Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Mecha Movie of the 80's, September 18, 2002
After the success of the Gundam movies, Yoshiyuki Tomino moved onto to two sequels series, Gundam Z and ZZ. Finally, after the all this time, Tomino decided it was time for Amuro and Char's last mission in a full-length Gundam movie. The fans went wild.The story takes off in the year UC 0093. Without any explanation at this time, Char is now the leader of Neo Zeon and plans to send the Earth into a nuclear winter as well as defeat his long-time nemesis, Amuro. But with many old and new characters mixed up in this battle, it won't be pretty. CHARACTERS
Amuro: Returning to the battlefield, now being a responsible adult.
Char: Conferming his hatred when on Earth, he is the new leader of Neo Zeon.
Bright Noa: The former captain of the White Base is still in action.
Mirai: The wife of Bright Noa now and mother of two children.
Hathaway: Bright's son who ventures out into space.
Quess: A cocky rich daughter who runs off with Neo Zeon.
Gyunei: Char's pupil with Newtype abilities.
Cameron: Mirai's ex-fiance who is now works for the economy.
Lalah Sune: Despite being dead, her ghost still haunts the dreams of Amuro and Char. The animation for a 1980's film is top notch. The funnels moves about at an insane pace battling each other across the screen. Its a marvel to witness. What this film tried to do was cram as much content and action as it could into two hours and they did a great job at that. The original voice actors from the English version of the TV series make their debut once again. They all do a relatively good job and are almost on par with the Japanese cast. The audio is quite impressive as well. You get both language tracks in either 2.0 or 5.1 Dolby. An interesting note is that the Japanese track has not been remixed as it was with the three Gundam movies. This marks as the first Tomino Gundam feature not to have been tampered with so go nuts. Sadly, the English track falls back on all those sounds you heard in the remix versions of Gundam. The extras hold up pretty well, but aren't really groundbreaking. There are two theatrical trailers for the movie, but without it being in widescreen form, you feel you've lost something. The other extra is the Gundam model music video which shows how models are put into production. Not all that fun, but still informative. The last extra is a filmography of all of Tomino's works which is nice if you haven't seen it yet. Overall, Char's Counterattack ended up being everything I hoped it would. Raging Newtypes battling each other furiously in mobile suits. I couldn't ask for better than this.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Greatest Gundam Battle Ever Seen, November 30, 2002
Where would anime be nowadays without series like "Mobile Suit Gundam?" I shudder to think. Very few anime have had the impact that "Gundam" has had since it first premiered in 1979. No one foresaw what was to become of the series. In 1988 this is the ultimate result; the greatest battle in anime history. "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" was made to provide closure to a rivalry that had been going on for nearly ten years. The rivalry being between the two main characters of the original "Mobile Suit Gundam," the first Gundam pilot, Amuro Ray, and the dreaded Zeon ace, Char Aznable. The story takes place in Universal Century 0093, about 14 years after the events in "Mobile Suit Gundam," and peace has been disrupted once again (how long does peace actually last in this universe?). The long-dormant Char Aznable has risen to take the reigns of leadership of the Neo-Zeon movement, and ultimately plans on destroying the Earth Federation. The Federation, in retaliation, send out their Lando Bell Force to stop Char. Among one of the top members of Lando Bell, is none other than Amuro Ray. The two men still sport grudges against one another even after fourteen years, and it all comes down to this moment. Who will survive? Bandai took some great risks in bringing this title to the States. Considering that there is 3 series worht of backstory to this movie, an excess of 150 episodes. It is easy to see people who have not followed "Mobile Suit Gundam." Thankfully, Bandai has included a 12-page booklet with the DVD to tell exactly what happened that sparked up between Char and Amuro over these fourteen years. As well as terminology and who's who in this Gundam story. Even if you know all these things, the booklet is a great collector's item. Anyway, on to the big stuff. The story is handsomely well-played out. Events move at such an erratic pace that one can't help but to let the film sweep them in. One minute, everything is calm and characters are learning, in the next minute, explosions everywhere and people are dead. This is by all means a war story that rivals even "Star Wars." When people die in "Gundam"...they die, no two ways about it. War is not galmorized in this series, war is a last resort for a race of creatures that deliberatly leads itself towards a last resort. And humanity? Well I heard Yoshiyuki Tomino speak on this matter, and since he is the "Father of Gundam" his words are better than mine; "No matter how destructive they can be, humanity is still beautiful." A theme that has been a staple of "Gundam" ever since. Characters are well-portrayed in this movie, bringing forth an array of new blood as well as old faces. Char and Amuro have grown and matured over the course of time. Amuro has turned from the whiny kid who refused to pilot Gundam into a hardened battle veteran who realizes his duties and responsibilities. Char has turned from a bitter Zeon soldier into an idealistic leader who wants nothing more than the destruction of those who Considering that Tomino didn't have fifty episodes to tell a story like he always does (kidding), to analyze these characters and flesh them out in a span of 2 hours is quite a feat. Lives are changed through out this conflict, and it can be seen in the characters horrified expressions and anguished cries. The animation is very well-done for it's time. This is definitely movie-quality animation. Especially during the climactic battle scenes. Very few anime have been able to conduct battle scenes this chaotic and destructive without losing something, this is one of the few. It's nice to see something that a nearly fifteen year-old movie can hold its own