User reviews

Believe me when I say that this experience leveled-up Philippines' cinematic quality. It is by par the best in the terms of the visuals!

Visual: they did best in solidifying the graphics for Voltes robot and the beast fighters. The details!

Audio: its loud! Its thrilling! Its serves its purpose in you getting the vibes of the scenes!

The casts esp the 5 main characters acting are good!

Radson Flores however is such a revelation! Impactful!

My Nays:

• cringes in some scenes
• some man to man fight scenes seem too choreo
• John Lucas' acting is akward

Overall: Its worth of your peso! This shows Filipino can do it given the budget and the trust.

Ow, btw, the theme song! 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

The Story Voltes V is a mecha anime series that originally aired in Japan in 1977. The English dubbed version aired in the Philippines in 1978, but was later banned in 1979, then re-aired in the 80s. In a nutshell, this is about the Armstrong family along with a secret defense group from Earth fighting to save the world from an invasion by an alien race from the planet Boazan. The show tackles family and political issues, but the action sequences revolve around five fighter jets that combine to form the robot Voltes V engaging in epic battles with "beastfighters" sent out by the Boazanians. By our current standards, this is considered an old anime, from the drawing style, to the background and theme music, following the one fight after a few episodes formula.

Live Action Voltes V Legacy is the first attempt at a live action adaptation of this anime. This is an ambitious undertaking by GMA considering the massive scale of this project, and our country is not really well-known for CGI and special effects. When the first teaser trailer came out in 2021, I was truly amazed, but like almost everyone else, a bit reserved because of the way the Philippine movie and TV industry tends to mess everything by adding unnecessary storylines and uses the same techniques over and over. Coming to the cinema with my son to watch this, I had high expectations, and when the movie ended, those expectations were exceeded. It was that good!

I belong to Gen X, and this anime has a cult following in the Philippines. Director Mark Reyes himself is an avid fan and as he said in his interviews, he understands the sentiments of the fans on how this should be treated. He did a phenomenal job here, staying true to the story, and taking cues from successful mecha films like Pacific Rim and Transformers, he and his team managed the impossible and created what could be a precedent for succeeding mecha live actions (I'm thinking Gundam right now). It is sad to see though that when the trailers came out, majority of the harsh criticisms came from Filipinos. It's hard to blame them because for a long time, we have been treated to an endless slew of dramatic and cheesy drama shows, and when a superhero trailer comes out, it promises great visuals and stories, but eventually, the only good thing about these shows are the trailers.

This is not one of those traditional releases. GMA chose to have a cinematic release ahead of the TV series premiere, people questioned this move and keyboard warriors were quick to bash it, but for me, it was an easy decision. I wanted to see it for myself firsthand, the kid in me wanted to experience this on the big screen, but more importantly, I wanted to prove to everyone that this show deserved more love than it's getting. I was right. I don't watch local TV shows, but this one, I will.

Best Moments I will not spoil this for anyone, but these are some of the things that wowed me. The characters have been well-represented with the choice of actors and the way they portrayed them were not "cartooney". Albert Martinez is perfect as Dr. Smith, mannerisms and all. Gabby Eigenmann looked like Commander Robinson's design was taken from him, and Carla Abellana looked great as the tough but caring motherly figure we all came to love. What stood out the most for me is Steve's character done by Miguel Tanfelix. I admit, I actually don't know majority of the young stars since 2000 as I have stopped watching local shows, but he was spot on as the leader of the Voltes team. The cockpit radio chatter between him and the other pilots was realistic, a good mix of technical and funny conversations, pinoy feels but not corny. I was worried about how Ysabel Ortega will play Jamie, but she carried it well. The switches from single camera to multiple camera shots in these cockpit chatter were done extremely well just like it appeared in the anime.

One big challenge is how to show things from anime or cartoons without looking silly in the real world. Camp Big Falcon looks visually cool and they made changes to the design that makes sense. The hologram controls add a touch of tech and futurism, and the launchpads and sequence of the Voltes team looked similar to the anime. When you watch this, look at the small details, and you'll appreciate it even more.

