Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch

More than anything else, this is a movie for those who want to see the Code Geass cast again. As long as you have limited expectations and are willing to adapt to the changes in format, presentation and characterization, the movie may reward you with a good time If you're not a fan, this will do little for you. If you want everything to be the same as before, results will be mixed. And, if you're a shipper, this movie might either warm your heart a little or send you into a spiral of depression and denial. Before analyzing the film, let’s take a step back. Was Code Geass a masterpiece or a train wreck? Perhaps both or something in between? Even at this late point, over ten years after the dramatic conclusion of Code Geass R2 that sent waves of emotion and memes across the Internet, the lasting popularity of the show among contemporary anime viewers is an unquestionable fact but history, which remains beyond all of our fleeting emotions, has still not reached a final verdict on its quality. For the sake of transparency, it must be pointed out that this new movie, Lelouch of the Resurrection, does not pretend to be a direct sequel to the Code Geass R2 television series. On the contrary, it has been publicly described by director Goro Taniguchi, writer Ichiro Okouchi and other Sunrise staff members as a canonically separate product existing within its own alternate universe. What does that mean? The story of Lelouch of the Resurrection is a parallel one. It is an alternate continuation, one which follows the three recent compilation movies that introduced a set of more or less significant changes to the original story. Keeping that in mind, this new movie presents a variation of the original Code Geass phenomenon. It may not be as structurally compromised as the second season, thankfully, but the film still seems likely to produce a high degree of controversy and polarization for completely distinct reasons. This time, the fans will have to decide whether they can accept that a shorter running time inevitably leads to reduced expectations of complexity. While never a profoundly sophisticated anime, there is going to be an objective limitation in narrative scope, introspection and thematic depth when the staff is asked to tell a new Code Geass story within no more than two hours. Can this movie be worth watching in the eyes of most Code Geass fans? I believe so, yes. There are more than enough moments of raw theatricality, improved cinematography, character highlights, thrilling mecha action sequences, impressive animation, excellent sound composition, nods to audience favorites and appeals to nostalgia within Lelouch of the Resurrection. Furthermore, the film does live up to its own subtitle, which is usually taken for granted yet always good to confirm. Whether each of us was looking forward to it or not, the truth is that Lelouch has come back. Nevertheless, Resurrection also presents both Lelouch and us with a quiet yet relevant challenge. Time has passed and the world has moved on. As such, the film provides somewhat different interpretations of beloved characters that may not necessarily react as we expected. In that sense, fans will have to question their own preconceived notions and memories of those familiar faces they had once embraced more than a decade ago and contrast them with the reality of these fictional individuals who are now living under a variety of different circumstances. STORY: 7/10 Above all, it is an essentially traditional premise, based on tracking the return of a legendary hero who will then bring the cast together for the sake of carrying out a rescue mission. That simple framework is fully compatible with the Code Geass brand. For the intended purpose of providing entertainment value, the story does a more than serviceable job and hits all the minimum notes. As events develop, initial success brings forth more complications and the enemy responds, which in turn requires the use of additional counters. Fanservice for all genders is present, perhaps not in excess by the standards of currently popular anime but also not at the level of scarcity seen in more distinguished productions. Code Geass always tries to have something for everyone, or at least that's the impression a lot of us have received. When considering the story of Lelouch of the Resurrection from a purely critical perspective though, it doesn't manage to consistently impress. Code Geass never did have strong writing form, so those expectations must already be held in check, but in a way the apparent simplification of the story beats actually makes for a more comfortable viewing. We are not following a particularly complicated web of intrigue, no, but witnessing an extra adventure within the status quo of a world that is mostly at peace as a direct result of Lelouch's final grand plan: the Zero Requiem. There is a fair degree of amusement though, in the knowledge that the titular protagonist is initially indisposed, so to speak, for a reasonable chunk of the movie. That allows other characters to take action early on. What's more, the story also gives us a few short opportunities to see the metaphysical side of Code Geass in a way that had not been possible during the original television broadcast, presumably due to the budget limitations of a seasonal production. As previously mentioned, the plot itself is rather straightforward with only a handful of genuine surprises. If you seek a barrage of plot twists, that is not exactly the case here. Overall, I would say there are no more than two of them. Both the running time and, likewise, the large cast size are harsh mistresses indeed. To be clear, key characterization sequences are still present yet often abbreviated. Small but arguably telling details in the dialogue or in the facial expressions of the characters may be missed if you happen to blink at the wrong time or lose concentration. A number of topics are only addressed in a brief, implicit or indirect manner, which may cause certain viewers to feel confused or annoyed. This being Code Geass, after all, means that most folks are going to look for a grand spectacle instead of nuance, but it is worth noting how exactly that translates to a movie format. In that respect, the underlying structure of this new film works much better when digested as a Code Geass anniversary project or cast reunion special, rather than taken as an absolutely necessary part of the storyline. I believe those who are prepared to cherish it as such may, at the end of the line, find most of the experience to be a welcome one. Others, sadly, will not be so lucky. Fortunately, I believe there are a number of secondary paths available for those who wish to alleviate such concerns with an open mind. While the tapestry is indeed far less complex than before, that doesn't mean there is no room for any thematic analysis. It may be obscured or simplified, at first glance, but the elements for that exercise are still there. For instance, the main antagonists do have less screen time and layers than others we have seen before. Yet, all the same, there is a point being made there. Why, pray tell, are the High Priestess and the King of this new enemy nation so...familiar to another pair of Code Geass siblings? Rather than qualifying this as nothing more than a lack of creativity, I believe it is entirely intentional and is purposely showing us the inherent risks of an excessive reliance on brotherly or sisterly love as motivation. See, amidst all the posturing and bombast, one question that Lelouch of the Resurrection does quietly ask is whether there is still room for a newly resurrected Lelouch in the world of Code Geass. Which is a topic that, to say the least, also has implications for the future of the property as a whole. Even when Lelouch comes back, to the joy of many characters and the audience, he is no longer a factor for rebellion and instability, at the global o…

