If you’re an anime fan, you’re used to being disappointed by live-action adaptations of your favorite stories. It both adds nothing to the original and does a poor job imitating it. The bad news is that when it tries to get serious, it gets silly. Years after the end of the Fullmetal Alchemist animes and manga, this classic series – one that remains top-ranked even so long after its conclusion – finally makes it to live-action movie form. The same can't be said for director Fumihiko Sori's live-action Fullmetal Alchemist adaptation, which manages to feel cheap in every imaginable way. Copyright © 2021 Penske Business Media, LLC. Review: Fullmetal Alchemist (2017) It seems that in recent years there has been an uptick in the amount of manga based stories getting live-action treatments. These boys--especially Ed--are supposed to be inhumanly skilled alchemists, and yet they remain totally unimpressive for the entire film. Years later, the boys have joined the army as official State Alchemists in the hopes their adventures will lead them to the Philosopher's Stone, which Ed can theoretically use to reunite Al with his real body. The plot features brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who, after attempting the forbidden technique of human transmutation, suffer the consequences. There's only 51 episodes, a movie -Full Metal Alchemist and the Conqueror of Shamballa- and a couple of games so it won't burn too big of a hole in your pocket. If you’re an anime fan, you’re used to being disappointed by live-action adaptations of your favorite stories. The live-action Fullmetal Alchemist tries to jam too much of the story from the anime and the manga into the film’s 135-minute runtime and it’s just too much to digest in that amount of time. The "Homonculi" Lust, Envy, and Gluttony--three ghoulish baddies whose motivations or purposes the movie never bothers to explain--are especially corny, with cheap-looking outfits and terrible CG "powers.". Tokyo Film Review: ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ Director Fumihiko Sori's live-action update of the classic, oft-adapted manga from Hiromu Arakawa is a hit-and-miss affair. 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Fullmetal Alchemist 2017 is a live action movie based on the original series Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa.The film lasts about 133 minutes and it was just on air recently on October 25, 2017. Edward is the… To top it off, what little alchemy the Elric brothers actually perform in the movie boils down almost entirely to laying their hands limply on the ground and summoning barriers from the pavement. Al's suit of armor looks good in most scenes, Jams too much in while still feeling boring. on February 21, 2018 at 8:25AM PST. And to add to the confusion, it's the adult version of the character--not the child--who loses his limbs and strikes a deal to get his brother's soul back. The Fullmetal Alchemist movie was good! Say whatever else you want about last year's Ghost in the Shell adaptation, which pissed off most fans by changing the ending and allegedly missing the point. March 2, 2018 F ullmetal Alchemist is one of the most celebrated and recognized Japanese fiction properties in … Someone early on marvels at Ed's ability to do alchemy "without a transmutation circle," but characters throughout the movie snap their fingers to summon fireballs and perform other unexplained feats. The scene of the ritual gone wrong cuts off halfway through, followed by a jarring jump several years into the future. Fullmetal Alchemist Review Reviews The Fullmetal Alchemist live action movie adapts the beloved anime about bonkers alchemy and brotherly love with mixed results. Mike Rougeau is GameSpot's Senior Entertainment Editor. Netflix’s new take on “Fullmetal Alchemist” appears to be no different, alas, as reviews of Fumihiko Sori’s adaptation have been mixed at best. As kids, the brothers became disfigured after an alchemical ritual gone wrong--Ed loses an arm and a leg, and Al his entire body, his soul coming to rest inside a hulking suit of armor. Nerdist‘s Scott Begos gives it 2.5 equivalently exchanged burritos, which sounds about right: “The good news about the live-action ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ movie from Netflix and Warner Bros. is that when it’s silly, it’s fun. With a compelling cast of characters, awesomely constructed plot, and spectacular visuals, it’s bound to have a special place in my heart. That is what happened here. This is more than just cutting things out to fit dozens of hours of story into a two hour-plus movie; what they did cram in meanders between poorly set-up, rushed emotional pivots, like the infamous Nina twist, to scenes that simply feel boring or pointless. Al's suit of armor is the one exception, as it looks like they mixed some practical effects with the CG there. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. Parents need to know that Fullmetal Alchemist is a live-action, subtitled Japanese fantasy movie based on one of the best-selling manga (Japanese comic book series) of all time, which has also spawned two animated TV series, video games, audio books, and more. Perhaps in an effort to contain the sprawl, Sori chose to work with a small cast of a chosen few, but fans will be disappointed to find key characters are missing, including the brothers’ nemesis Scar and their boss, King Bradley. When the movie finally revisits that opening scene, it's as a flashback Ed sees while dreaming. You will be redirected back to your article in, Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. All rights reserved. Fullmetal Alchemist (2017) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Overall this would be a good anime to start with if your looking for one. Edward then sacrifices his right arm to save his brother's soul by attaching it to a metal suit of armor. Fullmetal Alchemist overall suffers from unimaginative visual design, particularly in the characters' outfits and many terrible wigs, neither of which ever seem to fit right. Audience members unfamiliar with the source material are likely to simply scratch their heads at the ensuing action scenes, in which a young man in an ill-fitting blonde wig chases down a magic priest with the help of an empty suit of armor. There's one extended fight scene between the brothers themselves that manages to simultaneously make no sense, feel completely pointless, have no bearing on the story, and break the already vaguely defined rules of this world all in one. Resident Evil Village Release Date Is May 7, PS4/Xbox One Versions Confirmed, PS5 Restock Updates: Check Latest Stock, Updates, And More, Xbox Series X Restocks: Check Availability Here, By The movie's issues start immediately, as it brushes over the Elrics' origin story in a weird hurry to get it over with.