Movie: “Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack”
Studio: Sunrise
Year: 1988

Intro

I watched this movie as 2019 was a celebratory year for 40 years of great Gundam action. I didn’t know much about this movie because I had not watched “Mobile Suit Gundam”, “Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam”, nor “Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ”. I did end up watching the events that occur after this movie though. I just expected some great action and maybe something that I would be familiar with.

Plot

This movie takes place in the Universal Century and is a culmination of 14 years of war which also spanned three series. It marks the final conflict between the hero, Amuro Ray, and his rival and main antagonist, Char Aznable. They both have to get ready for the final battle against each other in hopes of getting an edge over the other. One’s goal is to take over while the other one is to protect humanity.

Good

Despite not watching the previous three series, I was able to pick up on what the story was about. At the time of this movie, it was a simpler time. Nowadays, everything becomes more and more complex. It’s the classic good versus bad. We all know who to cheer for.

Due to watching anime from the 2000’s through the 2010’s, we’ve been spoiled with all the CGI. This movie marks the first time that it’s used in the Gundam series, and it wasn’t even used that long.

One of the themes is whatever it takes to win.  Amuro is willing to sacrifice himself to save the world while his allies felt the same.  Char’s will to win has him sinking to new lows and manipulating a young girl into piloting her own Gundam.  Both want to win but at what cost?

Bad

One of the characters was annoying and almost useless. Quess Paraya was a whiny character that somehow had the ability to pilot a Gundam. If it weren’t for another character in another Gundam series, Quess would be the worst character of all time.

Overview

This movie makes me want to check out the other three series. I felt like there was a lot I may have missed out. It’s now apparent why this universe is very popular. After all these years, this movie holds up against many others.

Overall rating: 4/5
Reviewed by: Timtastic