[Spoiler Warning] I write this review as a die-hard (male) fan of Code Geass. It was ten years ago when I saw Lelouch of the Rebellion and the degree of plot complexity and rich characterisation was beyond anything I have seen in anime as a teenager. In a certain sense, that anime series helped to shape my anime tastes for the next decade, among other anime classics such as Madoka, Cowboy Behop and Neon Genesis Evangelion. But is it worth it? Well, there are redeeming points to make about the movie. - the animation is smooth, well-detailed and its nice to see Code Geass so beautifully rendered on the big screen compared to the animation standards 10 years ago. - The fighting sequences were just as tight and well choreographed as it were in the anime series. But the answer is no. The movie is a huge slap in the face especially for diehard fans because it disregards the winning formula for what makes Code Geass so brilliant in the first place. A) Lelouch was such an iconic character in anime for good reason, because there is such intelligence in the way he’s being portrayed. In this movie however, his characterisation is reduced to a 2 dimension caricature of who he used to be. Given the enormity of what he went through in season 2 where he decided to DIE for all his actions, in this movie, he doesn’t even seem to CARE why he was brought back – and his return was brought back with a certain degree with indifference. Given the emotional charged nature of his death in season 2 which is the culmination of all his actions and manipulations and lies, Lelouch have always mentioned that he knew he would have to pay the price for all of his actions, hence his famous philosophy in season 1 episode 1 “Those who may shoot are those who may get shot themselves.” The indifferent nature that Lelouch is portrayed with regards to his resurrection negates the emotional investment and cathartic nature that the whole of season 2 has been building up to.The significance of Zero Requiem in second season doesn’t seem to matter, his complex love-hate relationship with Suzaku and other characters are neglected, it’s almost as though this movie centers entirely around the mission in which Lelouch is resurrected to without exploring his motivations, his history, and how he reconciles his death in season 2 with his resurrection in this current reality. As such it’s hard to take seriously that this paper-thin characterisation of Lelouch could actually be the same character as the ones we see in Season 2. B) One of the most enjoyable points of the Code Geass anime series were the cat-and-mouse games that Lelouch plays with his opponents. Lelouch is such an amazing chessmaster that even as the audience, you cannot see where the plot is moving towards and it’s also gag-worthy when his opponents are competent enough to turn the tables on him. In this movie, I was surprised at the utter laziness of the writing as there were none of those twists and turns that were so brilliantly crafted in the anime series. Instead, Lelouch’s Geass was used as a device that could power through most of the problems faced in the movie. If one only watches the movie and not the series, it would be difficult to see that Lelouch was an intelligent manipulator and mastermind as established in the anime series. C) The ending is also particularly canon-defying in so many ways. I am not going to spoil any major details, but after the problem was resolved, Lelouch basically makes an arbitrary decision to spend the rest of his life with one person. Which is very weird because firstly, Lelouch in the anime series comes across as the guy that had multiple romantic interests, but he was not interested in pursuing any of these because his main motivation was in destroying Britannia and in saving his sister. The renouncement of his romantic desire for the higher good is in one sense one of the ways which established him as such an iconic anti-hero in the first place. Secondly, the ambiguity of his romantic interests is also why there is a proliferation of various fanbases shipping him with different characters: C2, Kallen, Shirley, Suzaku etc. Given that this was a 2 hr movie and that most of the movie lies in establishing the setting, introducing the problem and new cast, reintroducing Lelouch and henceafter, the resolution of the problem, Lelouch makes a last minute decision to spend the rest of his life with one character, without any rationalisation whatsoever. I remembered asking my friend at this point if I missed any romantic subtext that existed throughout the movie that could explain why Lelouch would make such a well… life-changing decision and the answer is no. It’s basically as coherent if I asked the person sitting next to me in the theatre if they would like to marry me after this. The infuriating thing is that even after a canon-romantic interest is established in the movie, Sunrise continues to release merchandise within the next few days with Lelouch and other characters in postures and positions that suggested a romantic/erotic subtext. It’s as though they wish to exploit the fanbases of all their money, at the risk of disregarding what was even established in the movie. It also cheapens all the relationships that the fandoms are invested in. Basically, this movie is heartbreaking as it details the utter decline of Sunrise as a respectable anime-production company. Which is actually not surprising because – well look at the Akito movies. The anime series ended perfectly – there was no reason to bring back Lelouch and bringing him back weakens the anime series – it’s like if Shakespare brought back King Lear or Othello; it cuts the cathartic element of the original series. To make it worse, Lelouch is brought back as a shadow of his former self with none of the rich complexities in terms of his characterisation or plot. It is sad that this movie has the depth and richness of a fandisk OVA, rather than a proper follow up to what is arguably one of the best anime series created.

*spoilers for Code Geass R2 and Geass Movie 3, and minor spoilers for this movie* And there I was, terrified. “There’s no way this could work,” I said knowing of Zero’s past oversights and inability to come up with decent contingencies and rewrites. I’ve witnessed imbeciles foolishly latch themselves onto his name and provide nothing of value, unless you count unnecessary complications as valuable. I’ve seen him redo ideas to mixed results, and tamper with the inexplicable. As the moment of truth came, I cast my fears aside and prayed for a miracle, as a fellow Black Knight. Somehow, we made it, if not in one piece. Zero is the miracle worker, after all. Revival sequels are a strange gamble. Often without the vision of the original team, these titles are put up against nostalgia. They’re confined by the rules and possible mistakes of their predecessors, as well as the expectations of those who cling to them. When looking at the likes of Diebuster or FLCL Progressive for example, I see nothing but mockeries of their predecessors and misunderstandings of what made them popular to begin with. Even the better examples I’ve seen such as the 2018 Halloween sequel and Star Wars: The Force Awakens are still decent at best, therefore still incapable of stacking up to their predecessors. When you consider the legacy of Code Geass, how monumental the series finale was, and how messy its second season was, it’s hard to see this film justifying its own existence, let alone living up to either season. While this film never entirely succeeds at either, the fact that it doesn’t fail miserably is a miracle in itself. There are a few aspects of the film’s narrative that I must praise. For one, they finally tried explaining C’s world instead of leaving it as a convoluted nonentity connected to a bunch of disparate, inexplicable aspects of Geass such as the Thought Elevator and how most of the new Geass powers are tied to the insecurities of the characters that wield them. It makes just enough sense for me to not question everything about it. The way they use this to justify Lelouch not being dead mostly adds up when you consider what happened in R2. The revival aspect was the main thing this movie needed to justify, and it did so while fleshing out something that both demanded scrutiny and damaged Geass R2 so heavily. The subsequent reunion scenes were generally solid, touching on the baggage most of the characters had with Lelouch in ways perfectly befitting most of these characters, even if the way they handled the major reunion and Lelouch’s character in the first leg of the film was questionable. Despite that and how the characters tend to stand around and talk instead of shoot, the film’s narrative is relatively functional. Most of the film’s setpieces work well, and every scene that touches on the former student council and most of the characters not heavily involved in the plot was handled in sweet and satisfying ways. It has a surprisingly decent final climax, and an incredibly interesting mental and supernatural chess match between Lelouch and the film’s gorgeous main antagonist, Princess Shamna. On the surface, the film’s plot is serviceable. That said, it wouldn’t be a Geass narrative if it wasn’t a mess, and it all revolves around the antagonists and their nation. The kingdom of Zilkhstan apparently suffered as a result of the Zero Requiem, which was meant to help restore peace and unify the world. They’re a war-torn country who was so powerful they once took down a Britannian army twice its size, and the pair of main antagonists, Shanma and Shalio, want to restore it to its former glory using C’s world. There are three major problems that destroy this entire thing. First off, where were they during the main series? They didn’t even try to justify the nation’s lack of involvement given their supposed strength and how their specific powers would have thrown everything out of whack for all warring nations in the original series. Given that they fought Britannia once, why did they stop, and when did they fight? Perhaps answering all of this would have been too difficult, and I currently can’t come up with a good one myself, so this seems like a lose-lose situation. Problem number two: the fact that the kingdom became war-torn following the Zero Requiem defeats the purpose behind the plan. Sure, this follows the film trilogy’s continuity, where the plan was only a step in the right direction towards world peace instead of an automatic win for world peace, but there shouldn’t be any signs of war. In fact, barring the fact that the kingdom started the conflict in the first place, there aren’t any. We don’t see anything resembling a war-torn, broken country. It’s literally just a third-world country. Where’s the chaos? Where are the casualties? Where is anything resembling compelling evidence that this kingdom was brought to ruin post-Zero Requiem? It’s the sole reason behind the villains’ motivations and we don’t see any of it, making us believe that these characters are just power hungry instead of the desperate souls they are. More on why these characters don’t work later, but keep in mind that this is one of the two main reasons the antagonists are less than the sum of their parts, and it’s the final reason the kingdom of Zilkhstan doesn’t work. *Note: Apparently, the idea of them being war-torn was a change made in the dub, as they were noted to have been a mercenary economy in the subtitled version. While that would ultimately justify why they were impoverished once the Zero Requiem kicked in, it still doesn't make the antagonists of the film any more compelling, as they merely tell the audience that "our kingdom is in ruins so we had to do this" without us actually seeing any kind of economic ruin. We can't get a proper view of their kingdom to help us sympathize with them and the extremes they go to in order to salvage their nation. I have no idea why the dub changed them from impoverished mercenary economy to a war-torn nation as that just makes things worse, but at the same time, it's not like we get to see their kingdom in ruins so it's difficult to care no matter what version you're watching. I just had to point this out after receiving comments from others who have seen the film in the sub format.* To go back to the film’s positives, let’s look at some of the characters. Lelouch himself, barring the questionable state he was in the beginning, is as charismatic a Char clone as ever. He carries this film, both in terms of personality, and in terms of how they deal with his errors and lasting impacts. He’s taken to task for the emotional turmoil he’s caused, and we’re reminded that underneath the mask of a magnificent bastard, he’s a tortured, petty soul whose ability to handle being forced to rethink his plans is still lacking. Surprisingly, in spite of having no new character arc to follow up his long, arduous, series-spanning character arc, Suzaku stands out as likable, and even consistent. He’s not the hypocritical douche he once was, but he’s every bit as emotional, and his hang-ups regarding Lelouch’s return are some of the most believable in the film given his character. Sadly, it goes downhill from there for a variety of reasons. Simply put, barring the return of the hilarious, sassy and borderline sociopathic scientist, Lloyd Asplund, the series seems to have run out of charisma for its characters. This is most noticeable with C.C and Jerimiah Gottwald. The former was a sassy, sarcastic, snarky vixen whose banter with Lelouch and his allies made for some of the funniest moments of the show. The latter was a monumental ball of ham across both seasons. Both characters are robbed of these traits, and even though C.C is now more important than ever before, her attachment to Lelouch and the insecurities she would often guard are given infinitely more focus than anything else about her. Sure, some of the banter and antics of the characters…

