Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
Two alchemist brothers go on a quest for the Philosopher's Stone after an attempt to revive their dead mother goes horribly wrong.
The 2017 live-action adaptation of the beloved manga struggles to compress a sprawling, emotionally rich story into a single film, resulting in a rushed and underdeveloped narrative. The acting, particularly from the Japanese cast performing in a European-coded setting, feels stilted and unconvincing at times. Cinematography offers some visually interesting moments and decent production design, but the CGI for the Homunculi is inconsistent. The film offers little novelty given it is a relatively straightforward adaptation of well-known source material without a distinctive cinematic vision. The ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying, failing to provide proper closure or emotional payoff.