Product Info

Studio

Bandai Namco

Director

Mitsuo Fukuda

Genre

Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi

Rated

NA

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

May 7, 2024

Film Length

2hr 4min

Purchase From

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom is a new story following the events of the 2004 anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. After being in development for twenty years, it’s a film Gundam SEED fans have been waiting for.

A Long-Awaited Release

The film began development in 2006, shortly after the end of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, the sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Unfortunately, due to the health condition and passing of the series’ writer Chiaki Morosawa in 2016, the film was put on hold. Years later, the project was put back in action and launched in Japanese theaters on January 26, 2024. The film made $28.9 million in Japan alone, the most for any Gundam film. The film made its way to US theaters for two days only in early May. If you missed those screenings, you’ll have to wait for the digital and physical media release in the near future.

Before the film’s debut on the big screen, the US events showed a Q&A with the film’s director, Mitsuo Fukuda. During the Q&A, he explained how the film was in production for years, the introduction of computer graphics (CG) versions of the mobile suits, and how he wanted to put a “smile” on the viewer’s face.

Watching Freedom from beginning to end truly felt like watching a new Gundam SEED series in a two-hour span.

Making a Return

The film takes place a year after the events in Destiny. Peace looks to be back between the “Naturals” from the Atlantic Federation and the “Coordinators” from PLANT. Those who are not familiar with the plot of the series will want to at least watch synopsis clips of Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny so as not to be lost during the movie. It’s a film meant for veteran fans.

Freedom brings back many faces. Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne are in focus as the main characters instead of being on the sideline like in Destiny. Kira is now a commander who still pilots the Freedom Gundam and leads a team of mobile suit pilots. Other characters from Destiny, such as Shin Asuka and Lunamaria Hawke, also make a return to work under Kira. Athrun Zala and Cagalli Yula Atha have some screen time as well but not as much compared to Kira and Lacus. In addition, Andrew Waltfeld and Sai Argyle make a small cameo appearance that can easily be missed if you’re not paying attention.

Lacus Clyne is the top political figure in a new organization named “Compass” that consists of an alliance between the Orb Union, the Atlantic Federation, and PLANT. These three former enemies are now at peace. However, things take a turn when a suspicious organization, Kingdom of Foundation, sabotages Compass’s pilots to start a new war between the “Naturals” and “Coordinators”. The “Foundation” is run by Prime Minister Orphee Lam Tao and his mother, Aura Maha Khyber, along with a team of skilled pilots called the “Black Knights”. This Foundation team, much like the Coordinators, are genetically enhanced but are “superior” to Coordinators, calling themselves “Accord”. The Foundation and the Black Knights overwhelm the heroes and cut down their Gundam mobile suits.

Much like the anime series, when the heroes have lost the battle, they somehow escape, regroup, and come back guns blazing with new units. If you were expecting something different, you’ll be disappointed that the formula is repeated with different faces. Otherwise, fans of the series will enjoy the journey.

It’s All About Love

One of the biggest themes this movie pushes is love. Orphee has his eyes on Lacus, and he slowly tries to persuade her to be his partner and rule the new world in a way that would bring “true peace”. Kira begins to lose confidence after witnessing Orphee and Luca together at various moments, and things begin to go south during the heat of the battle. Orphee and the other Foundation members persuade Lacus that it’s her destiny to be with Orphee and that Kira is a fighting machine that cannot bring anything positive to her. Kira is broken when he loses Lacus, but with a little help from his old friend Athrun, he regains his senses and will to rescue his “princess”. Yes, there’s more to it with the conflict between armies, but Lacus and Kira’s affection for each other pierces through.

A New Look

The mobile suits are CG, and that’s okay. While there are some scenes where you can spot the difference in quality between the giant machines and the hand-drawn people, the CG models are used quite well for the most part. Plus, the battles look beautiful.

The character designs for the film are solid, though Kira, Lacus, and Cagalli, among others, look like they’ve aged more than the stated one year in the time between the series and the movie. War and politics really forced them to age faster. Meanwhile, the older characters pretty much look the same.

The original Japanese voice cast from the series returns for Freedom. However, for the English dub, if you only watched the Gundam SEED series from the early 2000s, those voice actors did not reprise their roles. In fact, when the series was remastered in the late 2010s, a new set of actors was hired, and it’s them you’ll hear again in the film. If you are not a fan of the newer dubbed voices, your best bet is to stick with the Japanese cast.

The soundtrack was composed by Toshihiko Sahashi, who also worked on the original anime series. Returning vocal tracks such as “Meteor” by T.M.Revolution will give veteran viewers goosebumps.

The Final Drive

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom may use familiar formulas from the previous series, but the movie is still a fun ride, especially for SEED veterans.

A movie screening provided for this review.