Full Metal Alchemist Movie 2: Sacred Star of Milos [DVD]

I spoil slightly in my reviews often, so that's the warning, kiddies. Let's begin!

This is, more or less, a two hour movie that's connected loosely to the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the more manga-centric version of the original story by Hiromu Arakawa. It's a two-disc set, with the first disc having the movie (with either English or Japanese voices)and a US Cast Commentary that features some of the major characters from Brotherhood. I'll get back to the commentary in a bit.

The film is set around episode 20 in the series, after Ed and Al have learned that a Philosopher's Stone requires multiple human lives to be sacrificed to give it the power it uses for alchemy, and also after both Roy Mustang and Lt Havoc have been injured in an extreme battle. After a large explosion smashes several windows in the room where they are, Ed and Al end up running to encounter an escaped prisoner, who just happens to be an alchemist using a form of transmutation circles neither brother recognizes. After uncovering a lead, they head to Table City, an unusual town just inside Cretan territory (Creta being the country to the west of Amestris and often sparking hostile confrontations with each other). The prisoner seems to be trying to find a sixteen year old girl known as Julia Crichton, but after the Elric Brothers encounter a wolf chimera, Cretan spies, and the fugitive, their train crashes into the station at Table City.

It's action packed, and the art style is markedly different to either Brotherhood or the first Fullmetal Alchemist series. Table City has three groups wanting to control it: the Amestrians, who currently do, the Cretans, and the Milosians, who previously held that land for nearly four thousand years. But the Milosians are the ones with the least power in this mix, which is why they have chosen to follow Julia's plan to locate what she knows as the Sanguine Star... a certain red stone that amplifies alchemy. Now where have we heard that one before?

The story is pretty good, very active and the plot twists are almost dizzying in speed. Many more people die in this epic than most of the series, although Ed and Al try to limit the damage as much as possible. Winry, Mustang and Lt Hawkeye also are in the story, though given his wounds, Mustang doesn't have as many dramatic fight scenes. (Aw!) All in all, it's a satisfying story, leaving you hopeful but not sure what will happen next.

As for the commentary, it's a collection of interviews lead by Mike McFarland, ADR Director of the movie, and while they tend not to say much about the actual movie, they do share interesting insights about both anime series of Fullmetal, encounters with fans, and personal tidbits that are often quite intriguing. Here's who are among the interviews: Maxey Whitehead, voice of Alphonse in Brotherhood, Colleen Clinkenbeard, voice of Riza Hawkeye, Christopher Sabat, voice of Alex Louise Armstrong, Caitlin Glass, voice of Winry Rockbell, Travis Willingham, voice of Roy Mustang, Matt Mercer, voice of Melvin Voyager (the fugitive punk, as Ed calls him, and the only "movie only" voice actor in the commentary), and finally, Vic Mignogna, voice of Edward Elric.

The second disc is all extras, a documentary about how the film was made, and the Japanese trailers, computer teasers, and other advertisements they had to stoke interest. Those Japanese extras don't have an English dub, but do have subtitles.

If you like anime, you might want to consider this. If you enjoyed either series of Fullmetal, you really ought to investigate. And if, like me, you're a diehard geeky fan, BUY IT NOW!

Ok, 1st things 1st. The movie, even though it is the second movie in the FMA series, is not a sequel to the first. The movie is based in the FMA Universe, somewhere in the middle of the series.

So the brothers have found out about the horrible secret of the philosophers stone, and are looking for other ways to get their bodies back. Al is still in his metal armor. Most of the characters are new, as the story is based on a different country not touched upon much in the original series.

A thief breaks out of prison, 2 months before he was supposed to be released. And surprisingly, they find he was a powerful alchemist. So why did he say in the prison so long, and why escape now?

The Elric brothers trace the Alchemist to the borders of Creta, a country Amestris is at war at. Between the borders of the two countries is a huge ditch, and the original people of the land, Milos, live there. They have been mistreated by both sides.

They want to kick both Amestris and Crete off their land. The brothers get involved in all this, and soon a war is about to break out. And then they find the Milosians are about to make their own philosophers stone, and they try to stop them before thousands of people are killed for it.

1st impressions- the visuals in the movie are stunning. The story is good too. There is a slight suspense in the end.

I really liked it. If you liked the Brotherhood reboot, and wanted more, this is a good movie. Next, I would like to see a movie about what happens at the end of the Brotherhood series.

Loved it!!! I find this movie fits much better with the FMA Brotherhood series rather than the original. It was great to see Ed & Al on another adventure together, like seeing old friends again. The story is rather straight forward & works well, although I felt it could've been much more. The Animation is superb & I loved every bit of the visuals in the movie. If your a fan of FMA then this is a very enjoyable watch.