Psycho-Pass Movie

Due to the incredible success of the Sibyl System, Japan has begun exporting the technology to other countries with the hope that it will one day be used all around the world. In order to test its effectiveness in a foreign location, the war-torn state of the South East Asian Union (SEAUn) decides to implement the system, hoping to bring peace and stability to the town of Shambala Float and keep the population in check.

However, a group of anti-Sibyl terrorists arrive in Japan, and the Ministry of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau discovers significant evidence that the invaders are being aided by Shinya Kougami, a former Enforcer who went rogue. Because of their past relationship, Akane Tsunemori is sent to SEAUn to bring him back, but with their last meeting years in the past, their reunion might not go quite as planned.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kougami, Shinya Main

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Tsunemori, Akane Main

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Makishima, Shougo Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Ginoza, Nobuchika Supporting

Nojima, Kenji Japanese

Karanomori, Shion Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Kunizuka, Yayoi Supporting

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Dominator Supporting

Hidaka, Noriko Japanese

Saiga, Jouji Supporting

Yamaji, Kazuhiro Japanese

Hinakawa, Shou Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Shimotsuki, Mika Supporting

Sakura, Ayane Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Morihiro, Fumi Producer

Kuroki, Rui Producer

Mori, Akitoshi Producer

Reviews

Jan 10, 2015

TCTriangle

Recommended

While Psycho-Pass: The Movie is a continuation of the story from Psycho-Pass Seasons 1 and 2, it changes a lot of the things from the show: the setting is different, and while Kogami is brought back again, many of the characters are new. These changes may be fine for some fans, but disappointing for many others. What results is still a great standalone movie, but may alienate many fans because it doesn't entirely "feel" like Psycho-Pass.


Art: 10/10
Undoubtedly the high point of the movie. The painstakingly-animated cityscapes and landscapes simply made my jaw drop. And the fight scenes - oh my god, the fight scenes. I ... don't think I've ever seen fight scenes as well animated and choreographed in an anime as in this movie. The animation budget was probably very high for this film, and it shows - the animation is better than it was in the show. It may not be "Spirited Away" or "Ghost in the Shell" awesome, but certainly up there as one of the most well animated movies ever.

One thing to note about the art though: there's a bit more violence in this movie than in the show. When people are shot with guns or Dominators, the blood splatters and body explosions are animated in detail and often focused on, and internal organs and body bits can be seen. If guts and gore turn you off, you may want to avoid the movie.


Sound: 8/10
The music and sounds do their job very well. The soundtrack mostly consists of the traditional orchestra and chorus you've come to expect, and adds tension to the story when needed. The OP and ED are both energetic rock songs, and get you pumped before and after the film. However, there's nothing outstanding about them. The music isn't something I'd listen to over and over again on my iPod, but it definitely contributed to the enjoyment of the film. The sound effects are also very well done. The voice actors do a great job as usual.

One complaint I have about the sound though, is the excessive use of ENGRISH. Some people won't mind the terrible pronunciations, but because entire dialogues in the film are in Engrish, it will be at best a bit distracting, and at worst make some parts hard to get through.


Story: 6/10
The story is one of the weaker points about the movie, especially since we've all come to expect a strong story from the show. You know those anime films that seem epic at the start, but by the end nothing really changed about the overall plot or characters and you could go right on to the next season without watching the movie and not have missed a single thing? This is one of those movies.

Unlike the previous 2 seasons of the show, this movie does not take place in Japan, but in another Asian country where the military regime is trying to implement a Sibyl-like system in an effort to keep the populace under control. Guerilla rebel forces resist the corrupt government, but thanks to Sibyl's system marking all opposition as criminals, the government is able to firmly control its people with brutal oppression. So where do our heroes fit into all of this? Well, it turns out Kogami is discovered to be aiding the rebels, and Akane is sent to investigate both his actions and the country's use of the Sibyl system.

In essence, the movie is an exploration of what happens when Sibyl falls into the wrong hands. Questions about the political and social implications, such as persecution and segregation, are raised by the movie. The problem though, is that the movie is never given enough time to actually probe into these questions, instead choosing to focus more on the actions scenes than on answering all the thoughtful, philosophical questions it raises.

