Actors: Freddie Prinze Jr., Monica Rial, Vic Mignogna
Directors: Justin Cook
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Funimation
Release Date: December 28, 2012
Run Time: 84 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
With “Mass Effect 3” tearing up video game systems right now, fans are in looking for more and more. Thanks to Bioware and visionary Production I.G, we are delivered “Mass Effect: Paragon Lost”, which is an anime prequel to “Mass Effect 3”. Production I.G. is known for their work on “Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C.” and “Blood: The Last Vampire”. The anime style is great and really works with the franchise. If you are a fan of the “Mass Effect” series and have played 1 and 2, then this is great way to great introduced into 3. Now if you haven’t played any it is still overall an awesome anime and will make you run out and purchase the game ASAP! In fact this month there is a newly released “Mass-Effect Trilogy” for Playstation 3.
Officical Premise: Mass Effect: Paragon Lost follows the early career of Alliance Marine, James Vega. Vega leads an elite Special Forces squad into battle against a mysterious alien threat known as The Collectors. Stationed at a colony in a remote star system, Vega and his soldiers must protect civilians from ruthless invaders determined to capture the population for unknown purposes. Movie audiences will discover new insights into the Mass Effect universe with an unprecedented glimpse into the haunted past of the franchise’s newest hero.
I have to say with anime, I always prefer a Japanese audio track but “Mass Effect: Paragon Lost” really does features a very sharp English voice cast including Freddie Prinze, Jr., Monica Rial (Deadman Wonderland) and Vic Mignogna (Fullmetal Alchemist). I still would have liked at least an option for a Japanese track but since this is more of a US release, I understand why it is not included. The real stars of the film though is composers David Kates and Joshua R. Mosley really steal the show with their fantastic score. Kates previously worked on the scores for both “Mass Effect” and “Mass Effect 2”, so he knows the series well. I am sure the score would sound even better with the audio track on the Blu-ray release.
The special features for the film are maybe not a lot in terms of quantity but nothing short in quality. First we get “All Doors Open: A Look Inside Electronic Arts”, which a nice look into the studio. I really enjoyed “An Inside Look at the Mass Effect Universe”, this is a really in depth look into how much work was but into the film, including character modeling and designing. I really enjoyed this 13 minute featurette. There is a decent behind-the-scenes featurette with “Directing Effect”, which looks into creating the film from the game with cast/crew interviews – also runs a nice 25 minutes. Lastly there is a trailer included.