With lackluster looking films like Venom or X-men: Dark Phoenix being shoved down our throats, it can be difficult to find a breath of fresh air. Don't worry, everything is going to be okay because IT IS HERE! My Hero Academia's first feature film Two Heroes has arrived, and folks if there is any movie to wipe the thoughts out of bad super hero films away, this is it because not only is it amazing, it's probably one of the best superhero films I have seen in quite a while. It has been a long time since a super hero movie has made me leave the theater with that kind of energy. So let's talk about My Hero Academia: Two Heroes.
The title of the film is actually surprisingly layered. At first glimpse one would think that it's in reference to the series protagonist Izuku Midorya and his mentor/ predecessor of One for All, All-Might. While this is certainly the case, it equally represents the friendship of All-Might and his old partner while he was "heroing" in the States, David Stallion, as well as the rise of two heroes of the film: Midorya and David's daughter Melissa. However, I don't want to go so far as to spoil how the film accomplishes these things, so the synopsis is that All-Might has received an invitation by an old friend's daughter as a surprise to a MASSIVE tech expo on this place called I-Island. All-Might brings his protege along to meet an old ally in crime, but while things seem to be going well at the surface, something evil is brewing. A band of criminals led by a sinister villain takes the expo hostage and it's up to Midorya and some classmates that have also made it to the expo to free the heroes and allow them a chance to save the day.
It's hard to pinpoint an exact thing that makes this movie as good as it is. The animation allows for a better suspense of disbelief that you just don't get in live action, so over the top moments have a lot more weight to them. With the characters already established from the show, exiting character tropes from the series allow for jokes, drama, and action to have just as much impact as they do in the show's episodic format. However, I think what really punctuates the entire experience is the final action sequence. A while back I came upon a video that brought up some good points about the fights in My Hero Academia being a bit dull visually. That the fights were used as a means to expand the universe. However, in this final fight sequence we get some of the best animated fight choreography not only in this show, but in most modern anime I have seen. This movie finally gives a phenomenal look at just how much a force All- Might is to be reckoned with. While this is something that is shown throughout the movie, it is especially capitalized on in the final fight. I would say more but honestly, my words could not do it justice.
As with all things the movie isn't perfect, yet it's imperfections don't really take away from the experience. There are a few times where you scratch your head and go "why didn't they think of that earlier," but these moments aren't annoying enough to take away from the movie, and after all they are just heroes in training. The other thing I will say is that if you haven't watched the show up until this point, I don't recommend seeing it. It's not that you won't enjoy the film. The opening does a very good job of explaining the background of what has happened so far in the series, but it's not the same as taking the time to be invested in these characters and seeing individual arcs play out in this movie. In the end, while these faults are here none are enough to hurt the movie for me. I am someone who gets enthusiastic about films that I enjoy, and sometimes that enthusiasm can get in the way of giving an unbiased opinion. However, I feel that as long as you have watched the series through at least season 2, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes is a solid 10/10 film, and to those without that context it would still be a solid 8.5 or 9/10.
Sadly, My Hero Academia Two Heroes has a limited release, so if you don't get a chance to see it in the next week or so, you'll have to wait until the film is released on DVD and Blu Ray, which I can only hope is within the year. If you haven't yet watched My Hero Academia, I highly recommend it and if you want some extra incentive here's a character analysis I did of one of the chief characters, All-Might.
This has been another edition of Comic Relief! we will see you all again soon!
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