Furthermore, the movie seems to have switched the genre of the series. Whereas the show was clearly a Sci-Fi Thriller with some action sprinkled in, the movie feels more like an Action Spy flick with some Sci-Fi elements mixed in, a change which may turn some fans off. One final problem with the story was the somewhat unsatisfactory ending. I won't spoil it, but I will say that I was a little disappointed with it.


Character: 8/10
While fan-favorite character Kogami is back and better than ever, new characters that the audience are never given time to get to know or get invested in are also introduced. There is some character development: it's a joy getting to see the new Akane interact with a somewhat changed Kogami. Ginoza's reunion with Kogami is also interesting.

Unfortunately, the side characters don't get that much screen time, so apologies to fans of any team member other than Akane and Kogami. Anyone hoping for Ginoza or one of the other team members to play a major role will be sorely disappointed. As I said, the film's main focus were definitely Kogami and Akane, at the expense of all the other characters. The film's villains do their job, but none of them is nearly as memorable as Makishima from Season 1 (who makes a short cameo appearance, BTW). So if you're only in it for Kogami and Akane, then you're in luck. Otherwise, the rest of the characters do their job - nothing more, nothing less.


Enjoyment: 9/10
Despite all the flaws in the story and characters that I pointed out, the film was by no means bad. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and wholeheartedly recommend it to both fans and to anyone who is interested in Sci Fi or action. Throughout the movie my attention was held, and the 2 hour running time flew by. The movie didn't feel like a drag at all, which is a testament to its entertainment value. It's not as deep as the show, but sit back, relax, and you'll enjoy it.


Overall: 8/10


TL;DR summary:
Pros:
- Absolutely breathtaking animation and fight scenes
- Everyone's favorite badass Kogami is back and kicking ass
- Good music

Cons:
- A story that's not given much time to develop
- Setting change may unsettle some fans
- Mediocre villains
- New and side characters barely get any screen time
- Disappointing ending that didn't seem to impact the bigger general plotline

Don't let the cons I listed stop you from watching the film, however - with absolutely gorgeous animation, a beautiful soundtrack, and the best fight scenes in anime I've seen in recent years, I still wholeheartedly recommend this movie. Just don't go in expecting it to be the "good old Psycho-Pass adventure" with all the characters you love and you'll have a good time with it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Aug 16, 2015

Holokai

Mixed Feelings

Summary: I'm a huge fan of Psycho-Pass as a franchise, and believe that it embodies what it means to be a great anime. So it comes as no surprise that I not only watched this movie, but also enjoyed it quite a bit. However, I also strongly believe that Psycho-Pass' strength lies in not its beautiful art nor its amazing soundtracks (both of which are fantastic), but rather on its philosophical explorations and thoughtful plot/character development. As a result, even though I did greatly enjoy this movie, as a fan and honest critic I have to give it a less-than-stellar rating. Now in more depth:

- ... Art: As mentioned in other reviews, the art is nothing short of fantastic. From the initial guerrilla scenes to the final showdown (to avoid spoilers), little can be said to detract from the artwork and animation.

- Sound: The music and OST for the movie are both excellent, and the ending is a thrill for old Psycho-Pass fans. Again, nothing much to criticize here, but nothing much to gush over either.

- Character: This was one of the low points of the movie, particularly in comparison to standard set by the other Psycho-Pass seasons. Unlike in the other two seasons, Akane doesn't really develop at all in the movie, and the denouement where she inevitably has a "showdown" with the Sybil System (no Psycho-Pass story would be complete without one) is disappointing, if only because it shows how shallow the whole theme behind the movie was. (More on this in the Story section.) The only upside in the character department is that Ginoza finally gets some closure, which was great to watch, but otherwise nothing is resolved. Makishima is provided a 10-second appearance just for the fangirl screams, and our protagonists (by whom I mean Akane and Kogami) end the movie at about the same point they started it. As a side note: why the !#$% does Shimotsuki still exist? I haven't been this pissed off at an anime character since the infamous Nina of Code Geass.

- Story: Ah, the story. I'll discuss both the plot and the whole premise of the movie here, since in Psycho-Pass they're often one and the same. In short, it was a pretty awful execution of a potentially interesting idea. The Sybil System, with some improvements and elbow-twisting from Akane, has been functioning more or less well in almighty Nippon, so inevitably we have the question of what happened to the rest of the world. This movie starts to answer that: well, the rest of the world was kind of destroyed. At least, the world as we know it today. Lawlessness and war are the fixtures of the day, and humans have reverted to living in a sort of tribal society.

