A century has passed since the last time humanity has faced its greatest threat, until now. The “Attack on Titan” movie series is Japanese action-horror films based on the Japanese manga series of the same name.
It premiered across the United States in select theaters, including one in Dothan, on Oct. 1, 2015, for a limited run.
The first movie revolves around an orphaned young man named Eren. The film takes place in a dystopian future where the remnants of humanity have hidden behind three large walls where any and all knowledge of the outside world has been lost for decades.
Eren and his friends hope to one day go beyond the walls and explore the rest of the world that is unknown to them.
These dreams are quickly dashed when a giant creature, known officially in English as a titan, looms over the outermost wall and begins to destroy it, consequently letting in more titans.
This horrific event leads to the destruction of Eren’s home and the loss of the most important person in his life, a young woman named Mikasa.
This traumatic experience leads to Eren joining the military to stop the titan threat and seek his revenge.
The “Attack on Titan” series was created and written by Hajima Isayama, and was later published and released by Kodansha in Japan in 2009 and by Kodansha USA in the United States in 2012.
It was later given an anime adaptation by Production I.G that aired in Japan and was simulcast in North America with English subtitles in 2013.
The series, dubbed into English, aired on Adult Swim’s Toonami block in 2014.
With the popularity of the series continuing to grow, the live action “Attack on Titan” movie was brought to North America and screened in select theaters by FUNimation, the North American licensor and distributor for the anime series and the live action movies.
There are both minor and major differences between the live action movies and the original manga series and anime adaptation.
It has even been compared to “The Last Airbender” in relation to how animated series compare to their live action adaptations.
As a fan of the series, I feel that there were rather extreme changes in the live action adaptation movie.
It was obvious that it would be a re-imagining of the original story, but there were many unnecessary changes.
To avoid spoilers, I will only say that certain characters were either replaced, removed completely or placed in positions they should not have been in.
Also, there were character development choices that I did not really care for, and I am sure that no one else in the theater did.
Regardless of my feelings as someone who has been spoiled by the original manga and the anime adaptation, I believe that the movie is worth the time it takes to watch it.
Anyone who may be interested in the second part of the movie series and has not had any previous interaction with the series should see the first movie to be able to understand it.
The second part of the movie series will be shown in Dothan at the Carmike 12 at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, and nationwide in other select theaters beginning Tuesday, Oct. 20.
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