★ 8 / 10
Time never waits.
This is the third of four movies retelling the story of the video game Persona 3. As such, it is very faithful to the game, with only minor changes. It has a…
This is the third of four movies retelling the story of the video game Persona 3. As such, it is very faithful to the game, with only minor changes. It has a different director than the previous movies, and even if they look similar on the surface, there are variations in style and editing. That is why it seems reasonable to make this into a separate review. Further comparisons with the game or the other movies will be avoided.It is often said that the most important parts of a movie is the beginning, because it creates the first impression, and he end, because it determines the aftertaste. In this case the beginning is not very successful in setting up the story.It begins with a long monologue intertwined with a battle scene. The monologue by itself is good. The problem is the fight scene. We are thrown into the middle of a large battle on a bridge, involving all persona users, with an unclear front line and positioning of the combatants, causing disorientation. Adding to this is the lack of explanation of the immediate goals of the combatants, and of the stakes of the battle. Some of this can be guessed from other scenes before or after, and from later flashbacks, but it seems that not every detail can be deducted from the movies alone. The result is an incomprehensible mess.As a boring suggestion, maybe it would have been less confusing if we had for example seen a short scene of the protagonists walking onto the bridge while discussing their objective, and meeting and exchanging some words with the opposing side before opening fire.This is a short movie, less than one and a half hours, so it would have been no problem to add a couple of minutes.During the first half of the movie, similar problems continue. We are taken from scene to scene with different characters and different times of the day, causing some disorientation. The problem is the editing, with too abrupt jumps between different locations sometimes. The dialogue does not always fit what is seen on screen, making it a bit abstract at times.The director is very experienced, with contributions to over 100 anime projects, often as an episode director or storyboard. Most anime fans have probably seen his work. Though among the projects where he has been the main director, none stands out as particularly well known or highly rated. Maybe Persona3 is actually his masterwork.The first half is also pretty aimless, since the protagonists lack a goal for story reasons. This is a dark fantasy movie full of setbacks, as is implied by the title Falling Down. A little bit like Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Falling Down had the potential to be made even more depressing than it is, and more romantic, but that is no easy thing to accomplish of course.The only thing that lifts up the mood is the introduction of a new ally, Mochizuki Ryouji. He is a such a friendly, flirty, kind, and funny guy that he possibly outshines and steals the attention from the regular protagonists.After about half the movie we are given a long onsen scenario. This is a common trope in anime, so the competition is fierce. The onsen in Persona3 does not really stand out. What makes it worth mentioning is that it brings together most of the characters in one place. Just like that, the editing problems disappear by themselves and everything suddenly flows much more smoothly and feels more pleasant to watch.This smooth flow continues during the last third of the movie, where the tensions and stakes rise towards a culmination point or two that makes Falling Down worthy of being a separate movie. It is unfortunate that the first half was unsuccessful in setting up one of the sub-plots, because if it would have been prioritized more from the beginning, the emotional impact could have been even greater.It would be wrong to not mention the art. The style is consistent and the art and lighting is detailed in a way that suggests a greater effort than usually seen in an ordinary anime episode. Still, there is something missing in that there are few truly beautiful or interesting scenes worthy of a screenshot.A nice detail is that many of the characters change to winter clothes in the later part, creating some variation that is not always given in anime, where characters sometimes wear the same costume all year around and in every weather.Again it feels weird to watch a work of high profile that seems largely unknown even among anime fans. Probably the reason so few have seen it is because some people postpone it with the idea of playing the game first.
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6.6/10
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