So what is the benevolent Sybil System to do but to export itself to save the rest of the world? (Hint: white man's burden, Washington Consensus) We see the System exported to southeast Asia, and the consequences that follow; how they go about dealing with the "aboriginals" and imposing law on such a society. Some of the ideas, as with others in Psycho-Pass, are quite interesting (i.e. the collars), and the premise itself is quite interesting. But unfortunately, this is about as much praise I can give, for the rest of the movie's execution is sub-par.

What could have been a fascinating exploration of how the Sybil System deals with the challenges of assimilating a "rabid" population and of the process of building a society from essentially scratch is instead turned into a typical military coup d'etat in which (*spoilers ahead*) the ultimate bad guy turns out to be (surprise!) a criminally asymptomatic puppet of the Sybil System. Hey, it's not like we've seen that as the climax of pretty much every season right? And Akane (surprise!) uses talk-no-jutsu with increasingly strained logic to get the Sybil System to back down. A job well done!


All in all, this movie is, of course, something of a must-watch for Psycho-Pass fans; I mean, if you were raving as hard as I was about the TV seasons, then you probably didn't even read this review before watching it. But simply as a piece of the art form that is anime, and more so as a successor of the Psycho-Pass franchise, this movie was something of a disappointment.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jul 31, 2015

SanaeK10

Not Recommended

This review contains minor spoilers, but really now, if you've watched the previous seasons you already know the plot to this one.

Psycho-Pass was one of those shows that was good on premise, but in execution was handled quite poorly, with the subtlety and writing of an angsty teen who thinks it's cool to see guts and explosions and who thinks it's good writing when a character randomly references old works of literature. Still, it was a fun and enjoyable show with some funny moments (Brains, Hyper-Oats, Spooky-Boogie etc). Psycho-Pass 2 on the other hand felt like an unnecessary cash-in that didn't bring anything new ... in terms of plot (and in fact recycled many of the plot points that kept the first one so interesting in the first place). Back then, I chalked it up to them not having the original writers onboard, perhaps the newer writers played it safe and didn't want to innovate and that since the movie brought back the old writers, surely they'd learn their lessons and bring something new to the table right? Or so I thought.

Boy howdy how wrong I was. If you've already watched the second half of Psycho Pass 1, you've pretty much already seen this one. It's pretty much the same premise, with the same plot twists and revelations only in Cambodia as opposed to Japan. And impressively, it manages to have even worse writing than the first anime.

Akane, once again, proves to the viewer that she's still a naive nutcase who thinks the system can change for the better (it doesn't) and is strangely easy to trust otherwise an obviously evil Colonel. When Mika of all people calls you out on your nativity, you seriously should consider retiring from the position of Main Protagonist. Kougami on the other hand is still the same old Kougami you've remembered from the first season, only cranked up in terms of OPness. This guy could take down an entire military with a sniper rifle without breaking a sweat. Because of that, most action scenes lose their sense of tension when your character is piratically invincible thanks to plot armor.

The other characters from previous seasons hardly make an appearance (understandable) apart from a terribly shoe-in cameo near the end (not understandable). As for the villains, we have Araragi Ko- I mean Colonel Wong who looks like he took a break from his usual harem anime shenanigans to try his luck at the Psycho-Pass-verse. At least that's what I remembered him doing. The other villains suffer from the strange syndrome of "looking cool but ultimately useless". I mean, you have a chick who can make wires grow out of her arms, how incompetent can you be to undersell this cool character? Of course nothing ends well for them, they also suffer from Bond Villain Stupidity so much you won't be the least bit surprised when Akane's friends show up at the precise moment to save them. Makishima wasn't the best villain in anime ever (face it, reciting quotes from random works of literature a good villain you don't make), but he was at least interesting and he had goals. Sybil System is less interesting now the viewer is aware of their true nature, and Araragi has no motive at all.

Really, that's pretty much the major things wrong with the film. I could go on about the other minor flaws plaguing the film (Engrish, Minor Inconsistencies, Plot Conveniences), but watching the film really wore me down, and nitpicking on minor issues would require me spoiling the whole film scene by scene.

Animation is good at least.

2/10
Spooky-Boogie couldn't save this.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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