against "higher quality" stuff nowadays. Speaking of animation, this movie features the best-looking mecha to date. The mecha in this film were designed by Yutaka Izubuchi, most famous for "Patlabor" and "Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket." It was also helped by, at the time, the young members of GAINAX, yup before they made "Furi Kuri," "Kare Kano," "Evangelion," "Gunbuster," or even "Wings of Honeiamise," they were doing little animation projects for Sunrise. If you don't believe me, check out the designs for Char's Sazabi and Amuro's Nu Gundam. The Gundam featured in this movie is probably the coolest Gundam featured in any medium that carries the name. The music also goes very well with the movie. Music is actually fully-orchestrated and helps define the tremendous epic nature of this film. It is very difficult not to be moved by some of these tremendous pieces. Definitely, a big change of pace for those who are familiar with the techno-beat of "Gundam Wing" or the trendy pop of "Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory." This is "Bravehaert" meets "Star Wars," and if that isn't epic, I don't know what is. Sound was used very well in the film. Bandai decided to compliment both Japanese and English tracks with both 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks. What does that mean? Well, just crank up the volume and listen to things go BOOM. The only flaws I have seen in the movie would be the tremendous backstory that might alienate those who haven't seen "Gundam." That, and the ending is not feasible the first time one watches it. However, one of the key reasons to own this is so you can watch the anime again and realize what the ending means. And to those who have already seen the movie; yes the ending DOES make sense, the hint is actually in the film. In the end, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" is quite possibly the best "Gundam" title to date. Providing closure to the greatest anime rivalry of all time was no easy task. But Tomino was able to pull it off with grace. This is an epic by every means of the word. A sure sign that "Gundam" is synonomous with "eternal." -RW
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent conclusion to a legendary rivalry, June 25, 2004
Mobile Suit Gundam - Char's Counterattack is an anime masterpiece. It is the final chapter in the feud between the legendary Newtype Amuro Ray and the former Zeon Newtype ace, Char Aznable. The movie lives up to all the expectations a Gundam fan would have about this epic conclusion, and it is a film every Gundam fan must have in their DVD library.First of all, the packaging is very nice. The DVD comes with a dark red slipcover featuring a golden Neo Zeon emblem on one side and the head of the Nu Gundam on the other. It looks great and gives the DVD a classy look. The cover on the DVD case itself features a dueling Nu Gundam and Sazabi, and it looks good as well. But, the cover is reverseable and features the Japanese cover on the other side, which depicts Amuro Ray, Char Aznable, and Lalah Sune, and it looks even better than the default cover. The DVD itself has a Neo Zeon emblem on it as well as the title of the movie. A small booklet outlining the events of Gundam series leading up to Char's Counterattack can be found in the case, and it also provides insight to battle tactics and Gundam devices. It isn't terribly informative, but it is still nice to have for those relatively unfamiliar with the Gundam series. A word of warning: if you have not watched the original Mobile Suit Gundam, do not bother with this movie, as the original series sets the stage for this monumental duel between Amuro and Char. The main problem with this movie is that you really need to have a passing familiarity with Zeta Gundam, the sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam which has not yet been released in America. However, if you have seen the original series, you can understand the basic storyline, but the finer points may be lost. The storyline itself is very complex and rich. As with any Gundam series, there is an equal amount of mobile suit combat and political intrigue. The movie begins with a large battle above Earth where Char is attempting to drop an asteroid on Earth in order to pass judgement on the elitist Earth inhabitants who tend to treat the Spacenoids unfairly. We are quickly introduced to the movie's two main players: Char Aznable, an arrogant ace pilot who has become the head of the Neo Zeon organization, and Amuro Ray, a powerful Newtype pilot who is a member of the elite Federation Londo Bell taskforce. We are also introduced to Quess Paraya, a whiny, annoying blue-haired girl who will play a major role later in the movie. The movie begins with a bang, but the middle of the movie is comprised mostly of political games and plot development. However, if you can sit through this relatively slow portion, you will be treated to a final third of nearly nonstop action. The animation in the movie is remarkably well-done for a late 80's animated work. The animation is very fluid. It isn't quite as good as recent Gundam series, but it is much better than the animation in the original series, and it is still very watchable. In fact, it is very easy to forget the series age since the animation is pulled off so well. The music and sound is equally great. The musical score is absolutely wonderful. From the heroic theme of Londo Bell to the slightly melancholy theme of Neo Zeon, all the music is a pleasure to listen to. The sound effects are also well-done, from the mechanical sounds of the mobile suits to the great explosions. The dub is also done pretty well, and it doesn't sound corny like so many anime dubs tend to. The Japanese voices are also present on the disc, so if you simply can't stand the dub, you can watch the Japanese version with subtitles. There's not much in the way of extras on the DVD other than a bizarre music video showing the making of Gundam models and a brief overview of the Gundam series' creator. But, the movie itself more than makes up for this lack of extra features. In the end, if you love Gundam, you can't help but love this movie. It is full of all the things that make Gundam a timeless series, and it is a fitting conclusion to one of the most famous rivalries in anime history. Don't miss this excellent movie.
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