When the hit TV anime "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion" first ended its run 11 years ago, its dramatic finale created a divide in the fandom so deep that it appears to exist even today: half the fandom wanted Lelouch alive, the other half wanted/believed him dead. Whichever camp you are from, however, it was probably difficult not to feel at least a little curious (if not excited) when Sunrise first announced its plans for a continuation. Now, with the recent recap/compilation movie trilogy and this new sequel, "Lelouch of the Re;surrection", Sunrise attempts to reboot its most iconic series from the late 2000s and breathe new life into the franchise, presenting "another possibility" (in director Taniguchi Goro's own words) with regards to the series' ending and hoping to delight fans with an alternate path and beginning that is offered to Lelouch. And having been a big fan of the original series for 11 years, I was of course interested to see where they would take it. As a continuation that still relies on the same major plot elements from the TV series to pull its weight, though, "Re;surrection" fails in terms of plot and characterization - and fans hoping for a sequel that at least stays true to the tone of the original series may find themselves sorely disappointed. *Mild and non-detailed spoilers ahead.* Those who enjoyed the original series ("Rebellion") would be able to agree that two large factors contributed to its overall success across a wide demographic: 1) Plot complexity and 2) Complex and three-dimensional characterization, especially in the case of leads: Lelouch, C.C., and Suzaku. "Re;surrection", however, not only fails to meet the standard of both - but even as an "alternate", ultimately ends up destroying what was crucial and praiseworthy about the series it is based on. 1. Story Given that this is a two-hour movie, it was probably difficult to fit in any philosophical discussion about politics and ideologies, something which was a driving force behind "Rebellion". While that is fine, and understandable (the world is supposed to be mostly fixed by now, after all), the writers struggle to introduce new stakes to the story that are just as compelling. A new country and a new cast of characters are brought in, but are clearly manufactured as an excuse to bring Lelouch back for one final "mission", since they aren't developed much by the end of the movie and the audience is not given much meat that would help us sympathize with their motivations (if anything, sympathy for Chamna and Chalio is cheap since it relies on evoking the same "oh my younger sibling cannot walk" sentiment that we got with Lelouch and Nunnally). The conflict that arises due to the presence of these new characters also does not provide much room for the twists and turns which made the story of "Rebellion" so enjoyable - indeed, at many points it starts to feel as though Lelouch's Geass is more of a trump card than his brilliance and his scheming. Only one noteworthy "twist" is present, and even then it is already set up such that every member of the audience is already expecting it by the time it happens. There are also several inconsistencies plotwise, but one in particular stands out, and shockingly so: As a new story that is built entirely on the impact and result of the Zero Requiem, there is a complete and inexplicable failure to address the objective of the Requiem, and how Lelouch's return is in conflict with it. Whether or not you feel that Lelouch is better off dead, any serious and long-time Code Geass fan would be able to acknowledge the impact of this conclusive plot event, as well as the meaning it lent to all of Lelouch's actions throughout the course of the series. And everyone should be able to agree that any continuation which involves Lelouch coming back from the dead must at least acknowledge the fact that it contradicts the atonement that Zero Requiem was supposed to serve as for Lelouch i.e. the reason why Lelouch died in the first place. Whether brief or at length, this conflict needs to be discussed in order to provide some reconciliation, and give meaning to the path that Lelouch will choose for himself now that he is alive once more. But none of that takes place here. Despite other characters "telling" us in one or two brief lines that Lelouch had fully intended to die, Lelouch himself is not shown to have much of an opinion on the matter, doesn't say anything about it, and appears blase about having been brought back from the dead throughout the entire movie. The Zero Requiem is hardly mentioned, the POINT of Zero Requiem is never discussed, and in fact, nobody in the movie seems to really remember it - not even Suzaku, who clearly demonstrates that he has also forgotten its purpose for himself (explicitly laid out by Lelouch in his death scene and just as explicitly accepted by Suzaku) in one of his conversations with Lelouch. And if Lelouch DOES have any issues with being resurrected against his will or how it goes against what was originally intended via Zero Requiem, they are never brought up. And while Lelouch's failure to display any misgivings OR any indication of gratitude at being brought back to life is somewhat troubling, what is more unfortunate is the effect that this puzzling refusal to address Zero Requiem has on story elements: 1. the Zero Requiem is reduced to some cheap plot device/excuse for why everyone is now happy to welcome their savior back with open arms without questioning him/questioning whether or not it is right that he should live (Lelouch saved the world and we miss him, let's forgive him for all his crimes!) - making light of the entire reason why Lelouch died in the first place 2. Lelouch is now a typical Mary Sue, loved and helped by all, and even the one character who can be said to initially display SOME resistance is superficially hesitant and won over very quickly. Which brings us to the next point: 2. Characterization This suffers most notably in Lelouch's case. As the centerpiece of this new movie, our main character now appears detached, distracted, and lacks the fire that once gave his character charisma and dimension. Where "Rebellion" was either brimming with emotional intensity or the occasional sentimental slice of life moment meant to remind us that Lelouch is also a schoolboy who tries to care for his friends (and sometimes fails) - Lelouch's reunions, reactions to, and interactions with other characters are now mostly brief, superficial and lukewarm - some don't even happen on screen at all. Since the basis for all of this relies so much on the Zero Requiem while the Zero Requiem is simultaneously now The Event That No One Wants To Talk About, Lelouch conveniently doesn't need to say or do anything to win characters over - and they also don't have much content for conversations. The only scene that can be considered a proper conversation and an attempt to provide some closure with respect to the preceding storyline is the chat that he has with Suzaku, and even then the impact of this is questionable or hit and miss, given that Lelouch spends half the time being distracted by a laptop (so that they can include a montage of other characters so that this can be introduced into the conversation, ultimately making the entire execution clumsy and somewhat artificial). As such the characterization relies a lot on the previous series and/or compilation movies to pull its weight, and in some places does not even feel faithful to the original. All of this is indicative of unimpressive writing and the fact that the characterization here cannot stand on its own, especially if one were to compare this to stronger, long-awaited sequels like The Incredibles 2, where beloved characters are expanded, given even more dimension, and given just as warm a reception by audience members who were entirely new to the story. Lelouch's lack of reaction and opinion to his new situation also mean…

