Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 9, 2017

Sometimes it can be at least a little problematic to brand an artistic enterprise with a year, even if that year is supposedly fictional. In the case of the trio of movies included in this new set from Right Stuf, it's the so-called Universal Century year 079, though not so coincidentally Mobile Suit Gundam, the series these films are derived from, started broadcasting in 1979, and indeed one of the series' alternate titles is Gundam '79. That's not the only Gundam offering to sport a suffix detailing a supposed year, with Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (among others) also sporting the same titular conceit. While some of these later entries aren't tied to an actual calendar year the way Mobile Suit Gundam '79 is to 1979, including a descriptor like the ones seen in these titles can tend to instantly "date" them, sometimes in unhelpful ways. There are actually examples of this same branding problem in media other than anime. Boccaccio '70 actually came out in 1962 but intentionally sought to modernize the Decameron by positing a future year in its title. Another television outing, Galactica 1980, didn't exactly scream "the future" by announcing the year of its production in its title, in a decision that is perhaps at least slightly reminiscent of the tack taken by Gundam '79. But there are even examples in something as unexpected as the music industry. One of my favorite musicians when I was a kid (and frankly beyond) was Sergio Mendes, but by the time I became aware of him, his signature band Brasil ‘66 was already well past it titular expiration date. Even relatively early in the band's heyday, Bob Hope joked about this when the band performed on the 1968 Academy Awards ceremony, stating that they had been too busy to update their name. Somewhat hilariously, a year or so later a series of ads appeared in Billboard and other industry magazines with a supposed poll asking fans to mail in their responses as to whether Mendes should update the band’s name to Brasil ‘70. That didn’t happen, but ultimately a whole host of new band names tied to various years followed, much as with the case of the various iterations of Mobile Suit Gundam, perhaps one indication that those involved in any medium where a name includes a year might do best to forsake such specificity. (Mendes’ wife once gave a really funny interview about having to reorder stationery and business cards every time the name changed, and one wonders about similar issues that might have been faced by Mobile Suit Gundam's various creative staffs.) As mentioned above, the three films collected together in this new set from Right Stuf are more or less reedited versions of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, the one taking place in Universal Century year 79 (for those who prefer our calendar, that is ostensibly circa 2124). While all three films are rather lengthy (all well over two hours), for those not wanting to wend their way through the entire first series they provide an alternate route toward getting much of what has made Mobile Suit Gundam such an enduring anime property through the years (for a little background, I refer you to my Mobile Suit Gundam: Collection 01 Blu-ray review.

For reviews of the three films in this set, please click on the following links:

Mobile Suit Gundam I Blu-ray review

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow Blu-ray review

Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space Blu-ray review

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each release is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each release is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

None of the three discs in this set offer any supplementary material, in a decision that will no doubt be a disappointment to many genre fans.

Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mobile Suit Gundam may in fact be a bit dated for modern day audiences, but its historical importance can't be denied. Diehard fans will probably want to stick to the original series, despite its tendency to fritter away whole episodes on relatively minor exploits. But for those wanting a relatively brief recap of what the original series was all about, this three film redaction is decently handled for the most part. As with the Blu-ray release of the original series, video and audio both have occasional hurdles to overcome. For genre enthusiasts if for no one else, this trilogy comes Recommended.