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.