It's refreshing to see that director Mark Reyes chose to have new background music used, but he infused the familiar themes of the original anime. I was afraid they would use the old mixes which will sound outdated, instead, they re-made these music with their versions. These played out really well during intense scenes, and combined with the sound effects, it's not 5.1 surround but it sounded great. If you will watch the TV series, I recommend turning on your sound system during the mecha scenes and let your subwoofers thump your audiophile ears out.

The ships of the Voltes team still look a bit like high end toys, but they added details to counter this like scratches and a semi-gloss paint job. Flying sequences need a bit more work but this is way much better than anything we've done better. However...when the volt-in sequence started, my jaw dropped. This is probably the most-awaited moment of everyone who will watch this, and wow. It was awesome! Instantly I was transported back to the first time we saw this as kids, only this time, it's more than just the wow factor but an understanding of how technology and physics work added to the experience. Again, the devil is in the details, you can see gears turning, parts shifting, jets moving in.

Then there it is. Voltes V looking grand and powerful, and when he made that iconic air punch for the first time, I smiled like a kid. The face of Voltes V in the anime look cute, but in Legacy, it looks bad ass. You can see scratches and minor imperfections just like how a machine would look like which added to the realism, and they added a lot of details that were not in the anime. This is what GMA wanted us to have, the "cinematic experience" of seeing it big in front of you, like an actual robot is transforming and combining in your face and finally emerging as the hero we all wanted see. The CGI team deserves praise here.

And finally, the mecha BATTLE SCENES! Since this is only the movie introduction, there are only 2 mecha battles but these will blow you away. The beastfighters look menacing and solidly evil and they do some serious damage. Voltes V have some serious moves and poses similar to Pacific Rim and Transformers, and you can feel the mass of these giants. The actors will show you what it probably feels like inside a robot being punched and kicked, and when they start using their weapons, they did not forget to incorporate the physics behind these weapons, like the recoil when the chain knuckle goes back inside the arm. When they pulled the laser sword out, Voltes V never looked this awesome when lightning and electricity covered it. I hope they release a poster of this because I will definitely buy one! Speaking of physics, the V-cut is not as buttery smooth like the anime, and they smartly did this showing that there are huge metal parts being sliced and it's not easy. If Voltes V have muscles, you will probably see it being flexed due to the energy required to do that V cut, and you will not be disappointed.

Criticisms As this was a compressed movie version, the story here progresses very rapidly so character development is not given attention. This is okay though because even the anime version was quick to transition. Events happen like in a matter of months only but when this comes out on TV, the story will be expounded more. As much as I'm a fan of the mecha battles, the hand to hand combats need more work. The soldiers' acting is also a bit funny, maybe in the future hire extras who are airsoft players so they move and act in a more believeable way. The explosions are also weak spots, understandably because fire is one of the hardest things to do in CGI, but the smoke of those explosions are quite good. This is just me nitpicking, but these are not deal breakers.

Final Words Voltes V Legacy The Cinematic Experience is a must-see for all Filipinos, especially if you're a fan of the anime and the genre. Even if you're not a fan, this is truly historic because I believe this will be the game changer for Philippine cinema and TV, much like the movie RRR opened the door wide for Indian cinema. You can wait for it on TV, but you will miss the theatric sounds, the grand scale visuals, the fast-paced action that only a movie can give. I had my biases coming into the movie, but after a few minutes, I was immersed and forgot I was watching a show made by Filipinos. This movie has reset the bar much higher for us, and I truly hope this will become a template for upcoming movies that we will produce. Actually, I wish that this movie becomes an international release that can spark interest in the making of other live action mecha like Gundam and Evangelion. Filipinos have been criticizing this negatively for a while now, and all I can say is, watch it first before you pass your judgment, and maybe, just maybe, we can be united for once in saying that this is a massive win for the industry and for GMA. Let's volt together!

