Overall, I’m quite disappointed actually. Fitting a 50-episode anime into three movies of around 1 hour and 40 minutes each is not a good idea at all. There were too many good points in the anime series that were scarified in the movie version. They were either too short in time, or were just cut in from nowhere and failed to convey any sort of message what so ever. If you never watched the anime series before, there is a huge chance that you’ll be lost halfway through and started wondering who’s who and what’s going on.
"Excuse me sir, but it seems that you’re the only one thinking you’re Quattro Bagina around here."
"What’s with that green aura before your transformation? You think you’re GaoGaiGar or something?"
"With or without your ballute on, you’re still going down!"
"Yeepie! My Asshimar doesn’t look too UFO-like in these new scenes!"
"Char! You change you color preference from red to gold?"
Of course there were good stuff as well. Some of the battle sequences were reanimated, with some coupled with CG effects as well, which made them quite cool. Some were a bit cheesy as one second there were new animation bits, the next scene that came from the original anime series, and then it switched back for the few seconds of new stuff again. Sound like the movie editing assignment back in my university days :) I’m glad that the moment when Amuro meets Char for the first time after the One Year War was reanimated as well. For me, that’s the most unforgettable scene in both the movie and the anime versions.
"Feel like cutting an egg"
"My combat debut finishes with a broken back?!! Arghhh~~"
"Hopefully this will improve our HGUC sales :)"
"I wonder if I can get these in Axis’s model stores?"
"Thanks for the escort, but you don’t expect me to pay for you fuel right?"
I guess there is some truth to the saying that the movie version is an evil way for Bandai to rip off sales of old and new Zeta related merchandises. The scene of Haman Karn in her Gaza C inspecting the MSs on Argama at the end of Part II is one of the best examples. So Haman Karn gets a new MS with her customized color scheme, which DID NOT do anything at all in combat. So much for a super cameo MS that was being released in HGUC format. Methuss got more exposure, and Hyaku Shiki was finally animated with a pair of red camera eyes inside its protective goggles, so that they appeal more to the Gunpla fans? You decide for that~
"Where's the sales reports of my Qubeley and Gaza C models? :)"
"Dear Paptimus Scirocco, your hairdo is as ridiculous as it was back in the anime series!"
"No, Emma-san, don’t die on me! This is the second time already!"
"*Sob Sob* Tell me, Zeta! Just when are they gonna release my Master Grade model?!!"
"Thanks for the guide, girls!"
Overall, two stars out of five for the whole trilogy. Thumbs up for the newly animated battle sequences, as well as some of the most memorable moments from the whole series (Amuro meeting Char in midair for example). Thumbs down for rushing 90 percent of the whole anime series into the three movies, which made all the movies seems so unorganized and painful to follow.
I suppose I would like it better if the title was Zeta Gundam: An Express Edition :)
