Review of Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale

This review contains MINOR SPOILERS. Some background information: It wouldn't be inaccurate to state that the original series has divided the anime community into those who hate or love this franchise. I enjoyed every moment of the original two seasons, but I do also recognise the huge flaws in the writing of the original story and the sometimes weak character development. However, A-1 pictures learned from their mistakes, and SAO: OS reflects Reki Kawahara's newfound ability to write a good story, and develop good characters. Story/Pacing: 9/10 I found absolutely nothing wrong with the plot in the slightest. It is extremely interesting and should even intrigue those who detested theoriginal series but still persevered to the end. The story evolves at a reasonable pace, and elevates very quickly towards the end, which you could argue detracts from the story-telling, but if you enjoyed the original series then it shouldn't bother you. The story also raises some interesting philosophical questions about whether humans should continue on the path of Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality.

Art/Animation: 10/10
Absolutely flawless animation, and probably the best that I have ever seen in an anime. A-1 has truly outdone themselves this time; it has all the qualities of 3-D digitally rendered anime, but still remains perfectly 2-D. The art is something else entirely. It picks up from the same colourful and visually exciting style that was present in the second season, but to an even higher degree. The action scenes are beautifully detailed and appropriately drawn, incorporating a myriad of colours that make every moment a fantastic spectacle of professional anime production.

Sound: 10/10
If you've already watched OS, and had the divine fortune to watch it on the big screen, then you know exactly what I'm on about. The action scenes utilise brilliantly produced sound effects that truly immerse you into the story of OS. The final boss fight scene is nothing like I've ever watched, and will utterly devote you to enjoying OS. When Kirito isn't in a fight scene, the sound effects are very typical of high quality anime and doesn't skip any corners in keeping you immersed in the story.

Music: 8/10
The OST isn't as great as the original series and is honestly quite forgettable. However, for the fact alone that A-1 reused and rewrote some of the original music from the series, which was incredibly good, makes up for these shortcomings. When you get to the final boss fight, you will understand what I mean when you hear the familiar tune of 'Swordland'.

Characters: 8/10
There are returning characters and some new main characters. We see a lot more of the relationship between Kirito and Asuna, which is something that wasn't really covered to a great degree in the series. Eiji and Yuna are very intriguing characters, and it must be said that they aren't original in terms of their motives or goals. This doesn't detract from the enjoyment though, but it is worth mentioning. Eiji fulfills the role of a 'bad guy', but just in his motives; Yuna appears as a good guy, but then as a bad guy through association with Eiji, and then finally a good guy again.

Misc:
There are plenty of references to the original series; familiar bosses, iconic music tracks, phrases, flashback scenes, etc., which many die hard fans will probably nerdgasm over (I know I did). There is one particular scene that I think most fans who have seen the originals will shed a tear or two over in memory of a certain character.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I utterly loved this film and I assure you, whether you're a fan or not, this is a high quality film and worth your time and money. Even if just for the fight scenes.

Overall:
If you enjoyed the original SAO, then you WILL love Ordinal Scale. If you hated SAO, then there are some aspects of this film that I believe you will find enjoyable. The writers really did learn from their mistakes of the series, and OS delivers a shadow of what the original series could have been.

Additional note: You MUST WATCH THE AFTERCREDITS. The final few seconds of the film hint at where the story will progress onto. Whether or not it follows the Alicization Arcs of the light novels or an anime-exclusive story, I am not sure.