I just saw this movie at my local cinema, this being the first anime movie I have ever seen on the big screen and let me say out of the gate it was so worth it! This is one of the best anime's I have seen in recent memory and for any fan of the show I highly recommend a watch!!! The story was fantastic picking up where the original series left off adding upon the narrative after that heart cutting ending of the original. It introduces new elements into the series and puts twists on pre-existing features making it into a fresh and interesting narrative to experience for fans of the show, a word of warning being the recap films changed elements of the series story so a brush up is recommended so fans aren't shocked seeing characters reappearing from the grave. *edit 24 hours later* after further consideration the twist or element in the film revealed in the third act could of been used to a greater effect to re-contextualise a lot more of the film and develop more layers into the story and antagonists. The art in the film was above my expectations and was surprisingly brilliant with vibrant colours, defined lines and limited usage of CGI allowing for more defined and visually appealing fight scenes throughout. The sound as similarly stated with the artwork was above my expectations even with the series previously spectacular songs throughout especially the openings and endings. So I'm happy to say the opening and ending were really good along with the backing music accompanying the movie throughout. The characters were fantastic in this movie and were a major reason for this films success as they felt so natural following the original series despite the few jarring changes from my perspective as having not watched the recaps. The many characters from throughout the series were perfectly incorporated in the movie and had me smiling during their appearances. A word to fans I'm happy to state CC and Lelouche were handled wonderfully in the movie having surprisingly brilliant development throughout from specifically beginning to end and in all honesty when rewatching certain scenes from the movie via the old trusty youtube hand cams it had me tearing up. *edit 24 hours later* after further consideration the antagonists could of been developed far greater in the film as their motives aren't fully fleshed out along with lots of their history. Enjoyment in this movie personally was a reason for its high rating, after having doubts for the past few days if I was really enjoying anime anymore this movie has really cleared a-lot up as personally most of the movie was extremely enjoyable. I've been wondering for so long if I'd ever find another anime that'd give me that feeling again, that passionate love for a show and I can confirm this is it, I absolutely loved this movie and have been frantically listening to the movies and currently the series soundtrack while shaking about. Overall I'm really finding it hard to criticise this movie as it ultimately full-filled all my expectations and then some in all departments having an amazing story, art, sound, characters and enjoyment managing to get me tearing up on clip rewatches and ultimately making me fall in love with this series even more so then after the masterpiece which was season 2's ending and I will definitely be keeping my ticket as a souvenir. In a bit of a side-note after finishing the movie and when walking out I was pretty mixed on the whole movie though I believe I've finally finalised my opinion to a reviewable degree :) (This review was made roughly 2hours after my first watch and I am seriously wanting to see it again henceforth I might be slightly biased towards this masterpiece).

This movie was a big disappointment as it was nothing more than mere fan service. It can't persuade that it was ever more than just a cheap attempt at a quick cash grab. There was no real story to tell, so instead they went with easy fan service. It's as if they googled some fan stuff and threw what they found in a cauldron and let it boil until stuck together a little bit. This movie is nothing more than shipping, shipping, shipping and the most hilarious "no, but also yes" stance on a popular theory. - Without going into spoiler territory first a history lesson to explain the context. The original anime had an old (though debunked) theory about the ending. The show staff always denied that theory, official statements contradicted it, in 2009 they made a completely new epilogue to hammer on the fact that the theory was wrong. In some statements they even explicitly denied core points of the theory. (for more information visit the Code Geass Community Information database, this can easily be found by googling "Evaluating Code Theory, main body + index", this information database also includes the new epilogue from 2009 which was mentioned above) Fast forward to the present and this movie, the hilarious thing is that, while this movie does indeed fully contradict that theory (Lelouch even explicitly denies the theory when Suzaku first meets him again!), it then simply goes on and "borrows" some of the theory's points and applies it to an entirely new lore concept which was made specifically for this movie. So basically, they're saying "your theory is wrong, but we're going to steal parts of it anyway and use it ourselves for something else". Facepalms ensued. - The so-called "story" of the movie deals with barely fleshed out antagonists who are the leaders of a previously non-existent country. A country which allegedly defeated one of the biggest super powers in their world, and yet were never mentioned before, or never sought to be allied with when the war for the entire planet raged on during the original anime. The goals and motivations of the antagonists was nothing more than the same recycled goals and motivations of the antagonists of the original series, just in a different jacket and with different words. To make things worse, some of the drastic actions taken by the antagonists (kidnapping Nunnally, starting the entire conflict) was based on mere conjecture and baseless assumptions by said antagonists. Hilariously, these assumptions were wrong (Nunnally has no code) and thus even if Lelouch hadn't defeated them, they still would have failed in their plan. C.C., however, does have a code, so it would make much more sense that they'd go after her and capture her like Clovis once did, but then of course she couldn't have resurrected Lelouch and thus the movie wouldn't have its chicken with the golden eggs, so that common sense decision was out of the window. The large cast of well developed characters which Code Geass could proudly present in the original anime has been reduced to meaningless cameos. they appear, say a few lines, do a minor thing and then have no more impact on the story anymore. This adds to the feeling of the movie being ordinary fan service rather than having substance. - Story aside, and fair is fair, the art of this movie was great. It stayed true to the feel of the original while still being an improvement. The character designs are still very much CLAMP, so your mileage may vary. The music was also well chosen to suit the scenes, though didn't have the emotional weight some of the original music had, like Madder Sky. All in all, your enjoyment of this movie will depend HEAVILY on what you want from the movie. If you want a good story, an ORIGINAL story, good character development, and no ridiculous "the fan theory is completely wrong, but we're going to use it for ourselves anyway", then you'll not find much joy in this movie. If you're just looking for some fan pandering and cute shipping moments, you'll appreciate the movie a lot more.

