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Berserk - movie 3
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:CreationDate: 2015-03-08 16:16:34
:Id: anime/review/berserk-3
:tags: - anime
- review
:rating: 3.5
:original: http://www.easternkicks.com/reviews/berserk-movie-3-the-advent
Third and final part of the "Golden Age" arc, this film shows the end
of Griffith and his Band of the Hawk, precipitated by Guts's decision,
near the end of the second movie, to leave Griffith to pursue his own
life.
After the `previous <../berserk-1/>`_ `two <../berserk-2/>`_ movies
had covered about 20 chapters each, this third one covers from chapter
40 to about chapter 90 (volumes 9-13). There are 28 more volumes to
adapt (the first three, that depict events after the eclipse, and the
volumes after the Golden Age arc, currently 25): that may probably
take 6 more movies, although the pace of the manga gets slower in
later chapters, so they could be adapted to a shorter overall screen
time. The Golden Age movies were released between 2012 and 2013, but
from what I can see nothing was released this year: it may be some
time until we get the whole of Miura's work on the big screen.
(I'm not even going to say anything about the animation style and
quality, I've already expressed my opinions in the other two reviews.)
At this point in this series of movies, I can't honestly write much
without discussing plot points and how they've been adapted. If you
haven't read the manga, the best I can say is: there's blood, and
monstrous beings, and dismemberment, and rape. If you still hadn't
realised how nasty Miura's world is, the events shown here will drive
the point home with all the subtlety of a broadsword. But if you liked
the first two movies, you really have to watch this one as well, to
see how far Griffith's ambition will go, and how easily evil
influences can twist the meaning of acts of love.
On the other hand, if you have read the manga, or don't mind some plot
spoilers, read on.
To compress 50 chapters in less than two hours, the authors have
skipped several parts that may be considered secondary, to concentrate
on the big events: how the Hawks rescue Griffith from the dungeons,
how the budding relationship between Casca and Guts plays into
Griffith's helplessness and jealousy, the summoning of the God Hand,
the eclipse, and the rebirth of Griffith as Femto.
Some scenes feel a bit disconnected from the main narrative, like the
attack of the Bākiraka, or the fight between Zodd and Skull Knight,
but even in the manga they make sense only in the larger context of
the machinations of the God Hand and the Kushan invasion.
The horror of the eclipse is shown with lurid colours and vivid
imagery, you can feel the terror that overpowers the Hawks, and the
disregard of human life by the God Hand. The scene where Femto rapes
Casca is particularly horrifying, you can see how little of Griffith's
humanity is left in Femto, and you can understand why Casca's mind
breaks (the rape should contrast with the lovemaking scene between
Casca and Guts earlier in the movie, but that scene is so badly
directed, and the expressions so badly rendered, that the contrast is
almost ruined).
Despite the minor flaws, this conclusion of the first big story arc
confirms the overall quality of the adaptation, and I'm eagerly
awaiting the next arc.
