Set in a world where the legal system is so backed up that trials are limited to three day bench trials overseen solely by the judge, Phoenix Wright (Hiroki Narimiya) is a novice defense attorney working under his mentor Mia Fey (Rei Dan) and only tried one case, albeit successfully. Unbeknownst to Phoenix, Mia is investigating an old case tied to her family but soon turns up dead in Phoenix and Mia's office with Mia's sister Maya (Mirei Kritani) and identified by a witness as the killer. Not sitting right with Phoenix, Phoenix offers his services to Maya placing him opposite an old friend turned rival and prosecutor Miles Edgeworth (Takumi Saitoh) and eventually stumbles upon a conspiracy that's been masterminded by a shadowy figure.
Ace Attorney is a 2012 legal dramedy directed by cult filmmaker Takashi Miike and based on the first game in Capcom's fan favorite Ace Attorney series. Created with direct involvement from Capcom and the creative staff behind the games, Miike and his staff were very involved in the process of working out how to adapt the episodic game into a feature length film. Premiering at various film festivals Ace Attorney received a positive response from many fans in the audience while being slightly mixed albeit mainly positive with critics. Ace Attorney is a fun offbeat legal dramedy that features Miike's signature high energy style that complements the games nicely, but I do wonder how well this movie plays to someone unfamiliar with the material.
Despite being in live-action, Miike and his cast and crew have done an excellent job at bringing the over the top designs and mannerism to life with all the characters well-suited to their individual roles. Hiroki Narimiya does well in both the dramatic and comedic bits of Phoenix, Mirei Kiritani brings that youthful energy to Maya, and Takumi Saitoh is nicely situated as a foil to Phoenix with the two's complex history and dynamic brought to life faithfully from the games. Miike finds some clever workarounds to mimic the experience of the source material including the holographic interface used in the trial sequences that allows for the same over the top reactions and "Objections" we all know from the game but translated to work in real world context (we even get the confetti and applause endings for cases in a bit of amusing faitfulness). Being a movie, the plot has been streamlined quite a bit with the primary focus now on the friendship between Phoenix and Miles and as a result Maya and Mia do feel like they've been slightly more simplified. In many ways Ace Attorney kind of feels like you're watching two back-to-back episodes of a TV show, but a VERY good TV show that you're invested in. Given the time limitations this is probably the best adaptation you could've hoped for given the inherent limitations, but it is still worth noting. I think the movie is mostly approachable to all even those who haven't played the games, but there are instances that do feel like they'd be lost on the unitiated including a decision made by Maya that happens over the end credits.
Speaking as a fan of this series, I really enjoyed Ace Attorney. It did a good job of forging a streamlined film experience out of the games while offering an enjoyable experience and I'm honestly kind of sad they didn't make more of these (at the very least a trilogy covering the original game series). I don't know how well the series' trademarked mixture of over the top humor and quasi-serious murder mysteries will play to those not well versed in this series, but for the franchise faithful it's definitely well worth a viewing.
Ace Attorney is a 2012 legal dramedy directed by cult filmmaker Takashi Miike and based on the first game in Capcom's fan favorite Ace Attorney series. Created with direct involvement from Capcom and the creative staff behind the games, Miike and his staff were very involved in the process of working out how to adapt the episodic game into a feature length film. Premiering at various film festivals Ace Attorney received a positive response from many fans in the audience while being slightly mixed albeit mainly positive with critics. Ace Attorney is a fun offbeat legal dramedy that features Miike's signature high energy style that complements the games nicely, but I do wonder how well this movie plays to someone unfamiliar with the material.
Despite being in live-action, Miike and his cast and crew have done an excellent job at bringing the over the top designs and mannerism to life with all the characters well-suited to their individual roles. Hiroki Narimiya does well in both the dramatic and comedic bits of Phoenix, Mirei Kiritani brings that youthful energy to Maya, and Takumi Saitoh is nicely situated as a foil to Phoenix with the two's complex history and dynamic brought to life faithfully from the games. Miike finds some clever workarounds to mimic the experience of the source material including the holographic interface used in the trial sequences that allows for the same over the top reactions and "Objections" we all know from the game but translated to work in real world context (we even get the confetti and applause endings for cases in a bit of amusing faitfulness). Being a movie, the plot has been streamlined quite a bit with the primary focus now on the friendship between Phoenix and Miles and as a result Maya and Mia do feel like they've been slightly more simplified. In many ways Ace Attorney kind of feels like you're watching two back-to-back episodes of a TV show, but a VERY good TV show that you're invested in. Given the time limitations this is probably the best adaptation you could've hoped for given the inherent limitations, but it is still worth noting. I think the movie is mostly approachable to all even those who haven't played the games, but there are instances that do feel like they'd be lost on the unitiated including a decision made by Maya that happens over the end credits.
Speaking as a fan of this series, I really enjoyed Ace Attorney. It did a good job of forging a streamlined film experience out of the games while offering an enjoyable experience and I'm honestly kind of sad they didn't make more of these (at the very least a trilogy covering the original game series). I don't know how well the series' trademarked mixture of over the top humor and quasi-serious murder mysteries will play to those not well versed in this series, but for the franchise faithful it's definitely well worth a viewing.