Listen, this movie was... okay. The art was, overall, pretty gorgeous. I've definitely seen better art out there, but Hal had nice, tranquil environments to it that were nice to be a part of. The music wasn't anything special. I can't really comment on it.
The story is the main issue I had while watching it. I think most of the issue could've been fixed with a longer movie or even with an 11 episode anime. No. 6 is a good example of an anime that can get in and get out with a quick story while still having a complete and sensical story. Hal did have something good going for it with the story, but it was way too rushed, and it wasn't explained. You were kind of thrown into world of vast technology where robots have become a normal part of society, and you're left to interpret what that means for the characters.
That didn't bother me so much as the tone change in the movie. Tone changes don't bother me as long as they make sense. With Hal, it was kind of like "oh, it's a story about this; JUST KIDDING, it's a story about this; JUST FREAKIN' KIDDING, it's actually exactly the opposite of what you thought it would be." It was annoying. Especially because it had potential. It felt like watching shorts. Like, you're given (x) amount of mini-clips, and you have to infer the story from there.
All that being said, the characters are what saved this film. They aren't perfect because there was ZERO development for them, but they were very interesting to watch, especially towards the end. I wish their psyches could've been elaborated on and explored more, but what can you do?
I did like the message this film brought forward, but overall it wasn't presented well. Had the story been cohesive, I think Hal could've been something really special. It just ended up falling flat for me, though I did still enjoy watching it as a whole. I don't know, it seems like many people really liked this film, so I guess if you want something short, sweet, and not too complicated, give this a go.
It did sort of make me tear up too. The emotions are there.
