Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déja vu Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déja vu Blu-ray Movie Review

A trip down the rabbit hole of time-travel

Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu is a follow-up feature-film taking place after the events of the original season of the sci-fi anime Steins;Gate. The sequel film takes place one year following the turbulent events of the original series storyline. The feature film production is from acclaimed animation studio White Fox (Goblin Slayer, Katanagatari) and brings audiences on an enticing new journey in the series mythology. Produced by Kenjirō Gomi (Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha, Steins;Gate), Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu brings the series forward with some twists and turns along the way.

The feature film explores the series of events which follow the end of the series as Rintaro Okabe travels through time and into the Steins;Gate world (traversing across multiple paths in the world). Following the breakthrough of being able to transport D-mail into the past and thereby cause time travel to be more than just theoretically possible, Okabe uses the invention one more time and the events which follow cause more chaos and drama. Can Okabe prevent the organization known as SERN from taking over the entire world? Kurisu hopes to find a way to bring Okabe back. Is it too late?

The sequel to the cult favorite anime series, Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu is certainly an interesting experiment. The film explores the anime mythology and the concepts of traveling through time in a unique way. Though the storytelling is convoluted, fans of the anime might find moments sprinkled throughout the film to appreciate. There are some scenes that make the journey more worthwhile.

The clock ticks backwards.

The best thing about the feature-film is the animation. The art work seems even more expansive than it did during the anime series. The world building is more expansive. Featuring art direction by Takeshi Sekino, the animators bring their A-game to the visual aspect of the filmmaking. If there is any area from which to commend the filmmakers the most, it's the dedication to the animation. The stylized world building is one of the main highlights. This goes hand in hand with the cinematography by Tomoyuki Shiokawa (One Week Friends, The Promised Neverland) and the visuals excel as a result.

The music score composed by Takeshi Abo (Robotics;Notes, Steins;Gate) and Jun Murakami (Cool Girls, Ranboumono no sekai) is also excellent and gives the film a sci-fi tone that is perfect for the storytelling. The music brings some added gravitas to the experience. The score helps set the mood.

Based on the original story written by Chiyomaru Shikura (Kanokon, Myself; Yourself), the screenplay for Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu has been penned by screenwriter Jukki Hanada (Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over The Rainbow, Sound! Euphonium the Movie: May the Melody Reach You!). The script is the weakest element of the production and doesn't manage to be as compelling as desired. Though the sci-fi element is interesting and the comedic undertones are good, the main plot just didn't add up to as compelling a script as expected. The characters don't get as many moments to shine as they do on the series while the film shuffles through its plot.

Directed by Kanji Wakabayashi (RideBack, Jormungand), Hiroshi Hamazaki (Blade of the Immortal, Texhnolyze) and Takuya Satô (Girls Beyond the Wasteland, Kase-san and Morning Glories), the trio attempt to bring the best out of the story and make the film an event for fans. Though the visuals are highly stylized and interesting to look at here, the film still manages to feel a bit too repetitive: Déjà Vu, as the title goes, can be felt.

Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déja vu Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Steins Gate: The Movie has received a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The picture-quality on the release is impressive. The colors are often a bit subdued in appearance but it is also in keeping with the Gothic undertones of the anime. The stylized anime features some action beats which are capably handled by the encoding. The release only has one drawback: there is occasional banding on the image (and unlike on some anime releases, it was particularly noticeable here). Yet the overall quality of the presentation still shines. A reasonably engaging encode.

Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déja vu Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and Japanese 5.1 Dolby TrueHD. The lossless audio adds to the overall experience and makes the filmmaking all the more immersive. Dialogue reproduction is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The surrounds are used effectively to provide extra ambiance to the entire experience. The music is particularly well implemented into the surround channels. The end result is a highly satisfactory audio mix.

Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déja vu Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary featuring voice-director Colleen Clinkenbeard – who is joined by the following contributors (in unique sections of the commentary track): Tyson Rinehart (Daru), Jessica Cavanagh (Moeka Kiryu), J. Michael Tatum (Rintaro), and Trina Nishimura (Kurisu).

The release also includes a selection of trailers for other releases available from Funimation: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Steins Gate, Noein: to your other self, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Complete Series, The Vision of Escaflowne, and Chaos: Head.

Steins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déja vu Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu gives one a feeling of Déjà Vu. Though the anime production values are outstanding the storytelling simply isn't as compelling as one would expect to find given the cult status of the series. Having completed a marathon of the original series prior to experiencing the film, I had high hopes. Alas, Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu manages to only be a moderately entertaining film that is less compelling than it aims to be. The animation is visually interesting though (and die-hard fans will want to check it out and decide for themselves). Worth a rental.

Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu gives one a feeling of Déjà Vu at times. Though the anime production values are outstanding the storytelling simply isn't as compelling as one would expect to find given the cult status of the series. Having completed a marathon of the original series prior to experiencing the film, I had high hopes. Alas, Steins Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu manages to only be a moderately entertaining film that is far less compelling than it aims to be in the long run. The animation is visually interesting though and there are moments where the filmmaking excels enough to watch once. Worth a rental.