Walter said:Whoever gets the first viewing should post a thread with their review of it, and we can all jump in there and post our own reviews.
Well, let me just state... I know this movie is going to be a hit or miss with Berserk fans. This movie is NOT the 100% most accurate adaptation in the world, by no means. But I'm from the school of thought, where I see this Saga Project as a supplement way to enjoy my Berserk. And to me, it's a great fucking supplement.
Though far from perfect, in short... I loved it!!! I smiled, I laughed, I got pretty emotional in certain parts... it was an excellent excellent 70+ minutes. The character designs look great in motion, and after they flash forward a few years, I really dig Casca's look. The voice acting was top notch, except I'm not really a fan of Carcus's new voice. The action scenes are really intense and fluid (minus one scene which I will get to later). The scenery is gorgeous. As for character development, we barely get to know any of the other Hawk soldiers besides Griffith and Guts, and a bit of Casca. The story really focuses on the main two. I feel young Guts and young Griffith were developed well, but in the latter half of the movie when they are older it felt a bit rushed. However, the fountain scene with the big 3 and Charlotte was really nice. I have a feeling movie 2 will have a ton of Casca though, and the audience will finally get to know her more. I'm looking forward to that!
I do have some gripes though, and the main one being the pacing in certain scenes. My biggest disappointment came during Zodd/Guts fight scene. Honestly, I felt the '97 anime did it better. The '97 anime just made the scene feel more intense. This new version, half of the scene is done with a voiceover over it, so it really lessens the impact. It just went by too quick.
My other major complaint is about the music. It's fine for some parts, but it's just distracting and random in other parts. It doesn't hold a candle to Hirasawa. And I gotta say (and I'm sure many will agree on this), Hirasawa is soooo soooo integral to the Berserk world. I really do miss his music playing in the background. I want my "Earth," "Guts," and "Beherit"!
But overall... though there are shortcomings, and though the movie & story would have benefitted by SO MUCH MORE if they just extended it by 10-15 minutes... I'm really happy!!! And I just have this gut feeling, that movie 2 and 3 are only going to get better and better!!!