In typical Ufotable fashion, the studio has found a way to outdo themselves again. Everything about this was perfectly put together, from the beautiful art that's become a signature of the studio, to the audio quality and voice acting that I feel, as a long-time Type Moon fan, could not have been more spot on.
My only issue arises when I call into question how much the movie sticks to the source material. I personally feel the added detail into the fight scenes detracts from the spirit of the story that this movie was adapted from. The excessive fight scene that wasn't VN-canonical felt like an unnecessary time gap that could have been better used on lots of areas they've ignored thus far. Shirou's inner monologue is almost essential for the Heaven's Feel experience and they've nearly ignored it entirely.
Character development should not, now or ever, take backseat to a fight scene and that's exactly what they've done here. It's not lackluster by the standards of the industry, but when you compare it to what I know Ufotable is capable of doing for this entry, and the source material, you'll be left with nothing to write home about.
The positives are the usual suspects. No matter how much Ufotable screws the pooch trying to turn Heaven's Feel into a generic battle shounen, they're adapting a masterpiece that anyone would be hard pressed to find too many issues with.
Overall, still a great movie. I know my review sounds overtly harsh and negative, but I'm holding Heaven's Feel to the standards that the visual novel set, not comparing it to my enjoyment of other anime. This is still far above average and I'd consider HF to be a quintessential part of the Fate/ series, so go give it a watch yourself!