Awesome one!You all should give it a try!At first I was like this is going to be a flop as r2 gave us a smooth ending and continuing code geass would be an utter decision but now i feel that this is one of my my favorite movie.So please dont just jump to the conclusions and dont decide not to watch it because i am sure you will love it if you really are a code geass fan. And moreover Code Geass fans will love each minute of the movie. I recommend you all to watch this anime. All Hail Lelouch!!

[Disclaimer] If you haven't watched the prequel, Code Geass R2, you have no business watching this movie and best avoid reading this review. (Actually, no one has business watching this movie regardless, but that's what the rest of this review is about). [Summary] In the aftermath of the fantastic grande finale of Code Geass R2, many of us fans were left with a hole in our hearts. In the presence of the heroism and tragedies of colossal scale, we cried and mourned and hoped that things would be different. These feelings, along with some vagaries in the plot, served as breeding grounds for much speculation and fan fiction. If there is one thing that Code Geass tells us, however, it is that we must let things of the past die to move forward to the future. In this sense, this fan-service of a movie has robbed us of the depth and meaning of the masterpiece that was the ending of the original series, and put it to shame. [Elaboration] Art-wise, everything is pretty and high quality. Quite splendid to watch. I didn’t pay much attention to sound, but I suppose there was nothing to complain about, except some dialogues being too quiet compared to battle scenes. Characters are very flat. They are like caricatures of their prequel counterparts, exaggerating their most distinguished traits into memes. There aren't any interactions of substance as far as I could see. Some characters seemed to have even been taken a step back and reduced to some form that they had already transcended by the end of the original series. The plot is nothing more or less than a generic shonen movie plot. I would dare argue the plot is built around the fan-service, which is the real aim of this film. The explanations that enable this movie to run along in the pretense of coherency are half-assed and ad-hoc (if ever present). I also found the homage to old catchphrases and objectives appalling. [Conclusion] Milking the dead cow is nothing new in the world of sequels. If you're dead bent on getting some more Code Geass fantasy content, go ahead, but be warned: The void left behind by the original series is also its greatness. It is the sacrifice and tragedy that inspire us as part of the human condition. A cheap sequel like this robs the series' events of their essential meaning and robs you of 2 hours of your life. It’s a mockery to the original. The world would have been a better place without this piece of work.

Becoming a puppet for Disney or Amazon is simply horrible. I'm doing the 'just forget' series that continues after R2. This is just like Terminator 2 after movie Terminator Dark Fate, Starship Troopers - Starship Troopers 2, Saw 1 - Saw 3D, Karate Kid 1984 - Karate Kid 2014... They just screwed I don't have any hope now for next Code Geass Series I closed. Locked I ended up all series after R2 Needs to give veteran medal to who watched this Supposedly set in the future but new writers needs to know something about Science. Incredibly stupid, have lots of can't happen in future things and why they still using Iron cooking pot in this movie can be use holographic cooking pot instead wow future thing

Ahh yes, Code Geass. The anime with so much circlejerking for the MC that any sane guy is surprised how did this fandom didn't get caught in the stereotype radar (both the circlejerker and sane guy is me). For one thing, I loved the original TV show so much; the narration is pretty dynamic, Lelouch/Zero's strategies putting down the opponents' tactics, Lelouch going through his existential crisis, watching the Black Knights grow as if its your child, etc, etc. But the first three movies didn't hit the mark, if anything, they are just recap movies with much of the vital points removed for the worse. At this point of time, I am quite sure the people working on Code Geass sat around a table in the board room thinking about how to make things worse and pull a trollface on their fans. Someone must have quoted Evangelion 3.0+1.0 or Harry Potter: The Cursed Child and hence born the Lelouch of the Resurrection. I don't want to drag it out too much, I will keep it simple and clean (and there are spoilers, so buckle up). The story should have been pretty long but the duration window is pretty short (shorter than their earlier movies). And the story had its significant flaws, like Lelouch's return and his reception by the rest felt so much of a 7 year old's work, like the fuck, I get that the Black Knights were a bit soft in the third movie, but this felt so rushed and untrue. The initial facade over the Zilkistan being so powerful turned out to be nothing, just being let flying in the alleyway. To see the Black Knights and Brittanians living in peace and co-operation is pretty heartwarming, let you be how much of a Lelouch dickrider. But some characters like Kallen, Rakshata, Lloyd and even Lelouch felt too bent down for the benefit of the story. Kallen felt so much forced when she said "Its celebration time", Rakshata seemed too concerned over things than she actually used to be, Lloyd is the kind who wouldn't get involved into anything that didn't involve nuclear fusion but somehow is doing ground spy work and hacking shit (which is kinda stupid, he is a scientist, not your femboy pentester) and most importantly, Lelouch "giving up" scene felt so plasticky, not that he wouldn't give up, but the way he expressed as if he is gonna sulk is not the Lelouch we came across. And one of the biggest mistakes rebuild/late-installments of franchises pull, unnecessary emphasis over the relatively insignificant sci-fi element and a undercooked technique to resolve the issue; this mistake was committed by Evangelion 3.0+1.0 and Cursed Child (and hence my pain) and now on this, which is just, whatever the fuck. And the ending, I found the Lelouch rejecting Nunnaly's request part logical, but other than that, even as a Lelouch x C.C shipper, watching Lelouch renaming himself L.L, the scene is very badly executed that I wanted to rip my eyeballs out. TL;DR Only good thing is watching people living a normal life. Otherwise, too many things cramped into the 1:50 hours, really undercooked sci-fi element which shouldn't need this much emphasis, bad character projection, so much fundamental flaws, I have many names to call this movie. Maybe a Marvel movie; or a doujinshi by CLAMP; or Disney princess movie; so many names I do have in store. As the wise men say "Shrek 1 is the best, Shrek 2 is even better, Shrek 3 could have been avoided" (yoinked this from Pyrocynical)

Code Geass was a masterpiece and always will remain in of the best anime I've ever watched if I had to watch even more Code Geass than this move I would be really happy to do so. I really enjoyed the movie but I wish it was made as a series not only one movie I really hope for the continuation so I can enjoy more of my favourite character in all of the shows I have watched. The only thing I would say that was a little bit bad was that there was not enough time to actually make this movie even more better.

