Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky Blu-ray Movie Review

The joy of Gundam is highly sophisticated… watching stunning fight-scenes with gigantic robots duking it out in outer-space.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt December Sky first premiered online as a original streaming series and then manifested itself into becoming a theatrical release event as a “director's cut” feature length production which had a short theatrical run. The feature length version is comprised of four episodes re-cut to form a film narrative. The feature version also includes some brand new animation and is thereby considered the director's cut of the story.

The film occurs during the Universal Century 0079 timeline and takes place around same time-frame as the original animated series. The film centers upon the Moore Brotherhood, which is comprised of Earth-based Gundam forces who have combined their resources to take on the bad guys: Zeon. Destruction and chaos is seen at every turn in the wake of Zeon's vile mechanisms towards the annihilation of the Earth force's space colonies. It takes a group of Gundam fighters with strong willpower and determination to go up against the furious might of Zeon. It's another turn of Gundam fights across the galaxy.

It's Gundam Time

The film is a bit uneven and the storyline can feel rushed at times with too many throwaway characters and moments. It's certainly not something one would consider as being a part of Gundam's “finest hour” as a franchise. Yet the storytelling is engaging enough that one can stick through it for the spectacle (which the filmmaker's deliver on in spades).

This film has a impressive mesh of engaging mecha action sequences and a truly electrifying score. The soundtrack feels so jazz-infused that it warrants some comparison to the likes of Yoko Kanno's great score to Cowboy Bebop. While perhaps unfair to call it a score in the same exact league, the music composed by Naruyoshi Kikuchi certainly feels as if it was inspired by Kanno's jazz wizardry and gives the film a stylistic flavor which is not common to many Gundam productions.

The animation is first-rate with some stunning imagery of the Gundam designs. Each Gundam build feels organic and technologically impressive. One can't help but watch the chaos of the Gundam's fighting without feeling a sense of awe and wonder at the animator's drive and creativity as artists.

Directed by Kō Matsuo (Red Garden, Kurenai), the film's action beats drive the storytelling. The filmmmaker's style is brimming with style. Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt December Sky is a altogether fun and action-packed extravaganza. Matsuo offers some compelling dramatic beats but emphasizes spectacle over substance. Nonetheless, Gundam fans will be entertained by the events on display and it's a film worthy of experiencing.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt December Sky arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This is a strong presentation of the film. The encoding quality is excellent with a high bit-rate of 32.55 mbps. The image is often stunning with clear and crisp definition and bold, vibrant colors. The film looks quite beautiful and is free from any distracting encoding issues. The high-quality encode impresses and is sure to please fans.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo audio is presented in both Japanese with English subtitles and English. Regardless of which language is chosen, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt December Sky features a terrific audio presentation which is bolstered by the terrific score by Naruyoshi Kikuchi. Dialouge is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The sound effects and design of the audio is superb. Considering it's a stereo presentation, it's a first-rate track which creatively uses the sound effects to form a entertaining audio experience.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Promos (HD, 4 min. 54 sec.)

• Commercials (HD, 1 min. 17 sec.) advertising the online debut of the series.

• Trailers (HD, 1 min. 12 sec.) promoting the theatrical "director's cut" release of the film.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt December Sky might not push the envelope of the Gundam series but it's a remarkably fun and engaging entry which is sure to delight both longtime fans and newcomers to the franchise. The artistry is top-notch and the Gundam fight sequences are easily worth the price of admission alone. The badass soundtrack is no slouch, either. With a strong audio-video presentation fans should definitely consider picking up this release.