FullMetal Alchemist- The Sacred Star of Milos -anime movie review-

 By Mark Rodriguez

Back in 2012 when this movie was released in the states, Johnny and I were lucky enough to check out a screening at a small theater in the Vegas Arts District. Here are my thoughts.

The Sacred Star of Milos has Edward and Alphonse, the Elric brothers, chase down an escaped fugitive with strange alchemy powers. Said chase leads them to a girl named Julia, that in turn, leads them to the slums of Milos Valley. Caught between a war of two nations, the natives are willing to do anything to gain their independence, even if it means seeking out the Star of Milos… which gives the Great Power to whoever possesses it. Of course, you don’t want the wrong hands to get it, and there are plenty of those in this story.

The story is very well-written and thought out. It takes a lot of twists and turns and it takes a while to figure exactly who is who and what’s going on… which draws the viewers in as they feel just as confused and curious as Ed and Al do. For fans of the show, aside from the Elric brothers, we get to see Mustang, Hawkeye and Winry. Armstrong is along for the ride, but he’s more of less a cameo in this one. It might upset some, but this allows the new characters to shine, giving us time to care about them and the culture of their land, rather than stick in a whole lot of FMA cameos without purpose. 

The new character, Julia Crichton

The Elric brothers are great in the movie, working just as well as a team as when they’re apart. Julia even compares the relationship with her brother, with that of theirs. You also get a basic idea of how the Elrics relate to Mustang and Winry, without feeling forced or tacked on for the sake of newcomers.  The movie does an excellent job of bringing up their backstory (and the basic premise of the series itself), in which as kids, Ed and Al use alchemy to try to bring their dead mother back, but ended up losing parts of their bodies (in Al’s case, he lost his entire body and had his soul infused to a suit of armor), and are now on the quest for the Philosopher stone to restore their bodies. I felt the movie did well with the series flashbacks, again, without feeling forced and feeling natural, and doing so makes this movie excellent for everyone to jump in, even if you’re not a fan of the series or just now heard about it. I dare say, you can even watch this movie without seeing the series, and if it has you curious enough afterwards… then dig right into the anime and/or manga.  It might make a fan out of you.

I was surprised to find out at the screening, that some of my friends liked the original FMA series more than Brotherhood. For those that don’t know, when the first anime series was made, the manga it was based on wasn’t finished yet, so after a while the series went on its own tangent and gave it a different ending. With the manga complete, a second anime named FMA Brotherhood was made, completely re-drawn and following the story closer to the manga, even adding newer characters that the manga added after the anime was finished. This movie, however, should appeal to both fanbases since it doesn’t really have anything major to set it apart from both series. The only minor detail is that Al can use alchemy without drawing a circle, similar to Ed, which is something he only learned to do in the FMA Brotherhood series and manga. Other  than that, Brotherhood-naysayers should still be able to love this movie and enjoy the thrill ride it gives you.

 I suppose my only complaint would be the lack of detail on Ed’s hair. It just looks so sloppily drawn and awfully rushed at times. And I don’t mean just when he’s off in the distance, I mean when the character is close up and right in your face too. I guess I got used to the shimmering-gold effect used on his hair in Brotherhood, but one would expect the movie to look better than the anime series. Everything else makes up for it however since the movie is filled with amazing backgrounds and awesome animation, especially during the fast-paced fight scenes. The final battle really goes insane as you feel that everything is happening at once and tons of lives lay in the balance and it’s just intense.

So Sacred Star of Milos is an awesome movie, full of action, adventure, mystery, comedy, quite a bit of blood and violence, intense action, and the eternal question of what is truly right and wrong that is sprinkled throughout the series itself. If you’re a big fan of FMA or even if you’re not a fan and are curious to see a good anime movie without having to go back and find the series it’s based on…. Check it out!!!