Maybe it's trying. I don't know. The music sounds very same-y, it lacks the kind of character that CCA's soundtrack has.
The character redesigns don't feel like they belong in the Universal Century. The action - operator gunplay like you're watching John Wick - also feels out of place.
The CGI works sometimes but other times, not at all.
Is this movie BAD? No - it's leagues above Genocidal Organ, the other movie I've seen by this director. The dialogue here is usually sparse and enjoyable. You can thank Tomino's novel for that, though. The overall plot, the way things play out, is interesting.
But the execution? It feels like Gundam wrapped in 2020 checklists. It wants to be a film, not an anime film - but CCA achieved this all the way back in the day. It didn't need to sacrifice the expressive nature of anime to accomplish that, though.
I'm very iffy about this movie. It ends without a conclusion, as they want to make a trilogy. Well, I hope the next two are better.
