It focuses entirely on the Bifrost organisation attacking the Public Safety Bureau and taking over their headquarters to either kill the governor or forcing her to retire. They break in slightly too easily to be believable in my opinion, but nevertheless, the officers need to find a way to protect the governor and to regain control of their buildings systems.
The movie is directed nicely although the third season and this movie both could have been scripted better. The music fits well and the fight choreography is stellar. Realistic movements combined with precise strikes makes for much better entertainment than loading up an energy beam for half an episode.
There were a couple of missed opportunities though. The entire premise could have benefited with Akane being involved in taking down the terrorists. Also, a few characters motivations still aren't clear. Additionally, even after all this time, the new characters have almost no charm.
The story shines in two areas. The first is in contrasting the ideologies of Arata and the antagonist Azusawa. The second is showing how the Sybil System is vulnerable and is ever adapting. Both of these plot points are handled very well in the film and cause the entire series to have a stabilized narrative.
Overall, this movie was a lot better than I anticipated and elevated the third season by completing the narrative in a satisfactory way. Also, a certain character didn't die in the third season and is shown by the end of the movie to still be alive. It was obvious but overall a good decision. There were minor missteps and inconsistencies but these are overshadowed by the films strengths. It also opens up possibilities of another season.
Apparently there was an after credit scene in the theatrical version where Akane tells the inspectors that she will tell them what happened two years ago (the thing that got her imprisoned). This definitely increases the chances of a fourth season.
Score: 8 (would have been a 9 but the it loses a point from association to the third season. Its narrative is a much better stand alone movie than a sequel).
