Fullmetal Alchemist (film)

Fullmetal Alchemist
Teaser poster
Directed by	Fumihiko Sori
Written by	Hiromu Arakawa
Screenplay by	Fumihiko Sori Takeshi Miyamoto
Story by	Hiromu Arakawa
Produced by	Yumihiko Yoshihara
Starring	Ryosuke Yamada Tsubasa Honda Dean Fujioka Ryuta Sato Jun Kunimura Fumiyo Kohinata Yasuko Matsuyuki
Cinematography	Keiji Hashimoto
Edited by	Chieko Suzaki
Music by	Reiji Kitasato
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	November 19, 2017 (2017-11-19) (New York) December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01)
Running time	135 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	$8 million

Fullmetal Alchemist is a 2017 Japanese dark fantasy science fiction adventure film directed by Fumihiko Sori, starring Ryosuke Yamada, Tsubasa Honda and Dean Fujioka and based on the manga series of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa. It was released in Japan by Warner Bros. on December 1, 2017. The theme song of the film, Kimi no Soba ni Iru yo, is performed by Misia.

Plot

The plot takes place at the beginning of the 20th century, in a reality where alchemy (ancient esoteric science that sought the transmutation of matter) is real, extremely developed and respected. Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonse lived in the rural town of Resembool with their mother Trisha, their father Van Hohenheim having left them years prior as the brothers used his study to learn alchemy. When Trisha died of the plague, the brothers commit the taboo act of Human Transmutation to bring their mother back to life. But the transmutation backfires and the brothers ended up paying for more they bargain via the Law of Equivalent Exchange: Edward losing his left leg while Alphonse's entire being dragged into the Gate of Truth. Edward then sacrifices his right arm to save his brother's soul and binds it via a blood seal to a suit of armor. Edward is then given mechanical prosthetics known as "automail" in place of his missing limbs as he is invited by Colonel Roy Mustang to State Alchemist to research a means of restoring Alphonse's body. Upon passing the exam and given the title "Fullmetal Alchemist", Edward begins his quest with Alphonse to find the legendary philosopher's stone which could repair their bodies. However, they soon learn of the mysterious group known as the Homunculi.

Cast

• Ryosuke Yamada as Edward Elric
• Tsubasa Honda as Winry Rockbell
• Dean Fujioka as Roy Mustang
• Atomu Mizuishi as Alphonse Elric (voice)
• Misako Renbutsu as Riza Hawkeye
• Kanata Hongō as Envy
• Jun Kunimura as Tim Marcoh
• Kenjirō Ishimaru as Van Hohenheim
• Natsuki Harada as Gracia Hughes
• Shinji Uchiyama as Gluttony
• Natsuna Watanabe as Maria Ross
• Yo Oizumi (special appearance) as Shou Tucker
• Ryuta Sato as Maes Hughes
• Fumiyo Kohinata as General Hakuro
• Yasuko Matsuyuki as Lust

Production

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Director Fumihiko Sori

The film was originally planned to be produced in 2013 but because of low budget and also technology, it was delayed until it was officially announced for production in May 2016. According to the director's press conference in March 2017:

"

That’s right. Well, since the main characters are the two brothers, where there is Ed, there will always be Al. Even just based on that, the amount of CG used becomes enormous. In this work, I’m using a technology that was used in Hollywood movies such as The Avengers. We’re using a lot new techniques that were never used in Japanese movies before, I would like to boost Japan’s CG level with this movie."

Since the original story consists of 27 volumes, I cut it down in to two hours, but we will stay faithful to the manga. I can’t tell you much details yet, but I think that you can guess what will be the main story based from the cast that was already announced. Since I’m a big fan of the original myself, I don’t plan to change the setting, the world view, and make a different story, so please don’t worry about that. Of course we will have the philosopher's stone coming out [somewhere in the story].

"

Development

On adapting the source material, Fumihiko Sori said, "I want to create a style that follows the original manga as much as possible. The cast is entirely Japanese, but the cultural background is Europe. However, it's a style that doesn't represent a specific race or country." Regarding the faithfulness of the adaptation, which has characters of non-Japanese ethnicity, the director said, "There will never be a scene in which a character says something that would identify him/her as Japanese."

Sori told Oricon he has a deep affection for the story that tells the "truth of living," and said, "It is my dearest wish to turn this wonderful story into a film, and it is not an exaggeration to say that I am living for this reason." He added that he "wants to create a wonderful film that uses techniques that challenge Hollywood," and noted that nowadays Japanese filmmaking techniques have progressed greatly.

Filming

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Filming was spotted in June 2016 in the Italian town of Volterra

Principal photography took place in Italy. Shooting was spotted in Volterra on the first week of June and some scenes continued filming in Japan from June and finished on August 26, 2016.

Japanese VFX company OXYBOT inc. will provide the visual effects for the film.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 20% score based on 5 critics' reviews.

External links

• Official website
• Fullmetal Alchemist (film) at the Internet Movie Database

Template:Fumihiko Sori