One of those times I wish this was done by Hollywood instead
FMA anime/manga is one of my favorites, I just finished the trilogy live action just to see it and.. well it really didn't live up to any sort of good expectations for it.
Plot: Overall a miss.
Revenge of Scar is probably the best if I were to choose? Likely because there's not a lot of plot points that busy themselves in the story telling. So much of the plot points and what made FMA great wasn't present in these movies because they had to cut off so many. They just took what they thought were good memorable points then threw it in the pot with no seasoning. I am wondering if someone who hasn't seen the source material can really bond and understand the nuances of the characters.
Acting: Mostly miss if you're not used to the styling.
They chose to do an 'animated' telling... you know how in anime they react dramatically? That's in here. The slapstick comedic timing, exaggerated reactions etc. I have watched a lot of Japanese shows that do it this way so to me I'm used to it but I am aware it can be so cringy because it takes you out of the moment.
CGI: Miss with very few exceptions.
The bad effects are too noticeable especially in the first and third film. I know people can tell it's CGI because normally it's quite impossible for it to be done irl since it's clearly not animatronic nor practical but see they also didn't do the CGI any justice. You can tell they poured their heart out in making Alphonse look good because he actually is able to blend in with the environment, perhaps some of the alchemy effects as well are good but the rest... not so much
Costumes: Average.
Wigs were bad and you can tell they're wigs. First film Yamada (Edward) dyed his hair and it was really a trashy job people thought it was a wig. They sorta fixed it next installment but...eh
Costumes were I think the better part of the film. It looks worn in for the most part and they tried to really replicate what the anime characters were wearing so that was nice.
---- Overall not really something I'd recommend for a live action show but well some people clearly like it so who am I to say what other people will like or not but this review isn't it. Perhaps if you view this as like a fanmade trilogy with more budget in it then you might have a better time.
Plot: Overall a miss.
Revenge of Scar is probably the best if I were to choose? Likely because there's not a lot of plot points that busy themselves in the story telling. So much of the plot points and what made FMA great wasn't present in these movies because they had to cut off so many. They just took what they thought were good memorable points then threw it in the pot with no seasoning. I am wondering if someone who hasn't seen the source material can really bond and understand the nuances of the characters.
Acting: Mostly miss if you're not used to the styling.
They chose to do an 'animated' telling... you know how in anime they react dramatically? That's in here. The slapstick comedic timing, exaggerated reactions etc. I have watched a lot of Japanese shows that do it this way so to me I'm used to it but I am aware it can be so cringy because it takes you out of the moment.
CGI: Miss with very few exceptions.
The bad effects are too noticeable especially in the first and third film. I know people can tell it's CGI because normally it's quite impossible for it to be done irl since it's clearly not animatronic nor practical but see they also didn't do the CGI any justice. You can tell they poured their heart out in making Alphonse look good because he actually is able to blend in with the environment, perhaps some of the alchemy effects as well are good but the rest... not so much
Costumes: Average.
Wigs were bad and you can tell they're wigs. First film Yamada (Edward) dyed his hair and it was really a trashy job people thought it was a wig. They sorta fixed it next installment but...eh
Costumes were I think the better part of the film. It looks worn in for the most part and they tried to really replicate what the anime characters were wearing so that was nice.
---- Overall not really something I'd recommend for a live action show but well some people clearly like it so who am I to say what other people will like or not but this review isn't it. Perhaps if you view this as like a fanmade trilogy with more budget in it then you might have a better time.
- hazard111
- Sep 25, 2022