Voltes V Legacy: The Cinematic experience is an intelligently cut, full movie encounter. With clips taken from the initial weeks of the TV series, the story of the movie revolves around Dr Mary Ann Armstrong. However, the excitement of seeing the modern interpretation of the anime classic remains high all throughout. And the fact that it is fully Filipino-made is a great start of placing the country on the map. The cast ably portrayed their roles, from the major to all minor characters, making the viewer experience extremely satisfying. Coming from a kid born in the 80's, tears were inevitable.

This new movie got a great cast and potential but was poorly directed, edited, reviewed, etc. It was a missed opportunity for the filipino cinema to prove that filipino movies could also compete to other foreign movies but guess what? This movie was down astronomical. And these are the following reasons:

• there were gunshots that you could hear even when guns are triggered like what? (Check the 18minute trailer at 2:24 timestamp).

• white shade around the actors'/actresses' can still be seen. When making a movie with cgi, you try your best to make it look real, what they did with this movie is they made it look unrealistic.

• poorly directed scenes by the director, to be honest they should hire new aspiring directors who actually know what to do. Director was TRASH. Fire him right away or we riot. Just please hire someone else im begging.

• the lighting was not properly used to help make some cgi look real instead they look too animated. I dont know why you guys dont give enough budget for your cgi. Please again, hire someone who actually is good with cgi. Im begging you again.

Theres actually alot more things that went bad with this movie but im too lazy to write everything down (like how lazy the team behind this movie is lol)

so much potential, yet wasted by a trash director and other top managers or whatever just to keep the oldheads in their job and not hiring good young fresh aspiring talents instead lol. I was actually expecting for a movie that my fellow filipinos will be proud of but they are about to disappoint everyone instead.

Please try to read all the good comments of other filipinos as well GMA! And please have more respect to the love they still give and return the favor by actually giving a properly managed, animated and directed movie. Thanks.

Superb movie. Good job to those casts, directors, writers, animators, crew and other persons behind the camera. It is indeed the best cinematoc experience. Every person inside the camera appreciates the film. The cinematic effects are out of this word. I can't believe that a film like this was created by Filipinos. It is way better than the other series/movies been created in Philippines. The 2-3 years waiting has been paid. Everything seems perfect. I hope that that this film/series will be shown worldwide because it deserves to be recognized not just here in the Philippine but for the whole world.

All I can say is, I was right in my initial assessment and prediction after watching the much-hyped mega-trailer (hence why I didn't watch it in the theater).

There are three segments in Live-action movies with VFX: the live action sequences, the CGI/VFX, and the combination scenes. The CGI didn't save it.

The sets and cockpits look terrible, like plastic, and the costumes look like cheap cosplay. The pure CGI sequences are okay (looks very much animated), but the CGI transitions, color grading and blends (still) look amateurish that in some sequences, you can clearly see just how bad the masking is. Dare I say it's only a few notches above Resiklo (later renamed and re-released as Transmutators), also directed by Mark Reyes.

And of course, the script and acting are all bad. GMA should have stuck with an improved all-English script, made it fully animated, hired better voice actors, and just released it as a movie trilogy.

I do feel nostalgic, having grown up with the series, the original anime was of course, not that great to begin with (it was the 70s after all), this is a leap in Filipino film-making especially the CGI, but, it is over-hyped. Sure, there is room for improvement. Lots of it.

Of course, there are people who laud it, but, they're not really being objective if they say this is well done.

10 out of 10!

This is the Best Movie/series made in the Philippines and of course by 💙GMA! From it's CGI Effects to Costumes and castings. I has made a lot of buzz not only in the Philippines but also in japan! In all Live Action movies we've seen by far only Voltes V: Legacy met our expectation. We have waited for so long to see the final outcome, and they didn't fail us. They stick to the original story and lots of fight scenes to watch out for. 😘Thanks GMA for bringing us one epic ride! I cant wait for May 8 official playdate on National TV and around the world! I hope they will enjoy watching this.

