Random late night movie catch-up
Dec. 12th, 2006 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeffxandraWe finally got to see Full Metal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa about a week ago. Just bothering to write about it now.
Really this entire discussion is going to be about the last five minutes of the movie and the overall implications for what it says about the series, and what the series' creators think of the fans. In the final scene, Edward tells his younger brother, both now trapped in a (largely) magicless dimension that they have to stop dreaming of their world and live in the one they're in.
Frankly it's the equivalent of William Shatner telling a room full of Trekkies to, "Get a life."
It's tantamount to saying that the Elric boys were never truly alchemists in the first place. Indeed it functionally turns their youth into the imaginary game all young children play. And that message is conveyed to the fans throughout the film.
In the series, Edward was the obsessive teenager, constantly pursuing an unrealistic and unreasonable dream, while Alphonse was his conscience. Now, in the movie, Edward has grown to accept that his die is cast. While he dreams of his past, he is not obsessively pursuing the dream that he believes cannot be achieved. Meanwhile Alphonse, doing his best pretend Edward down to the top coat and haircut, is obsessively pursuing bringing his brother back, heedless of the equivalent exchange rules he so faithfully adhered to in his hollow days.
It's time to grow up children. Stop living in your pretend world and live in the real one. Ed has done so. Al is learning to. Are you fans willing to do the same?
That said, it was a highly enjoyable film, and a fitting cap to a very good series. Ultimately, I've decided that they're both worth **** each out of *****. Not one of my all time faves, but one I'd recommend to others and happily watch again.
Really this entire discussion is going to be about the last five minutes of the movie and the overall implications for what it says about the series, and what the series' creators think of the fans. In the final scene, Edward tells his younger brother, both now trapped in a (largely) magicless dimension that they have to stop dreaming of their world and live in the one they're in.
Frankly it's the equivalent of William Shatner telling a room full of Trekkies to, "Get a life."
It's tantamount to saying that the Elric boys were never truly alchemists in the first place. Indeed it functionally turns their youth into the imaginary game all young children play. And that message is conveyed to the fans throughout the film.
In the series, Edward was the obsessive teenager, constantly pursuing an unrealistic and unreasonable dream, while Alphonse was his conscience. Now, in the movie, Edward has grown to accept that his die is cast. While he dreams of his past, he is not obsessively pursuing the dream that he believes cannot be achieved. Meanwhile Alphonse, doing his best pretend Edward down to the top coat and haircut, is obsessively pursuing bringing his brother back, heedless of the equivalent exchange rules he so faithfully adhered to in his hollow days.
It's time to grow up children. Stop living in your pretend world and live in the real one. Ed has done so. Al is learning to. Are you fans willing to do the same?
That said, it was a highly enjoyable film, and a fitting cap to a very good series. Ultimately, I've decided that they're both worth **** each out of *****. Not one of my all time faves, but one I'd recommend to others and happily watch again.
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My feelings regarding the movie (sans spoilers)
Date: 2006-12-13 12:46 pm (UTC)I didn't think the movie was bad, I just don't think it was as good as the series. I need to find somewhere that posts the manga for free online so I can pass the movie point and get more good stuff ...
Re: My feelings regarding the movie (sans spoilers)
Date: 2006-12-13 01:33 pm (UTC)Re: My feelings regarding the movie (sans spoilers)
Date: 2006-12-13 02:13 pm (UTC)That said, I had other thoughts about your main post itself, but I just realized that I'm frighteningly late for work so I'll try to come back to this later or something.