Digimon has always held a special spot in my heart, as I watched it growing up, and I could not stop loving the series years later. Well, as a long-time fan, this movie didn't disappoint me; it was just as much a celebration of its history as it was a loving gift to its fans.
*This review will contain spoilers for the first two Digimon series, as well as this movie.*
Plot: 7/10 - Following the events of Digimon Adventure 02, the group has grown up further, and they're well into their high school years. Strange disturbances in the networks throughout Japan ominously herald the start of another adventure. During a soccer game, Tai chases after a Kuwagamon and witnesses firsthand the devastation such a creature could bring about. Chased and exhausted, he is saved at the last moment by Agumon, who proceeds to fight Kuwagamon after Digivolving into Greymon. The two are then transported into an airport and continue their fight, while Tai and the other DigiDestined are all escorted to the airport and reunited with their Digimon partners. After driving back Kuwagamon and its two reinforcements, the group struggles to regain its luster, knowing all too well that the fight has just begun. The plot of this movie is essentially groundwork for what's to come; it sets up character arcs and relationships that will not be expanded upon until later, as well as conflicts and problems we can spot a mile away.
Characters: 10/10 - Right from the onset, there seems to be discontent from the group, as with their adulthood looming they develop both physically and mentally, and they drift ever further apart. Tai, the leader of the group in the first series, has serious issues with his future, and the entire DigiDestined seem shackled to the past in one way or another. The love triangle between him, Matt and Sora doesn't aid in calming his nerves, and his newfound fear in the power of Digimon and helplessness towards them that he failed to grasp as a child. Izzy has a glow-in-the-dark obvious crush on Mimi, and he struggles with it, while TK and Kari are also starting to notice their increased popularity and attraction is changing their relationship. Even the oldest of the group, Jo, has a girlfriend, one whom he disregards for his failing entrance exam scores. The character development is subtle, and logical, deeply rooted in the characters established in the two prior series and with an additional layer of complexity worthy of exploration. Interesting moments and character beats connect long-time fans with their childhood favorites, while also showing signs of adulthood and change all-too familiar.
Pacing: 8/10 – Up until the final five minutes of the movie, the pacing was excellent and worked wonders. Taking itself slowly, and showing through actions, not words, how far the characters have changed from our last encounter, it brought the group well into focus and the movie gained gravitas and impact because of it. But the final five minutes the movie realized it needed to wrap up; non- stop evolutions of progressively greater power, culminating in a frantic Alphamon vs Omnimon battle, none of which was built up properly or had a pay-off worthy of its much greater hourly set-up. Ending the movie on the Omnimon transformation would have worked great, I felt, as would a declaration from Tai to fight, finding a reason to. Maybe his failure to size up could have ended the movie on a cliffhanger, and provided motivation to fight next time. But this ending felt rushed and unworthy of the honestly very atmospheric and amazingly powerful built-up that the movie had spent itself creating.
General Notes: 9/10 – The animation is beautiful to behold, crisp and clear while retaining much of the charm from the earlier, sloppier, animation style before it. The Digivolution sequences were great, although they were a bit too much Digimon Tamers rather than Adventure for me. Hearing the "Butterfly" and "Brave Heart" songs again was amazing, and the renditions here are excellent. The brief glimpses of the four Adventure 02 DigiDestined and their defeat at the start of the series was a subtle and effective way of showing the continuity of 02. But their complete lack of reference past that point is baffling. Especially as TK is shown communicating to the worldwide DigiDestined community, and we know that those shown briefly should be discussed more, especially as Kari and TK know them well, and they go to the same school! Mention their disappearance at least.
Conclusion: 9/10 – For me, characters and atmosphere can dominate story and improve a property immensely, and Digimon Tri did just that. Its story is obvious and not the most interesting, but the rest is amazing. If not for the horribly paced final minutes, then it would be a clear 9.5/10, but it lost a lot of its flow in reaching for that Omnimon appearance. The villain is also non- existent as an element in Tri, and the use of Kuwagamon, while significant to us as their first challenge in the digital world, is never menacing. If you can watch the movie as a single film, it is much better than the episodic version, as this was clearly meant to be a single unit, and not a string of episodes. For long-time fans or people looking for a tearfully nostalgic property, Digimon Adventure Tri satisfies perfectly. Newcomers will be lost however, as there is no recap of previous events.
