I have already talked previously on the Aniwiter about my expectations of this film, specifically the fact that the movie planned on using an all Japanese cast, and how I thought that was not reflective of story’s setting. However, even after I wrote that post I was still hopeful that the movie could at least have something about it that was worth watching. However, even going into the movie with lowered expectations, I still found a lot not to like about it.

The Fullmetal Alchemist movie uses the setup of the original story, focusing on Ed and Al, two brothers who, after trying to bring back their mom using a forbidden alchemic process known as Human Transmutation, lost their bodies as part of the experiment. Now, determined to find the key to solving their problems, the philosopher’s stone, Ed and Al continue their search.

One of the only parts of the movie that seemed like it was going be good were the effects, but sadly that ended up being one of the worst parts. The C.G. for most of the movie looks horribly integrated into the rest of the movie, to the point of looking at of place on any set they appeared on. Especially the monsters at the end, which might have honestly looked better if they had just used claymation.

The writing was another huge problem. For starters, Ed especially just seems to be completely different from his anime and manga counterparts. In the anime, one of Ed’s main appeals was his quick-wittedness, and how he was always one step ahead of almost everyone else, which kind of justified him being rude and obnoxious towards others. In the film, however, Ryosuke Yamada, who plays ed, makes him out to be more of a generic, straight shooter action hero, and that isn’t who Ed’s character really is. There are also problems with the fact that the studio chooses to condense what, between brotherhood and the original anime, were almost 20 episodes of content that were squeezed into two hours, like how many of the heartfelt moments of the original are entirely glossed over.

The movie’s music can mostly be described as unmemorable, as in I literally cannot, as I am writing this review, remember any individual track that played during it. Nothing was really noteworthy enough to stand out on its own, but it did do a good enough job of carrying the film to the end.

This review so far might give the impression that the Fullmetal Alchemist movie is bad. It is not, it is just extremely mediocre. The show does nothing to elevate the source material that it is borrowing from, and a lot of the time actively messes it up. Unfortunately, this movie just does not land the mark, and I can’t really recommend watching it.

What did you guys think of the Fullmetal Alchemist movie? Let me know in the comments. Also, if you like what you’re reading and want to support The Aniwriter, consider supporting the blog on Patreon. Even a dollar a month would help out. Thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!