Film: Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror Of Shamballa
Release date: 17th September 2007
Certificate: 12
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Starring: Romi Pak, Rie Kugimiya, Shun Oguri, Kazuko Katô, Masane Tsukayama
Genre: Anime
Studio: Revelation
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Not to be confused with the 2009-2010 series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror Of Shamballa is the finale to the original 2003-2004 series, which told a very different story to its accompanying manga.
Following on a few years later from the conclusion of the series, alchemist Edward Elric has been dragged through the gate of Alchemy from his home world to our own. It is the year 1923, and in a world fundamentally governed by the laws of a science rather than alchemy, a powerless Edward researches rocketry in Germany alongside Alfons Heiderich (this world’s equivalent of his brother Alphonse) with the hope of one day returning home.
But Edward isn’t the only one with plans to pass through the gate – The Thule Society, led by Karl Haushofer and Dietlinde Eckhart believe Ed’s world to be the legendary utopia Shamballa, and tests to send humans through the gate to this world have already proven successful. Using weaponry and technology from the other side, the Thule Society plan to aid Adolf Hitler in starting a revolution.
With the society’s plan to conquer Shamballa coming to fruition, Ed must reunite with his brother Alphonse - now reunited with his body - to defend both sides of the gate from the threat of destruction…
Before analysing Conqueror Of Shamballa in more detail, it is worth noting that as a conclusion to the Fullmetal Alchemist series, it is extremely difficult to follow having not watch said series, and therefore isn’t recommended as a stand-alone piece.
One of the film’s main themes is the age old science fiction convention of parallel universes. Used by countless films and series over the years, the concept of parallel universes is that for every world there are a countless number of parallel worlds, each with a significant difference that sets it apart from the rest. Using such a contrived convention of a series as original as Fullmetal Alchemist may seem like an odd move, but a proper science versus alchemy debate is one thing the original series truly lacked. Their more fantastical version of alchemy comes across more like magic in the real world, so connecting it to the occult in this scenario feels right.
By making this parallel world 1920s Germany, Fullmetal Alchemist takes the leap from a fantasy/action series into a somewhat historically relevant tale that has to rely far more on the development and interactions of its characters. While the original series had engaging characters and development in spades, the new characters range from one-dimensional to stereotypical, making this for the most part a very difficult aim to achieve.
It is implied that every character from the Fullmetal Alchemist universe has a ‘real-world’ counterpart, several of which have a role in the film. Who these are in comparison to their anime counterparts is actually the strongest part of the parallel universe idea, given that most of them are almost polar opposites of the originals. The appearance of Austrian-American film director/producer and legend Fritz Lang is an excellent example of this, and remains one of the film’s highlights.
Back on the Fullmetal Alchemist universe side of things, the film does do a good job of explaining many of the questions the series left unanswered. The film’s star is undoubtedly younger Elric brother Alphonse, now freed from the suit of armour he possessed for the entirety of the series. Despite having no memories of the adventures he shared with his older brother throughout the series, how Alphonse’s path to bringing his brother back has led him to growing up into a young man almost identical to Edward shows how powerful the bond between the two brothers really is. Roy Mustang is another character receiving a fair amount of development, now a recluse in a remote outpost, and baring visible scars of the battle from the series’ finale. Unfortunately, due to the sheer amount of time the film spends on our Earth rather than theirs, most of the series’ other beloved characters are reduced to merely cameo status. And since the new characters are so thin, this makes the film really suffer.
In reality, Conqueror Of Shamballa could have benefitted more from being a sequel series, rather than a 105 minute movie. Little time is spent actually explaining the plot, and characters often appear out of nowhere in order to further the story. Most confusing, however, is that in a society where guns, rockets and bombs have already been invented, the Thule Society soldiers still walk around and fight in medieval suits of armour. While an obvious link to the series this may be, logically it doesn’t make a lick of sense. Perhaps most unsatisfying about Conqueror Of Shamballa, though, is that rather than fill the plot holes left by the series and wrap up Fullmetal Alchemist neatly, its ending only presents further plot holes – and despite knowing what the characters are heading towards, the viewer will undoubtedly be left with unanswered questions.
While a film that contains many interesting ideas, their execution feels incredibly rushed and so in turn none of them really feel like they belong in Fullmetal Alchemist. Couple that with a disappointing finale, and your left with what feels like a hollow ending to what is considered one of best anime series of all time. AJ
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