Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: The Rebellion Story

While its predecessor had as main point the subversion of a genre, this subverts what had already been established by the anime. Focused on the character Homura, this film studies the psychological and personality of the character through symbolism and subliminal messages, while giving us a tragic continuation of the previous story that, although melancholic, reached a minimally happy ending.

The anime that had worked out mixed feelings in the midst of a chaotic situation is no different from this one, which decided to focus entirely on negative but natural feelings of most people, what is evident with this is what had already been shown in the background in the series, that Homura is the main character of Madoka Magica, everything that happened previously was only because of her actions, that is, Madoka was only capable of her achievements in the previous one because of this.

The film majestically works on selfishness and desire, that even in a world that was balanced and healthy there are still those who do not accept it, who can still suffer even with the guarantee of a "happy ending".

In addition to expanding the fantasy universe, he also masterfully studies the philosophy between good and bad, which when they are unbalanced are nothing more than pure chaos, Homura who until then had not noticed this "flaw" in Madoka's plan at the end of the anime , decides to take the lead, until he realizes that regardless of the fear of becoming a witch, he disappeared, that would not necessarily cease the negative feelings and apprehension that we feel daily, causing the character to take drastic measures in the face of the situation.

Rebellion is responsible for creating one of the greatest antagonists of anime, not because of its psychopathy and supposed malice, but because it is something so close to us and our actions that it makes us reflect; "What if I was in this situation? It would probably do worse! ".

This movie sequel is a visual spectacle, and it also adds inventive takes on Madoka's story, tho I was already satisfied with the closed ending of the anime TV series.

The original series and the movie duology that retold it ended with a finale that was heart-rendingly bittersweet yet incredibly positive, but also had a slight note of dissatisfaction. Rebellion seeks to rectify that and just... doesn't?

From a technical standpoint, the movie is fabulous. The soundtrack is lovely, and the visuals are gorgeous. What surprised me even more was the imagery: Where I found the abstract depiction of the Witches odd and jarring in the series (and to a lesser extent also in the duology), I found it absolutely beautiful in Rebellion.

But as fantastic as it looked, it could not hide some problems with the pacing I feel this movie has. A runtime of almost two hours certainly isn't short, so I wonder if it was truly necessary to spend five minutes on a fairly silly 'magical transformation' sequence that is meant to be partially satirical. Similarly, there were two quite long fight scenes that just dragged on where nothing really mattered. IMHO the pacing is one if this movie's biggest flaws; I was never quite bored but I certainly came close occasionally.

The biggest flaw, however, is the plot, or rather its conclusion. I love the premise, I love how it is revealed, I love how it is concluded. I don't love what happens after the conclusion of the premise. Similarly, I love how all our favourite characters are there, and I love how the writers managed to unify their tragic fates with the positive premise (particularly Sayaka). I don't love what they did to Homura at the end.

All in all I find the final choice the maker's did to be a questionable one. They did not want to conclude their movie trilogy with a clichéd, super sappy, overly perfect ending. Turning clichés around is one of the most beloved and major themes of Madoka Magica, so I suppose it fits the modus operandi. But the series and duology are also so beloved because their final message is so utterly positive, and the one of Rebellion just isn't. I don't really see why.

It's a bit similar to the duology, where Beginnings ended with horrible revelations and Eternal tried to fix anything, only that there is no fourth movie to fix Rebellion's ending. Which is so weird because the movie had its perfect ending, and then threw it away for another dramatic twist that just didn't get fixed in the end.

From a theatrical standpoint, I guess this is excellent. From a personal standpoint I find this fairly unsatisfying. Still an amazing movie, though. You just might want to replace the last ten minutes with 'And then they lived happily ever after' in your head.

I first watched this film in theaters and after receiving the bluray yesterday and after watching it a second time, I feel like I can say that this is an exceptional film. Same with before, the music is excellent and the animation is dazzling. It's avant-garde style make it really look unique, almost like an a bad LSD trip. The production values are high to say the least.

What I really like about this movie is how the main focus is on the most interesting of the magical girls in the series, Akemi Homura. I can't go into any real detail about the story other than this. It starts out in a world that is too good to be true. Then Homura starts getting suspicious of it. This movie really explores her character and never feels forced. Given her past actions and her mental state, everything she does feels organic and like a natural continuation of the series. Granted, some say the series didn't need a continuation, and in some respects they are right, but it doesn't take away from this at all.

It may not be the story you want, but at the very least, it makes perfect sense and is a great exploration into the tragic character that is Homura. It also opens the door to more entries in this series and as long as the quality stays consistent, that's not bad at all in my book.

I love "Magic Madoka", and was curious about this movie that follows up the movies, so by extension, the series (for those who don't know, the first two movies are a slightly condensed version of the 12 episode series) If you don't know anything about Madoka, you should stop reading here, unless spoilers don't bother you.

The movie is slightly confusing at first, and I can't describe the plot too well without giving away spoilers. I can say this much: Homura wakes up in a world where all her friends are back and they're all happily fighting monsters together. Homura grows suspicious. About as much as I can say.

Honestly, of all the ways to continue this franchise, this seems like one of the best options. It really takes Homura's character in a fascinating direction. It doesn't feel like a cash in, cause a cash in would've just had a mindless action movie with an excuse plot, and not the furthering development of Homura. There are scenes here more shocking than anything even in the series. It's not the stereotypical direction.

Of course some people aren't going to like this. Some for legitimate reasons, cause the ending of the series was perfect. Though that doesn't make this movie bad by any stretch. It's a great character piece for Homura, and given the ending, I would certainly look forward to another follow up.