7/10
The lack of Arthur, Orange Boy and Pizza Hut was disappointing.
But in all seriousness, I have heard so many conflicting reports about the new Code Geass film that I had a generally idea what to expect. Though the sub came out a couple of months ago, I waited eagerly for the dub to be released because that's how I watched the show and it is one of the best dubs out there. Code Geass has and always will have a special place in my heart. It was one of the first anime shows that I have ever watched and for the longest time it was my favourite series untill Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and Attack on Titan came along. One of the biggest reasons why I love the show is because it has what is in my opinion not just one of the best endings to an anime series but one of the greatest conclusions to a story in general. And the very idea that they would make a sequel after delivering what is arguably the perfect conclusion seemed pretty pointless. It's like doing a follow up to Breaking Bad with a story that serves as an epilogue more than anything....oh wait! We did get that. It was called El Camino and against all odds it turned out to be better than we could have ever anticipated it to be. So I went into Resurrection with very low expectations and hoping to come out of it feeling unscathed or not robbed of that incredible ending.
And I got to say much like El Camino, it is better than we ever thought it would be. Not certainly great and nowhere close to being as good as the show but beggars can't be choosers here. I gotta say it was kind of nostalgia to return to this world in particular for some new content even if it is completely unnecessary and I probably would have lived peacefully without it. Whether this film turned out to be good or not, I am happy that the creators decided to set this story in an alternative universe as it was the best precaution one could take to preserve that beautiful ending. All I knew going on from the changes made in the recap films where that Shirley was alive and the entire mini-arc with Mao never happened in this timeline. But after watching this film, I don't understand why they bothered to make Shirley alive in the first place as she really doesn't do a single thing in this film. The only contribution that she gives to this film happens off-screen and it is something that happens even before the movie ever happened. You could have just replaced that role with any other character in this movie and it would have remained more or less the same.
The plot for the most part is okay. There is a lot that I couldn't understand but that really comes with the territory when dealing with this series. I just went along for the most part and hoped everything would be made clear by the end. Somethings does and some don't. The animation has certainly improved with that movie budget though some of the body movements felt rather clunky during the first half. Coming to the dub, what can I say it felt so good hearing these familiar voices again and they did a great job casting the newer characters. Though Johnny Yong Bosch's voice feels more different than before but I guess that's going to happen considering it's been over 10 years since he last voiced this character.
There are still things about this unneeded but frankly enjoyable sequel that doesn't work. The villains are very forgettable though they did pose a good threat and I generally didn't have an idea how Lelouch was going to resolve the storyline with them. Coming to Lelouch, they do some things differently with him that I didn't think they would and I quite enjoyed it. Some of the pacing do feel rather muddled at times. You can certainly see that this was supposed to be a full season that was diluted down to a two hour film. But I do have this feeling that maybe this movie might have benefited from being a 25 or even 13 episode show. There were so many moments in this film that feels rushed and I wouldn't have mind a full season.
As for the way the film ends, again it fortunately doesn't detract anything from that original ending. In fact, it made me appreciate that ending even more than I initially did. This film has no right being as good as it is but I am not going to complain about it either. I even admit that I got a little teary eyed by the end as the film offers some much needed closure to a certain character that I loved from the show. So yeah Code Geass: Resurrection wasn't the collosal disappointment that I feared it would be. Just go in with the lowest of expectations and you will come out of it feeling mildly satisfied. The story isn't anything special but it was a good excuse to revisit these characters that I loved and I am just happy it didn't totally suck. Sure, it isn't amazing but I never expected it to be.
