The movie is nowhere near as good as the series; in fact, I think they missed a huge opportunity with a lackluster story and uneven pacing.
In my opinion, the movie shouldn't have been an extended "session", instead it should have been used as a bigger piece of the puzzle to the main plot and help flesh out Spike's backstory. Hear me out...
- Vicious and Julia should have been integrated into the story; Vicious being integral to the plot. Vincent should be hunting down and interrogating Titan veterans who he feels may also be living in dreams or seeing "butterflies"... Vicious included. Possibly a scene where he guns down members of the Red Dragons in an attempt to get to Vicious shows how formidable he is, so the Dragons put a bounty on him (similar to the way they did to Mao Yenrai in Session #5)... which Spike & Co. jump on (perhaps Vincent could have still let-off the tanker explosion as he makes a habit of detonating nano-machines in the area close to where he murders each veteran). Vincent's larger plot behind all this is to still detonate the nano-machines over a crowded populous which would keep some of the same scenes in-play.
- Additionally, another thing that has always irked me a bit is how Julia knew who Faye was in Session #25, 'The Real Folk Blues'. I think there should be a scene in the movie where Julia is alerted by Shin that Vicious and possibly Spike are targets of an unknown assassin (Vincent) and she should trend on the side of caution. This causes her to actually go looking for Spike... and she comes across Faye, a little drugged and tied-up in Vincent's apartment. She rescues her and learns her name in the process, but when Faye regains her composure she forgets who Julia is; all she remembers is that she was saved by a mysterious stranger.
- I also think we should be given a strong flashback and/or an indication into how Spike lost his eye and why he feels he "sees the past in one eye" instead of just piggy-backing off of Vincent's notion. I know there is the theory that perhaps the movie is just one long dream of his and Spike has seen the butterflies all along (and with Julia in the movie, we should be given some sort of hint that perhaps she sees the butterflies as well), but I think it should all tie together a little better.
- The climax would be a three-way showdown on the new Eiffel Tower between Spike, Vicious, and Vincent where they trade blows - and this results in Spike getting injured, but surviving; Vicious getting injured, but escaping; and Vincent get injured, and dying. I'm not sure if I'd include Electra as a character at all because in the end she was just a weak plot device for Vincent to come-to at the end and abruptly have a change of heart. I mean, the man has tunnel vision the whole movie and then suddenly lets his finger off the trigger and gets sentimental... I don't buy it.
I think this would have given the movie more weight and importance because aside from a few action scenes, flashy set pieces, and a stellar soundtrack, it's largely forgettable to me.
I don't know, just my two cents.
P.P.D.C. VII.XII.MMXIII
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