Quick Review #9: "Hagane no renkin jutsushi Kanketsuhen Fukushuusha Scar" (movie)

Title: Hagane no renkin jutsushi Kanketsuhen Fukushuusha Scar 鋼の錬金術師 完結編 復讐者スカー

Currently available for viewing on: Netflix (subject to geographical location)

* Do note that this is Part 1 of the finale so there is no ending as yet.

Rating: 2/10

Recommended for: 

- Those who have no prior knowledge of the original manga

- Those who have prior knowledge of the original manga but don't mind alterations to the storyline and character settings

Liked:

Actually, nothing. The reason why I gave it 2 points was for the efforts by the cast and staff in attempting such a difficult task of doing a real life adaptation for this manga.

Disliked: 

- Despite the title, the story didn't put enough focus on Scar and his elder brother so the whole motive behind his hunt for the State Alchemists, his internal turmoil after "inheriting" the alchemy powers from the latter and why his elder brother was obsessed with research into alchemy were not presented in its entirety. As such, it was difficult to empathize with Scar or even see him as a dark hero given the skewed portrayal of who he was. If there had been a proper explanation on what happened, I think it would have made Scar a more compelling and attractive character. In view of this, I can see why Arata Mackenyu couldn't bring out the depth in Scar's character but it also didn't help that he was too young to bring out the masculine and jaded sides of Scar. Muscles and trying hard to put on a cold face alone are just insufficient.

- There were also many side stories going on clamouring for attention as if they were in a hurry to wrap everything up. I get it that this is the finale but still... For example, I vaguely remember that during the Scar arc, the story about the Xing royals seeking the secret to longevity wasn't featured so I got the impression that the timelines were also jumbled up to squeeze everything together. Not to mention the longtime issue with the Homunculi as well as King Bradley's identity.

- Maybe it's the pandemic that made it impossible for them to go on location shooting in Europe like what they did in the first movie. The CG this time was very unnatural in certain scenes e.g. when Hohenheim left Pinako's home and the surrounding scenery stood out like a sore thumb. Maybe it's best to spend most of the CG budget on the fighting scenes which were generally OK.

- As for the cast's suitability for the roles they played, I could go on and on about that. However, I think the issue this time is more about everyone having to fight for limited screen time with so many storylines going on that nobody really stood out. They were pretty much going through the motions so there wasn't much character development to speak of.