Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos
That was pretty good.
The storyline was interesting while remaining in the spirit of FMA: strongly defined characters, a huge amount of action opportunities and a sociopolitical undercurrent related to the world these characters live in. I think it was a bit too fast, especially near the end where a lot of plot points were falling on top of each other. But anyway, it never was too jarring, the featured side-characters were well established and likeable and the epic scope typical of these movies made it a good watch.
Of course, the most striking aspect of Milos is the animation style. Totally different from the series, but I prefer it. It was much more loose and floaty, and wasn't afraid of morphing the designs. It all very fresh and perfectly executed. Not only the mind-boggling action, but the expressions of the characters and their corporal acting were distinct and pleasant to watch. There were very few visually dull moments in the film, not in the action, not in the expository parts, not in the presentation of the setting (the CGI on the train ride was a bit off-putting, but nothing major). The direction was succinct and correct, and gave a lot of room for the animators to do their thing with lingering character shots and tons of choreography.
It really was a ride. I can't recommend it to people who are unfamiliar with FMA's world and mechanics, unlike many franchise movies that can stand on its own. But as an addition to the main franchise, it works perfectly.
I'm more excited for Gargantia now.
