A good starting point for new audiences but disappointing for long standing ones.
The narrative in Fullmetal Alchemist depicts an event where two brothers conceived the unthinkable of alchemy, the Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse, where they became engaged in bringing their dead mother to life. This ambition was met with significant losses, grateful though, as Al loses his body, and Edward loses an arm and a leg but manages to transfer Al’s spirit into a metal armor. The movie’s plot then revolves around the boys’ quest in search of a philosopher’s stone in a bid to recover their bodies. However, before they can complete that task, they get drawn into a much larger scheme of things involving military cover ups, and enigmatic soulless antagonists.
Having said that, this movie is also the first installment of a trilogy that adapts a 64 episode anime.
My conclusion is that for new fans, this film could turn out to be quite sufficient. They pursue a new area that involves alchemy and several key characters. This film may be slightly vague, but it does precisely what it was meant to do for the newbie.
There is a nice general silhouette of the story line that intrigues the viewers. However, some scenes tend to be a little out off and some seamless flow transitions appear a bit forced. The creators introduce quite a number of characters but no much exposition is offered. Riza Hawkeye, an essential character of the series, is never even mentioned in the movie. Even the laws of alchemy are jut briefly touched up on leaving the audience to presume a lot.
What does work here, however, is the world building. Some lovely sets and costumes make the film quite captivating set in the world of Amestris. The visual effects quality though has its highs and lows. It is rather impressive in the case of Roy Mustang’s performance of fire alchemy and Al’s character, everything of which is entirely CGI. They do contribute to the films aspects of fantasy. However, in other instances, the effects fail to mesh into the rest of the film and seem somewhat artificial.
The actors try to do something with an average script and fail, even for Ryosuke Yamada and Atomu Mizuishi who were cast as the two brothers. This is simply because they manage to make even voice over seem quite real. Their work hits with the emotional range required for some of the scenes. Tsubasa Honda, on the other hand, seems to over execute Winry’s role whilst Dean Fujioka would have benefited with a few more.
For new fans, the film works quite okay, as an entry point. It is great fun, it has a great world and a story that will make them want to see part two. But sure, as a film adaptation of an anime series, this film leaves much to be desired.
What all the bother is for adapting an anime, which is a mammoth task and if there are lives, certain commitments have to be made. The makers, strikingly, include the right events in the plot and go on to ignore the emotional bit entirely instead concentrating on the plot.
Fullmetal Alchemist is known as a great series because of its emotional touch and moral values. The series touches on various issues including family, loss, redemption, and the sense of duty, among other themes. In a live action film, however, the plot has completely overshadowed the subtlety of this theme. Moreover, due to such limited exposure to the characters, the impact of the more emotional moments is rather less effective. Nonetheless, since there are two more films to follow, this may be a possibility.
On the other hand, there are instances that are too much reminiscent of the anime and this, of course, does not add value to the film. Most of the character’s mannerisms are overdone and more pronounced especially Ed’s. But whereas this worked in an animated situation, it is the opposite in a live action.
The problem is that the anime series was great. It is very disappointing for older fans who already experienced the depth of the story that this adaptation comes so short. It is easy to anticipate how these are sharp moments where stories flow without interruption, where tension escalates slowly, where each character is not neglected, and the film simply fails to compete in this regard.
Is there ever a time when a movie can powerfully and succinctly encapsulate all concepts? No, and it’s a futile hope. But could it have, in any case, told the story more effectively and elegantly? Definitely.
For the die hard fans, Fullmetal Alchemist presents itself as an invitation, while for the newbies, it brings exciting ‘History’ in the form of captivating content in this franchise. Definitely makes you want to know more of the backstory. And if that is through the wait for the next film or the next season of the anime or the manga itself, I consider that a victory.
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