Story: 3/10
To put it simply, this is a mixture of a revenge story and a set-up for some presumed sequel story. It feels very much like the first film in a superhero series, the one that sets up the hero and their backstory and lays down the motivations and character traits. Unfortunately, it does this fairly poorly, leaving nothing but a predictable and shallow narrative. I won’t spoil anything, but trust me when I say that what you expect after the first 10 minutes is exactly what you get.
Art: 6/10
The visuals are quite well done, though they seem to be at a quality I would more often associate with a TV series than a full movie. The art does its job, most of the character animation is good, but doesn’t stand out as anything too special. Some of the visual design is quite interesting, particularly the effects used for the animal drones and the camo outfits, but nothing you can’t find elsewhere. One thing to note is that the 3D used here is very uninspired and stands out like a sore thumb. I am a fan of 3D when it is used well, Houseki no Kuni and Last Exile being excellent examples of how to do 3D properly. This is not one of them. Even in the opening credits we can see really cheap looking character models in the backgrounds, and it is very distracting and unintentionally humorous.
Sound/Music: 7/10
The audio of this film is truly the only thing I fully enjoyed. The music is well done, fits the mood, and makes you feel like what you are watching is actually something to get excited over. The sound design is also good, though seems to be muddled a bit by the constant bombastic score of the music. Not that bombastic music is an issue, especially in what is essentially a superhero movie. Unfortunately, while the music is good, it feels as though it could be slapped into any futuristic action/adventure movie and it would fit just as well.
Character: 5/10
The characters are interesting in their own right, though the quality varies greatly. The protagonist(s) are fairly well designed and like-able, both in design and personality. However, the antagonist(s) are incredibly predictable and uninspired. They feel as though they were ripped straight out of a bargain 1970’s western comic book and then painted with an even more boring coat of paint. They are one of my biggest gripes with the movie as a whole, to the point that not even a good protagonist can help.
Enjoyment: 4/10
Despite my massive gripes with the story, there is still some enjoyment to be had here. You do have to take the entire movie for what it is, however: a cheese-fest superhero origin story. I found myself smiling at certain parts, especially in the first 30 minutes, but that quickly trickled off into a fairly constant stream of face-palms toward the end.
Overall: 5/10
I would only really recommend this movie to fans of western superheroes. It gives off a very strong Marvel superhero group vibe, so if you are a fan of that and can look past the predictable and lazy story, then perhaps you will find some enjoyment here. Unfortunately for me, I hate everything to do with the western superhero “genre”, and this movie did nothing more than remind me of why I do. I’m sure there will be lots of people out there that enjoy this a lot, and if that’s you, then great. As for me, I don’t plan on revisiting this any time soon. Perhaps a sequel (or series) could flesh things out and provide a more interesting plot, but I have my doubts.
