I was pretty impressed by this movie. I've never read the books. But I did rewatch the first movie prior to seeing this one. I thought the first entry was well made but did suffer through its family-friendliness. There was just no danger. There was nothing at stake. As soon as anyone died, Alsan just roared or Lucy ran around with her magic potion and they came back to life. While the latter is still used in this film, it's only done twice and I didn't really mind it so much since there's more carnage all around.
This time around, it's a much darker affair. Even though there's no blood, the battles seemed more real. Characters did die and ultimately the world felt much more dangerous. The characters clicked better and the actors did a better job in their roles. I liked the battle sequences and they did a superb job with the special effects. Overall, I'd say it's a very entertaining movie. I think it may be my favorite of the three summer movies I've seen (Iron Man & Speed Racer being the other two).
This time around, it's a much darker affair. Even though there's no blood, the battles seemed more real. Characters did die and ultimately the world felt much more dangerous. The characters clicked better and the actors did a better job in their roles. I liked the battle sequences and they did a superb job with the special effects. Overall, I'd say it's a very entertaining movie. I think it may be my favorite of the three summer movies I've seen (Iron Man & Speed Racer being the other two).