Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: The Sacred Star of Milos (2012)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Good movie but grossly overrated

Excellent but underrated film

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Compared to Shamballa which concluded the original FMA a better movie. However feels kinda forced. It clearly takes place somewhere half way through the brotherhood series but after what episode of the TV show? It does have good action sequences and better plot than Shamballa but the animation and story feels it is lacking in quality compared to the brotherhood TV series. The main problem with this movie is Julia is the main character focused on and Ed and Al are the side characters. Worth watching but feels an unnecessary addition to the TV series.

If you've read my review on "Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa" already, you would know that I am a fan of the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise, which was originally a series of Japanese graphic novels (often called "manga") written and designed by Hiromu Arakawa for "Shonen Gangan", a monthly magazine published by Square Enix. Yes. That Square Enix. It was turned into two anime television series sometime later, one starting in 2003 while the manga was still being written, and another in 2010 (dubbed "Brotherhood"), a few years after it was finished. Both of these anime series would premier in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night block, Adult Swim."Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos" (pronounced Mē-lŏss) is the second feature film in the franchise. While "Conqueror of Shamballa" is spun off of the 2003 series (and serving as its official ending), this movie is spun off of the 2010 series and is an original story, taking place somewhere near the halfway point of the show's run. It starts with a prisoner, an alchemist, breaking out of prison in Central City, despite only having a few weeks left in his sentence. The Elric brothers, consisting of Edward (Vic Mignogna), a young state alchemist dubbed "Fullmetal", and his younger brother Alphonse (Maxey Whitehead), decide to go after him. They end up near the edge of the country border, to a town called Table City, where they cross paths with a young girl named Julia (Alexis Tipton), who belongs to a society called the Milosians. Thus, the Elrics end up becoming a part of a conflict that could either bring peace and prosperity or the extinction of an entire people.Even though I did say that this movie took place somewhere near the middle of "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood", I cannot say where exactly this movie is placed in the storyline. Even if I did know, the movie pretty much serves as just feature-length filler, and I don't really see that as a bad thing here. However, I do understand that there are a few fans of the franchise that will have a tough time wrapping their head around the overall plot. The animation is also pretty good for a theatrical release, though it's not the best work I've seen from Bones, the studio that has also worked on both the 2003 series and "Brotherhood", as well as other anime series and movies.So, to sum up, I actually enjoyed this one. Could it be better? Yes, but what I got out of it is a rather thrilling (and sometimes brutal) adventure flick based on a Japanese franchise I hold as near and dear as "Cowboy Bebop". However, if you plan to watch this picture, I would recommend watching at least half of "Brotherhood" first. It may not help you fully understand everything this movie unfolds, but it would make it a little easier than it should.

Well, this movie introduced me to one of the most critically acclaimed anime series of all time, "Fullmetal Alchemist". I believe this was one of the few FMA movies to receive mainstream distribution in theaters. I admit to not knowing much about the franchise, so I might get a couple of facts wrong when I critique it. I at least know the names of the main characters and understand some of the basic premise. This movie features the Elric brothers, Ed and Al. Although both are said to have lost their spirits, only a fraction of Ed's body looks mechanical. This movie features them saving a town called Milos by finding the scared star.Yeah, the title says everything. There's this woman named Julia who appears and it was weird not knowing if she was a main character in the series or not. What I love about this film is how beautiful the animation is and how great the action scenes are. We get tons of creative environments and elements. While not a fan, that's all I want in something to love it! Anyone can enjoy this beautiful film that's nicely paced with great voice acting and likable characters. Ed(ward) is easily my favorite and that's pretty handy when he happens to be the main character. Should please any anime fan, just like me. ***1/2

I was fortunate enough to see this movie at Otakon, the second showing in the United States ever. (The first was a day before at the Otakon convention and I missed it due to a crisis, I would never miss it otherwise.)The movie was Japanese audio with English subtitles, the way it should be. I really enjoyed the storyline and the action scenes were none less than amazing!! It had me tearing at one point..someone cutting onions in the room.As an avid FMA fan, I truly enjoyed this experience. Watching it with other FMA fans at Otakon (other otakus) was quite the movie watching experience as people all cheered, clapped, and laughed at the appropriate times. This movie definitely exceeded my expectations and they were rather high. I saw this movie right after The Last Unicorn, and it was a great way to end the Otakon convention!