So, I finally watched Gundam Seed Freedom. I honestly never thought I'd ever see this film. This is a movie that's been talked about ever since Destiny ended back in the 2000s, yet nothing ever came of it for decades. I thought this movie would never be a thing. So, when I first saw the trailers for this over a year ago, my first thought was "Really? This is actually happening?" But, my second reaction was indifference.
If this movie had come out ten to fifteen years ago, I would've been extremely hyped for it. I was a massive Gundam fan back then. I still am now, but my hype for Gundam was at its peak in those days. I loved the original Gundam Seed. Even now, despite my several issues with the series, I think the original Seed is a decent show, especially if you watch the remastered version. It has a really bad reputation because it's linked with Seed Destiny, which really sucks. I didn't like Destiny back then, and I definitely don't now. That, and the fact that it's been so long, my interest expectations for this film were pretty low. The fact that it's taken me this long to finally watch it should say enough.
Yet, I still found myself disappointed. Yeah, I don't like this film much at all. I won't say it's the worst Gundam movie ever. F91 still holds that spot for me. But I will say it's the worst of the three Gundam movies based on an alternate-universe franchise, being this movie, Endless Waltz and Awakening of the Trailblazer. I'm one of the few Gundam fans that loves Awakening of the Trailblazer. I think that film is great, and a worthy end to the 00 franchise. I would even say a necessary one.
This film is much like Endless Waltz in that they're both rather unnecessary, tacked-on sequels to stories that had completed, and had nowhere left to go. But I would rather watch Endless Waltz over this.
There are some good things about this movie. The art and animation are both good. All the constant recycled animation both Seed and Destiny are infamous for is pretty much gone here. There are some, but they feel more like homages rather than laziness. The music is good. That's always been a constant strength of this franchise.
Kira and Lacus actually go through arcs in this, and are actually allowed to show vulnerability, which was sorely lacking in Destiny. They actually feel more in line with how they were characterized in the original Seed. The mobile suits all look cool, old and new models, save one. The Destiny Gundam actually got a better combat showcase here than it ever did in Destiny. I would argue Shin got the most badass moments in the film, even more than Kira.
That's it for the compliments though. The worst part about this film is that it's a complete rehash of destiny. The movie starts with the heroes fighting the same terrorist group from the first half of Destiny. The main villains have the same goal as Durandel, the main villain of Destiny. They even recycle the same superweapon from the end of Destiny. The climax is pretty much identical to the final battle of Destiny, with the same stakes.
The new characters, on both the hero and villain sides, are all nothing to speak of. The main villain is pretty much a lame mix of Durandel from Destiny and Azrael from Seed. He's a worse version of both characters.
Athrun has criminally little screen time. Cagalli has even less and does little to nothing. Murrue and Mu are...there. Shin, while having the most badass action bits, is still treated like crap from pretty much everybody for the entire film. It's sad because Shin could've been a decent protagonist in Destiny, as the first half of that series was actually somewhat decent. But, they completely screwed him over at the end of that show, and here he's treated like an idiot and a joke by everyone.
People complain about 00 and the Witch from Mercury and how many of the battles feel very Shounen-like, but they have nothing on this film. The fights in Destiny already felt too Shounen-like, but this took it to another level. Some of the Gundam battles in this finale would be right at home in G Gundam. Honestly, this film feels like a Gundam movie and more like a Shounen movie. You know, like the old DBZ, Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece movies. This feels like one of those. Gundam is supposed to be a war story. Seed felt like a war story. Even Destiny felt more like a war story than this does.
I wouldn't say this is a horrible movie. I just find it a nothing burger. Maybe if this had come out in the late 2000s I would be less hard on it. But as a film released now, it just feels like a cash grab, capitalizing on nostalgia, like a lot of things nowadays. This feels a lot like the code Geass Resurrection film we got several years ago, and I'd rather watch that than this.
This film really isn't for anyone except diehard fans of everything Seed. If you don't like either Seed or Destiny don't watch this. If you like Seed but not Destiny, don't watch this. If you're someone who's curious about Gundam Seed, then just watch the first series, and pretend nothing after that exists.