"Spoilers" The story plummets in quality and reads like fan-fiction. They bring the dead back to have him play dead at the end. No rhyme, no reason. Lelouch died so he could unite two worlds. To give this some thought, nothing really changed or would change, I should say. This illusion of unity against a potential threat, or system, will dissipate, because, through human nature, politics mixed with atomized peoples, as opposed to deep-rooted tribalistic groups with shared pursuits, invites backdoor dealings and unmitigated corruption. Why not skip to the point in time in which Lelouch tackles this major dilemma? Unlike fan service, it would take work. It would also conflict with his resentment of the royal system with which Lelouch was brought up. So that is off the table, otherwise Lelouch is no longer the rebel icon fans perceive him to be. The theme, in the first and second season, is a strange protest against pseudo-monarchy. Fake in the sense there is no clear representation of the era outside of Victorian outfits and architecture. Snobbish and elitist attitudes span across all systems. Class division is typically more apparent if not jarring across races and more oppressive in democracy in which there is an expectation of equality. Monarchy enjoys power dynamics in that the ruler has nothing but responsibilities like a steward to his people. Not to be confused with all people that inhabit his land. Democracy turns a country into a battleground when rights and suffrage belongs to all individuals. Each race, religious group, economic class, or lobby that individuals identify with are now vying for the power to mold the country as they see fit, while the losers must suffer, as if in tyranny governed by those who they despise. R1/R2 is a terrorism-laden campaign for democracy, without introducing the slow decay, as history has documented.

Alright. Let's talk about the Code Geass movie. Mild spoilers. I... did not hate it. In fact... I kinda liked it! How about that? The first sequel project to not completely disgust me! And why is that? Well, for one, it didn't feel contrived. While the enemies were kinda just okay (while still making sense), all the characters felt true to their roots. Their motivations were all consistent and their roles and actions felt like natural extensions of who they were in the original series. Seeing old characters again did not feel like deliberate nostalgia fanwanks. Instead, it was great to see what all of them were up to after all this time and most of them had rather significant roles to play. C.C. was definitely the star of the movie with Kallen still being my personal favorite. I also absolutely loved the fact that the movie built upon the themes, ideas and mythos of the original, proving and disproving fan theories along the way. It actually added to the original, instead of being just a shameless retread. The story, just like the enemies, was really nothing special, but it got the job done. It was rather barebones, but it did what it did to get all the pieces moving and in place. There were quite a number of pivotal moments that really harkened back to the feeling of the original with clever tactics, use of powers and twists. If there is one criticism that I have about the movie, it's that they didn't have enough time to properly showcase all the characters and the new Knightmares. As mentioned, while most of them had great standout moments, a couple of them only had minor cutaways and that's it. I was really looking forward to the new Lancelot and Guren, but the fights were really short and somewhat anticlimactic. In addition, while most of the scenes were beautiful 2D mecha action, there were some really bad 3DCG scenes interspersed throughout... sigh... this is the first time I wished we could have had more of a sequel project. Last but not least, for the uninitiated, this movie is not canon to the original series. The compilation movies that came before this changed some key events (nothing TOO major) and, in doing so, created a new timeline. This movie is a sequel to those compilation movies. So, in essence, this movie a sequel that's both canon and not canon at the same time, essentially letting you have your cake and eat it. Brilliant. In conclusion, this movie did something that Digimon, Cardcaptor and Yu-Gi-Oh! did not. This movie was not made for the fans, but for the characters. And that is why it succeeded. You could tell that the creators not only understood the characters, but loved them as well. While the original series had a perfect ending story-wise, this movie was a love letter to the characters, giving them a chance to experience a cathartic resolution to their emotional arcs, allowing them to have a happily ever after that they deserve after all they have been through. And that, I think, is something that most fans would agree with as well.

