Not long ago, I was lucky enough to get my hands on the film Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky. I by no means am a fan of Mecha or the Gundam franchise, so I went in expecting very little. I am happy to say, my expectations where blown away.
Visuals
If I had to describe the visuals of Gundam Thunderbolt in one word it would definitely be ‘chaos’. While the visuals are sharp and detailed, they use sketchy lines and high contrast to give the characters and Mechs a sense of intensity that most anime could never dream of. This only complements the truly chaotic and horrifying war scenes that the film excels at.
As I sad before the action is chaotic, and not in a bad way. You can tell what is happening but it doesn’t softball the complete terror of how war can be. Gundam Thunderbolt honestly portrays war more honestly than most war movies. People aren’t unstoppable, even the most random of soldiers can be a serious threat to the main cast and constantly are. This lends a great sense of weight to the fight scenes as any could be the last for whichever character you are rooting for.
This could easily be the most gorgeous anime film that exist today, the visuals are sharp hectic and convey a sense of chaos that no other show has managed. To say it is not enough, it is something that should be seen.
(important note, I watched it in 4K on an HDR screen)
Sound
The film does something rather unique for the soundtrack, not only is there normal music but a large part of the films music is the awesome tunes that the pilots themselves are listening too. This while it sounds strange worked in great effect to amplify scenes and the emotion behind them. The amazing contrast between characters taste in music only helps set the tone for the film. It is simply brilliant and cannot be praised enough.
Directing
As I said earlier this film is one of the most realistic depictions of war I have seen. The director did something great int he fact they didn’t try and preach about good or bad, or what side is right. It shows the good and bad of everything very matter of factly and it really makes everything feel much more real and at times hard to watch. There isn’t much down time here, you never get to quite settle down from each intense scene and I love that. It just felt right.
It is hard to describe just how good this movie is directed without spoiling content. So to simply say it, the director did an amazing job. From tone, pacing to the incredibly well wrote characters. Everything is handled to near perfection. I would love to see the director do more movies in this vein or at least ones similar too it.
In the end
I love this movie, I honestly cannot recommend it enough. Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky is simply a spectacular movie. Nothing about this movie is bad, the list of flaws is so low that it literally is hard to think of them without feeling like I am trying to hard to find them.
If you have a chance to watch this movie you really should. Even if you aren’t a fan of mecha or giant robots it is worth watching. I am by means a fan of either, yet here I am praising this nonstop. So please, do yourself a favor and watch Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky.
You can buy Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky right here on Amazon.com
