Scrolling through Netflix’s new releases, I saw that they had recently uploaded a highly anticipated, live-action adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist in a movie. Fullmetal Alchemist has had several adaptations from comic to multiple cartoon series.

I know that most of the time live-action, anime movies are a flop, but I felt like I could somewhat enjoy Netflix’s version. I’ll give them credit for having a smaller budget and trying to condense a five-season series into a two-hour movie.

Fullmetal Alchemist revolves around a pair of brothers — Edward and Alphonse Elric — who live in a world of alchemy. When their mother falls ill and dies, Edward and Alphonse try to use alchemy to resurrect their mother even though it is forbidden. Their alchemy fails, resulting in Edward losing his arm and Alphonse losing his whole body. 

I enjoyed how they combined characters, like the Butcher and Shou Tucker, in order to condense the movie. They added Winery to more scenes that she was not normally in, and it made her seem more important, which I also liked.

Living armor, science-based magic, and human sacrifice are some things that make Fullmetal unique. You get these things in Netflix’s version, but the movie still has various differences that make it feel a bit thrown together. What will disappoint the fans is that many of the major arches and characters were cut out of the movie in order to shorten it.

The action, costumes, and set were excellent even though they were on a lower budget. The fight scenes were pretty cool but were a bit quick and sometimes cheesy. Thankfully, the CGI and acting were almost indistinguishable from the cartoon.

By the end of the movie, the ending is left open-ended for a possible sequel. For a movie that is good but not comparable to the TV series, I’d give Fullmetal Alchemist a 7 out of 10.