THIS REVIEW HAS A SPOILER-FREE AND A SPOILER TERRITORY PART. IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS, STOP READING ONCE YOU REACH THE SPOILER TERRITORY PART, WHICH IS AT THE END. I can't believe what I just watched. This movie is an utter insult to the fanbase and to the efforts of the people who made the original TV shows. And, considering that it is made by the same people, the only reason, I can think of, that this movie exists must be because a big company came back to milk the blood out of it. STORY: Pathetic. Nowhere near the quality of the original TV shows. It would be bearable if it was a completely different anime, but this is Code Geass. And this movie's story doesn't meet the standards that of the TV shows. This is probably because it's trying to build on to something that's already finished. It's like trying to build a skyscraper on top of another skyscraper. The story doesn't feel significant in any way. And from the very first minutes you can feel that not much thought went into it. So bad that it feels like a poorly made fanfiction. Don't get me wrong, nothing's bad about fanfictions. But we all know that a poorly made fanfiction disregards everything the original establishes. 1/10 ART: Very good. Animations were decent, although they felt a little rushed in some parts of the movie. Drawings were similarly excellent. The portions of the characters' faces were done right, and it didn't look different from the original at all. And this is a good thing since no one aged that much. Unfortunately, this is the only thing the movie gets right. 8/10 SOUND: Pathetic. Music plays an important role in hyping the audience. Even the shows that have poor characters or story can hype its viewers by simply using proper music in fitting situations. Unfortunately, this movie's music is hardly heard let alone hypes anyone. Most of the time where it should be loud and hitting to the audience it is instead quiet and hardly noticeable. In various scenes I was expecting and even searching for an epic orchestral but there was nothing to hear. Some scenes have sound but they are too quiet to be noticeable. It was like the sound aspects of the movie were too shy to voice their singing. Voice acting was similarly bad. Though most of the voices were good, for some reason, the voice of the main character, Lelouch's voice, didn't feel right at all. They lacked punch and emotion. It's like the actor was forcefully brought back to perform. This is unacceptable for a main character. It made the whole two hours a torture. 1/10 CHARACTER: Pathetic. This is where the show fails the most. The most interesting and unique aspects of Code Geass were its highly complex and interconnected characters and their motives, and complex and well-constructed story. Since the story failed, characters were the only hope of this movie. In fact, if the characters were handled right, the movie could use the feeling of nostalgia to save the day by making us ignore the pitiful story. But unfortunately, it does the opposite. By betraying to the original values and features of the characters, it hits rock-bottom. No character here felt like the ones we saw in the TV shows. Especially Lelouch. For the entire half of the movie I thought something was wrong with him and it was going to be addressed later. But no, there is nothing wrong with Lelouch, it was just bad writing. C2 didn't feel like herself too. She felt like a try-hard imitation. Kallen was weird, she felt like she didn't have enough time to show herself. In a scene, she suddenly started crying for about 3 seconds, without proper build up, then suddenly stopped and went back to her usual self. Similarly, Cornelia was weird as well. In one scene she was arguing with Lelouch. Although she was very against his request, she agreed in an instant without telling why she decided to agree suddenly. Her change of mind happened too fast. The lack of screen time of Schneizel was very disappointing. I was hoping for him to do more than what he did. Wasted opportunity. In contrast, why was the scene with him and Rakshata took that much of screen time? Their conversation didn't advance the plot in the slightest. The only reason I can think of is fanservice, but if that's the case, I didn't know people were shiping them. Suzaku was a total failure. He felt like a side character and had no significant impact on the story. I wouldn't be lying if I said he was used as a plot device. There was a miserable scene where he tried to imitate the conversation between him and Kallen where they were fighting on The Damocles by constructing some philosophical sentences, but failed since there is no philosophical ideas clashing in this movie. Also, both Kallen's and Suzaku's fight scenes served no purpose other then them just fighting the enemy. They relied heavily on Lelouch and couldn't achieve anything by themselves. Which is sad because in the original TV shows, even after parting with Lelouch, Kallen was still an ace pilot. And Suzaku never even relied on him to begin with, not even in the end. Even though she received little screen-time, Nunnally was totally wrong. She was used as a plot device. She was used as a plot device in the original TV shows too but it wasn't to this extent, and even there she had personality and motives. Here she is just a person that should be saved, no more. Villains weren't more than big bad evil guys. Their motives and prowess were nowhere near the motives and prowess of the Emperor Charles. The geass of the enemy was very bad too, but I won't criticize it here since it would contain spoilers. The only good thing on the character side is what they did with Nina. Unlike in the TV shows, she is much more reasonable and bearable this time. But I'm not sure if that's entirely good because that just means they took away what made Nina Nina. Other than that, garbage. All the characters felt like they were controlled by a geass to stick to this horrible writing. If I could rate any lower, I certainly would. 1/10 ENJOYMENT: Decent. Even with all the horribly bad things about this show, I must admit that seeing Lelouch get revived was interesting. Even though it is poorly done, his revival itself is an interesting idea to tackle. If it was done so in a way that didn't kill the ending of the TV shows, and if there was a proper reason for Lelouch to get revived, this show would have been awesome. Unfortunately, awesome shows are the least efficient way of making money it seems. Also, this movie doesn't have a philosophical question behind it. In the original TV shows it was "What is justice?" and characters with different views on justice would clash with one another, symbolically their views would clash as well. This made the overall experience much more meaningful and enjoyable, and the interactions and conversations between characters with different views on justice were interesting to watch. Sadly, there is no philosophical question in this movie, although Suzaku seems to think otherwise. 4/10 OVERALL: Poor. Disappointing, wasted potential, imitative, try-hard, insulting, greedy, unbearable, unnecessary, bad, horrible, I want to puke. Why? Just why? I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. 3/10 SPOILER TERRITORY. STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS. There are some problems that I couldn't mention because they would be spoilers. First, why is Shirley alive? I don't know if I missed any explanation but it doesn't make sense. Seriously, why is she alive? If she is brought back to life by C2, why didn't she bring back Lelouch at the same time? Doesn't make sense. Second, why time travel? Anything but time travel! It breaks the rules that the show establishes and then acts like it didn't. C2 is affected by this geass. It would be alright if her memories were intact when the geass rewinds time. But no, she is sent back in time too. You could argue that the only thing the geass does is send back the memories of the future to the pas…

(This review contains no spoilers for the film) First and foremost, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection is a fanservice film, and as a fan of Code Geass, I can confirm that I was adequately serviced. This film was created for a different purpose than the original TV anime, it was created to both revive the Code Geass franchise, and to be an enjoyable film for the fans. I think that it succeeded at doing both of these things, as I had a great time watching it, and I’m also excited for the future of Code Geass. This film had a difficult hurdle to clear, as it really has no reason to exist. The original Code Geass TV series has perhaps the best ending to a story in all of fiction, it could be interpreted as open ended, however, I found it to be very conclusive and the perfect ending to Lelouch’s story. So, how could a sequel possibly justify its existence? That’s simple, all it had to do was have the same characters, have them interact with each other, and more or less just hit all the same notes that the original did. And as you may have expected, it succeeded in doing all of this. I found Lelouch’s resurrection to be handled very well, as it did not belittle the sacrifice that he made in the final episode of Code Geass in the slightest. Lelouch and C.C also undergo some satisfying character progression, which was surprising. Despite being so positive, the film still has some issues. First of all, there are moments when characters seemingly show up out of nowhere, purely so that they can all be on screen together. Also, some of the new characters who were introduced served little to no purpose and were more or less entirely forgettable. There are a few more issues but I don’t want to get into spoilers. So, the film has some issues, but so did the second season of Code Geass, so I won’t criticize it too much, seeming as most of my criticisms of R2 also apply to this film. So, does Code geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection justify its existence? In my opinion, yes it does. It’s main purpose is to revive the franchise and entertain so as long as you go in with that in mind, you’re sure to enjoy it.

Let me keep this short and simple: This movie is like a surprise birthday party when you haven't celebrated your birthday in over a decade. You didn't expect it, but when you had it it was great having all of your old friends back and seeing what is going on with them. If you liked the series, give it a watch. It won't blow you away, but you will definitely get some warm and fuzzies from seeing the cast all together again. Even with the ending of Season 2 being such a conclusive finale, it doesn't really detract from the fun to be had with the movie since so many loose ends were left over from the show. Give it a watch if you have the chance, you won't regret it.

Altogether, a great follow up to the original series. Not quite as good, but close, and it makes a great third chapter. The best part, for me, was the characters. It was wonderful to see them all again, and they were all in character and felt like natural continuations. They have changed, but the core of them is still there. It was a nostalgic feeling, but it never felt forced or overdone. Their development in this film felt natural and well done. C.C. in particular I found to be good here. I do feel like some characters, such as Jeremiah, could have had more of a part, but that's only natural for a film rather than a series. The art and sound was great as well, and in my honest opinion actually surpassed the original. this is probably to be expected of a film, but the world of this anime felt more realized than before, which is really saying something for a series as fleshed out as Code Geass. The story was good, but slightly confusing in parts. In particular I was not quite sure what the villains actual plan was, and even after thinking about it, it's still not entirely clear. The story makes sense besides that, and is actually quite engaging. It's just it was never really explained what the villain was aiming for. Beside that though, it was a great movie, and a worthy successor to what is, in my opinion, one of the best anime I've seen.

