 Not a bad little tribute to the original game, but PLEASE do yourself a favour and play the game first. When cramming a 20-30 hour game into a 4-5 hour show, there's bound to be some rushed pacing and a ton of cut content. Big twists and revelations become side notes as the discovery and analysis of evidence is replaced with them pulling evidence out of their ass, so the joy that comes from putting all of the puzzle pieces together is almost entirely gone. The free time spent hanging out with and getting to know the characters is also lost, so the deaths of characters are much less meaningful. Most of the key story beats are hit successfully, and the animation quality is fantastic and more than does the game's stylish aesthetic justice, but with so much of it's guts removed, the primary narrative will likely fail to captivate newcomers to the Danganronpa franchise. A recommended watch, but ONLY if you've played and beaten the original game first. If you don't have a Vita or PSP, the game was ported to PC and released on Steam just days before this post, so it is now easily and readily available.
Score: B-  Paragon Lost is a movie about a bunch of characters that you know next to nothing about, and never will, even after the film is over. The narrative itself isn't bad, and the ending is a little stroke of genius that ties in to common themes from the games, such as making difficult choices, making sacrifices, and the emotional hardships that follow. I was surprised to find that the ending... well, surprised me, but that ending, as well as everything leading up to it, would've been a whole lot more meaningful if the characters weren't such cardboard cut-outs. Other than that, Paragon Lost is mostly harmless and makes an okay "popcorn movie," even to those without any knowledge of the Mass Effect universe.
Score: B- |
AboutThis page contains all of my reviews and essays, either in written or video form. You can also find the videos listed here (and more) on my YouTube channel.
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