Mar 10, 2017
As this was a Sword Art Online movie, I did not expect much going in. Sword Art Online was one of the shows that got me watching anime, and I enjoyed it on some level, but as years went by the show kept becoming more sour in my mind. Sword Art Online II was a very weak sequel, so my expectations going into Ordinal Scale was not very high. However, I was somewhat surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. I do not have any particularly strong feelings about this movie, so I will list my review by section.
Story
The story is bland. It has
...
some interesting points, but like much of SAO, does not go far beyond being just good/enjoyable. Some of the callbacks were interesting, and there are some funny moments in the movie. I would highly suggest watching this in theaters if possible, because the atmosphere of a theater helps to boost this movie and make the different story points more impactful. Despite this, their are many pieces of fanservice (both for bring back characters for no reason and sexualized shots) that did not sit well with me.
Art
As to be expected from a show like SAO, the art was good. It is one of the show's strong points, but there were no particular shots or bits of animation that really impressed me. The use of 3D on some of the monsters also felt a bit subpar, since Ordinal Scale had a movie size budget. The movie had polished art and animation, but was basically standard and felt like a TV anime.
Sound
Nothing particularly catchy or outstanding. Yuna's songs were good, though I debate whether they were really needed or not. Again, like the art, sound was standard.
Character
Characters are same-same. There were certainly more interesting moments between characters, but it was still more face-value type of character development than not. The characters served their purposes well, but are still relatively bland and uninteresting.
Enjoyment
Like some of the other parts of SAO, Ordinal Scale was enjoyable. There were funny parts, there was some pandering that hit me in the right spots, and there was some moments that felt magical. Again, it's all still SAO, but I feel like this movie was a refined version of all the rest of SAO and would say that this is the best part of Sword Art Online since Aincrad. If you actively or passively enjoy SAO, I would suggest watching this in theaters and/or with a group of friends. Having other people watching it and reacting makes it even better. If you do not like SAO, then this movie offers nothing that would change your mind.
Overall
I enjoyed the film. I feel like it is one of the best arcs to come out of the SAO anime, and it had some weight to it. There were some funny and satisfying moments, and there were a couple moments where I questioned my life choices. This movie does not have much depth or anything to analyze, but it is just a fun film to watch with a group of like-minded weebs. I would suggest Ordinal Scale to anyone who has seen Sword Art Online and Sword Art Online II.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