1. This is what GMA 7 does. It spends way too much (350k each) on costumes that make the characters look uncomfortable in them. Whoever suggested characters need padding is not a good designer. The original animation did not have padded uniforms that constricted movement inside a cramped space.

Even the creators of The Flash had to change the main character's costume because of fan pressure. Creators realised they were losing viewership because deviating from the original superhero costume design was a bad idea.

2. Suzette Doctolero Ranillo needs to learn how pilots or how soldiers actually talk and use military lingo. The dialogue among the characters were often disconnected. There was no chemistry. What's worse is there is no continuity between scenes.

3. The whole thing banks on the special effects that are meh.

Supporting this kind of heavy CGI series is indeed a step for the Philippines to further have this kind of content to motivate and encourage other creators and media companies to invest and produce CGI shows while showing good story plots and so on and so forth. Hoping other stations follow this step in improving the quality of CGI used in their shows. The Cinematic Experience is indeed a candy to our eyes and ears, couldn't wait for May 8, 2023, to continue following the series. Don't get influenced by those negative comments about The Cinematic Experience and the series itself as they were just hating it for being better, that they build the demolition job. So, go to the nearest SM cinemas and watch it with your family as surely every generation could relate to and find happiness while watching it. And let's watch it premier on May 8 on GMA Telebabad thru GMA 7 Channels, GMA app, Youtube, and other not yet announced sites.

An excellent creation from GMA! I was really happy with the cinematic experience of Voltes V legacy. World class production! Kudos to the entire team and to GMA 💯👏🏻 During the first scene when the team volted in, I was really crying and I was in awe- the theme wong sung by Julie Ann added an excring flavor just like the old days when I was watching it in GMA during the 90. No words to explain this experience but the moment you watch it for yourself, you would get what I mean. I'm a batang 90s and definitely a fan of Voltes V and I couldn't thank enough GMA for making this historic and epic Voltes V legacy a reality in Philippine Movie and TV history.💯💯💯👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Here are my honest review:

Yehey: 1. Polished CGI is evidently showcased 2. Anime to Live Action Sequence is done without suffering the story plot 3. Anime to Live Action Characters are true to it's original form

Nay: 1. Acting quality of some actors and extra are kinda lousy and cringy 2. Normal sound effects for Episode 2 such as walking in the rocks, glass hitting sound and the likes are absent.

Overall Review:

The first ever live-action anime adaptation created by Filipinos and that is true to it's anime counterpart.

Overwhelmingly Impressive! Keep Surprising Us GMA!

Good for All Ages!

SUPERB CGI, SOLID ACTION AND DRAMATIC SCENES The first few minutes of the cinema edit feels like a recap.

It highlights how Ned/Hrothgar ends up on earth, falls in love and starts a family with Mary Ann, and builds Voltes V.

The three-week-long part of the series is compressed in one hour and 45 minutes, so there isn't really character development.

The action begins (literally and figuratively) the moment the five main characters don their pilot suits.

The Voltes V team members shouting the familiar lines as they fight adversaries, the V formation as well the robot's close-up mechanical transformation are all powerfully evocative scenes for this writer, who grew up watching the famous Japanese series.

Fans will surely feel nostalgic hearing "finger missiles," "chain knuckles," "ultra electro-magnetic whip," and "laser sword" during the giant robot's fight scenes.

Voltes V: Legacy is a visual feast.

It is easy to get lost in its superb visual effects, albeit there are a few hard-to-miss details that showed the limitations of CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery). One example is the cartoonish appearance of the Voltes V members while alighting from the launch conveyors.

The musical score pans out smoothly. You might catch yourself singing along or tapping your fingers to the familiar tunes.

The captivating CGI and the musical score are not the only highlights of Voltes V: Legacy - A Cinematic Experience, the cast, too.

Standouts among the actors is Miguel, who perfectly transforms into a brooding Steve, with the way he effectively portrayed the role and delivered his lines, he has truly grown so much as an actor.

Carla Abellana showcases her convincing prowess as an actress in her role as a doting mother and delivers in the heavy scene.