Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar

There is a specific kind of bravery, or perhaps a unique brand of madness, required to translate Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist into live-action. It’s a story defined by its impossible geometry—buildings erupting from the ground, limbs made of silver clockwork, and a protagonist who is essentially a sentient suit of armor. When director Fumihiko Sori (Ping Pong, Vexille) first attempted this in 2017, the results were divisive at best. Fast forward to 2022, and we received a double-feature finale, starting with The Revenge of Scar.

I watched this while my neighbor was power-washing his driveway, and the constant, rhythmic hum weirdly synced up with the industrial vibrations of the Amestris cityscapes on my screen. It provided a DIY 4D experience that the Netflix algorithm certainly didn't plan for.

The Mackenyu Factor

If there is a reason to hit play on this sequel, it begins and ends with Mackenyu. Fresh off his success in the Rurouni Kenshin films (and before he became the definitive Zoro in Netflix’s One Piece), Mackenyu steps into the role of Scar with a brooding intensity that the rest of the film struggles to match. He understands the assignment: Scar isn't just a villain; he’s a walking trauma response.

The action choreography in his introductory fight against the Elric brothers is easily the film's high point. There’s a weight to his movements that feels grounded, a stark contrast to the floaty, digital nature of the alchemy being tossed around him. When he grips a pipe and deconstructs it with a red flash of energy, you actually feel the threat. Mackenyu brings a physical reality to a movie that often feels like it's drifting away into a sea of green screens. He carries the "Action" tag of the genre on his back, providing a clarity in his fight scenes that avoids the "shaky-cam" pitfalls of many contemporary blockbusters.

A World of Plastic and Pixels

However, we have to talk about the aesthetic. In this current era of "The Volume" and seamless CGI, The Revenge of Scar feels like a throwback to a slightly more awkward time. The hair is the main culprit. Ryosuke Yamada (of the idol group Hey! Say! JUMP) returns as Edward Elric, and while his performance has matured, he is still hampered by a wig that looks like it was raided from a bargain-bin cosplay shop at 4 AM.

This is the central struggle of contemporary anime adaptations: the "Accuracy vs. Reality" debate. The film is obsessed with looking exactly like the manga panels, but what works in ink often looks garish under cinematic lighting. The CGI, handled by OXYBOT, is a mixed bag. At times, the destruction of the city feels grand and impactful. At other times, the alchemy effects look like a PlayStation 3 cinematic having a mid-life crisis. Alphonse Elric, voiced again by Atomu Mizuishi, remains the most impressive technical feat. The way the light hits his hollow armor is genuinely convincing, making it all the more jarring when he stands next to human characters who look like they’re being lit for a different movie entirely.

The Streaming Void

Released directly to Netflix in most territories, The Revenge of Scar is a victim of the "content dump" era. It arrived with almost no marketing fanfare, lost in a sea of thumbnails. This is a shame, because while it’s deeply flawed, it’s also an earnest attempt to finish a story that usually requires sixty episodes of television to tell. Fumihiko Sori and co-writer Takeshi Miyamoto have to condense massive amounts of lore into 125 minutes.

Characters like Roy Mustang (Dean Fujioka) and Winry Rockbell (Tsubasa Honda) are shuffled in and out so quickly that if you aren't already a fan of the source material, you'll likely be checking your phone by the second act. The film moves at a breakneck pace, sacrificing character development for "greatest hits" moments from the manga. It’s franchise filmmaking at its most frantic—an IP-driven decision to wrap up a story before the contracts expire or the audience moves on to the next viral hit. It lacks the breathing room of the contemporary "prestige" streaming hits, feeling more like a high-budget fan film that somehow convinced Warner Bros. Japan to foot the bill.

Ultimately, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar is a curiosity. It’s a bridge between the mediocre first film and the slightly more ambitious finale, and it’s held together almost entirely by Mackenyu’s screen presence and the sheer nostalgia for the Elric brothers' journey. If you’re a die-hard fan of the Ishvalan Civil War arc, there’s enough here to justify the runtime. If you’re a newcomer, you’re better off sticking to the 2009 anime. It's a fascinatng look at the limitations of live-action translation in an era where we expect digital perfection but often settle for "close enough."