played off of the series well, while remaining unique and new. It is really impressive that a 2 hour show can utilize so many characters each with their own story and personality. And each character had a good solid place in the plot. Also, the motivation for each characters actions was depicted in a believable way, that is not an easy task! If you watched the series and were not impressed, give this movie a try! it really redeemed this franchise for me.