*This review will contain spoilers for the first two Digimon series, as well as this movie.*
Plot: 7/10 - Following the events of Digimon Adventure 02, the group has grown up further, and they're well into their high school years. Strange disturbances in the networks throughout Japan ominously herald the start of another adventure. During a soccer game, Tai chases after a Kuwagamon and witnesses firsthand the devastation such a creature could bring about. Chased and exhausted, he is saved at the last moment by Agumon, who proceeds to fight Kuwagamon after Digivolving into Greymon. The two are then transported into an airport and continue their fight, while Tai and the other DigiDestined are all escorted to the airport and reunited with their Digimon partners. After driving back Kuwagamon and its two reinforcements, the group struggles to regain its luster, knowing all too well that the fight has just begun. The plot of this movie is essentially groundwork for what's to come; it sets up character arcs and relationships that will not be expanded upon until later, as well as conflicts and problems we can spot a mile away.
Characters: 10/10 - Right from the onset, there seems to be discontent from the group, as with their adulthood looming they develop both physically and mentally, and they drift ever further apart. Tai, the leader of the group in the first series, has serious issues with his future, and the entire DigiDestined seem shackled to the past in one way or another. The love triangle between him, Matt and Sora doesn't aid in calming his nerves, and his newfound fear in the power of Digimon and helplessness towards them that he failed to grasp as a child. Izzy has a glow-in-the-dark obvious crush on Mimi, and he struggles with it, while TK and Kari are also starting to notice their increased popularity and attraction is changing their relationship. Even the oldest of the group, Jo, has a girlfriend, one whom he disregards for his failing entrance exam scores. The character development is subtle, and logical, deeply rooted in the characters established in the two prior series and with an additional layer of complexity worthy of exploration. Interesting moments and character beats connect long-time fans with their childhood favorites, while also showing signs of adulthood and change all-too familiar.
Pacing: 8/10 – Up until the final five minutes of the movie, the pacing was excellent and worked wonders. Taking itself slowly, and showing through actions, not words, how far the characters have changed from our last encounter, it brought the group well into focus and the movie gained gravitas and impact because of it. But the final five minutes the movie realized it needed to wrap up; non- stop evolutions of progressively greater power, culminating in a frantic Alphamon vs Omnimon battle, none of which was built up properly or had a pay-off worthy of its much greater hourly set-up. Ending the movie on the Omnimon transformation would have worked great, I felt, as would a declaration from Tai to fight, finding a reason to. Maybe his failure to size up could have ended the movie on a cliffhanger, and provided motivation to fight next time. But this ending felt rushed and unworthy of the honestly very atmospheric and amazingly powerful built-up that the movie had spent itself creating.
General Notes: 9/10 – The animation is beautiful to behold, crisp and clear while retaining much of the charm from the earlier, sloppier, animation style before it. The Digivolution sequences were great, although they were a bit too much Digimon Tamers rather than Adventure for me. Hearing the "Butterfly" and "Brave Heart" songs again was amazing, and the renditions here are excellent. The brief glimpses of the four Adventure 02 DigiDestined and their defeat at the start of the series was a subtle and effective way of showing the continuity of 02. But their complete lack of reference past that point is baffling. Especially as TK is shown communicating to the worldwide DigiDestined community, and we know that those shown briefly should be discussed more, especially as Kari and TK know them well, and they go to the same school! Mention their disappearance at least.
Conclusion: 9/10 – For me, characters and atmosphere can dominate story and improve a property immensely, and Digimon Tri did just that. Its story is obvious and not the most interesting, but the rest is amazing. If not for the horribly paced final minutes, then it would be a clear 9.5/10, but it lost a lot of its flow in reaching for that Omnimon appearance. The villain is also non- existent as an element in Tri, and the use of Kuwagamon, while significant to us as their first challenge in the digital world, is never menacing. If you can watch the movie as a single film, it is much better than the episodic version, as this was clearly meant to be a single unit, and not a string of episodes. For long-time fans or people looking for a tearfully nostalgic property, Digimon Adventure Tri satisfies perfectly. Newcomers will be lost however, as there is no recap of previous events.