This review assumes the reader has already watched either the original two seasons of Code Geass, or the recap movie trilogy, as this particular movie, Lelouch of the Resurrection, follows on from the trilogy (which created its own timeline). Something just felt so off with this movie to me, that it did not feel sincere at all. Like, literally every single character from the previous two seasons of the original show / movie trilogy are all somehow ok with Lelouch now, a guy who had angered both sides of the conflict between Japan and Britannia, a guy who had ordered the deaths of thousands of people, brain-raped everyone around him, and literally massacred children. It's just bizarre and contrived to suddenly surround him with people who are totally fine with being in his presence. The characters as a result don't feel genuine, they have no consistent moral code or personality, no meaningful inner lives or depth to them, they go wherever the writer needs them to. Lelouch himself has been defanged into a good guy (which had already begun to happen at the end of the second season of the original show / third movie), which is a shame, because his morally ambiguous anti-hero shtick was the most interesting thing about Code Geass in the first place. (with all the mystical cosmic shit the least interesting thing, which sadly this movie does not agree with me about) The antagonist in this movie ostensibly has the same goals as the antagonist of the original show, which made things a bit repetitive. And it's a shame their nation wasn't more diverse in its characters, considering it evokes somewhere like Afghanistan. Otherwise, some positives: The animation was nice. The music was nice. (still not as good as the first season of the TV show) The main antagonist's geass is really cool and the movie does creative things with it. The resolution to the characters was satisfying. I've seen far worse movies than this, so I can't hate on this one, if the review seems overly critical it's because I enjoyed the first season of the show so much and wanted something to rival it. But at the same time this movie was missing many qualities that made us love the original franchise to begin with. The cliffhanger endings, the intersection of politics and philosophy, the underdog fight against the odds, etc. Finally, to add my two cents to the eternal debate: you can add add my vote to the opinion that this movie can be watched after the second season of the original TV show. Rather than subject yourself to a trilogy of recap movies set in their own alternate timeline, all you really need to know is that one character who died in the original show did not actually die in this new timeline, but even knowing that info barely has any consequence on proceedings. That is indicative of how pointless those movies ended up being, that changing the fate of one minor character had no meaningful impact on anything. So trust me, don't bother yourself with the movie trilogy, they removed far too many scenes from the original show to justify themselves anyway.

What happens when you take the epic plot of Code Geass and replace it with a generic action plot? You get Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re:surrection (R3 for short). I don't want to call R3 a cash grab, though I'm sure there's plenty of people calling it that, but it was missing that special spark that made Code Geass so great. The plot wasn't, "let's save humanity from the instrumentality project" like R1 and R2, it was, "your sister was kidnapped, come and rescue her." Very different. One's Evangelion, the other is Taken. I don't even want to get into the Lelouch being alive controversy. It's obvious C. C. has him at the end of R2; I thought he was alive when I watched it. Plus, they spend the first half of the movie trying to explain this. If you think this is a big deal, get some suspension of disbelief and just enjoy having more good Code Geass. [Recommendation] If you've watched R1 and R2, I would recommend R3. It is more of that without the cool plot. I liked it.

If you liked the Code Geass anime you probably won't like this. If you liked the recap movies and get slightly drunk, you might actually enjoy this. Sadly, I lacked the foresight to do so. Writting: Shame on all the people involved in writting a plot for this mess. The movie functions on the recap movie timeline, but it might aswell not matter at all, since the writters forgot the plot of those movies in the first place. Instead of rewatching them, or looking at the Code Geass wiki summary of those movies they decided to hope they remember hem well enough. The result, of course, is that basic plot elements are simply wrong(very important ones at that) and they would still be wrong even if they had followed the original timeline. The movie goes for an intresting approach to story telling. Give audience tons of questions every few minutes and never answer a single one of them. Another "beauty" of their writting is stating that something will happen and then doing the exact opposite. Minor spoilers: C.C.: If he stays there longer he will lose everything This took place in C's world which she knows very much about. Yet, she was completely and totally wrong. For some reason Code's immortality was completely redone, but it has literally no impact on the plot. The entire start of the movie until the ressurect Lelouch is really an uneeded and serves only to introduce and make the gang fight the baddies. Also Lelouch is SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER a braindead(literally) person, that was never explained either, until they ressurect him SPOILER END SPOILER END SPOILER END which they could have just not done and only reintroduced him at his ressurection Part of the main plot is a Geass splinter group(why it wasn't destroyed or forcibly controlled by Charles or why he didn't take their code bearer is not explaines), and a country that is basically full of people who do nothing more than fight and apperantly have managed to defeat Britanian invasion which is hard to believe. What is also hard to believe is that it was never mentioned before and that Lelouch didn't conquer it which hw should have done for his master plan to work The best way to enjoy the writting is to attempt to just consume the product, because even slight thinking will raise far to many questions which the movie will hate to answer. Lelouch's former death: Despite being an important part of the series...it was barely mentioned. Suzaku punched Lelouch a few times when he was reborn....and that's about it. Lelouch didn't care that he was ressurected against his will and seemingly, no one else did. Characters: The main villans are...sad. If you wanted great villans like we used to get before, that's not gonna happen. You get the disabled guy(who is really good at knightmares, but they kill him for some reason(never was explained)) who's main wish is to become the strongest to protect his sister and his country but the furtherst the movie delves into this is at his final fight where he kept screaming that. You also have the main villan which is some evil chick with SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER super op Geass that allows her to travel back up to 9 hours upon her death. She uses that to make "prophecies". She also has a code(near her vagina suprisingly enough), but since the movie likes to screw over establiched canon, geass still somehow works on her. Oh, yeah, and she can use both Geass and Code too. Not sure why. They failed to explain that too. SPOILER END SPOILER END SPOILER END. Her main goal is to rewrite the whole world. You never really root for her because frankly she lacks character. Then you also have bunch of barely relavant minions. Lelouch is fine, I guess. He does his cool talks, great strategies and more or less everything you expect him too. If you used to like him before, you probably will still like him. He also has both Code and Geass which also was never explained(although I theorise that since he didn't sacrifice his geass to gain the code but instead was given it by...actually they never explained that too. Either Charles or God SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER which apperantly Lelouch managed to kill sometime ago and then redo entirety of C's world(related to the main Villans goals) while in actuallity canonically he did the exact opposite(He saved God from being killed by Charles in both the recap movies and original Anime) SPOILER END SPOILER END SPOILER END. The code is on his neck, exactly where Charles grabed him before his own death. Suzaku: When meets Lelouch: "I HATE YOU! YOU LIAR!" then punches him a lot. 3 minutes later they are literally best friends who couldn't even think of hurting eachother. Kallen: she's fine although her interactions regarding Lelouch are laughable "Hey, you seem different. Are you?" "Maybe" "Okay, I'm not gonna question you further and never mention this again" Next time while talking with C.C. C.C.: If you want to tell him something, tell him now. He might not be here tomorrow. Kallen: I don't even know what I would talk to him about anymore, but i do have plenty of questions. This is never mentioned or touched upon again C.C. Seems a bit more emotional which is unlike her, but then again, having Lelouch in her life die change her. She also sounded a bit weird, but that might be just me. Other than that, she's fine. Nunnally is a big point of the story but she really only does thinks for about 2 minutes or so. Not much to say really. Super weird hands that saved Lelouch and Nunnaly in C's world looked pretty. Lelouch apperantly recognised them, but I sure as hell didn't They never really developed or touched upon any characters so they kinda feel weak and reliant on your memory of them. Music and Art look and sound great. Tl;dr: It's bad and well deserving of the overall 2 mark I gave it. I don't recommend watching it at all.