Rating: 
Summary: Great End to a Saga!
Review: This movie takes place in the year UC 0093. Amuro's great nemisis, Char, has taken control of not only an asteroid, but Luna 2 as well, which decides are a befitting end to humanity on Earth. Amuro must go up against him once more in an almost 2 hour movie, filled with some of the best action you'll find in any gundam series, especially with his awesome Nu Gundam. Totally new... mobile suits battle to reveal the truths and secrets not explored in the original Gundam Mobile Suit. This is a must for any gundam fan, and I strongly recommend viewing it in Japanese, for the character Quess's voice got on my nerves. However, she's meant to be the pest in the movie, so either way it's great. Trust me, you wont regret buying this movie!
Rating:
Summary: The last great Gundam Movie
Review: Well, after owning a Betamax copy since it was released back in the late 1980's, and a copy of laser disc. It's time to own the ultimate copy on DVD. I watched this movie for the 50th time (Literally) during this year's Anime Expo, I must say, it just gets better every time. Char and Amuro's final battle after the Gundam 0079 and Zeta Gundam Series truely expressed the origin of the the story; this is truely Mr. Tomino's greatest Gundam film ever, and the last "TRUE" Gundam film. Evey Gundam fan must own a copy!!! By the way, I met Mr. Tomino during 1992 Anime Expo, he's a wonderful man:)Vance
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Gundam Battle Ever Seen
Review: Where would anime be nowadays without series like "Mobile Suit Gundam?" I shudder to think. Very few anime have had the impact that "Gundam" has had since it first premiered in 1979. No one foresaw what was to become of the series. In 1988 this is the ultimate result; the greatest battle in anime history. "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" was made to provide closure to a rivalry that had been going on for nearly ten years. The rivalry being between the two main characters of the original "Mobile Suit Gundam," the first Gundam pilot, Amuro Ray, and the dreaded Zeon ace, Char Aznable. The story takes place in Universal Century 0093, about 14 years after the events in "Mobile Suit Gundam," and peace has been disrupted once again (how long does peace actually last in this universe?). The long-dormant Char Aznable has risen to take the reigns of leadership of the Neo-Zeon movement, and ultimately plans on destroying the Earth Federation. The Federation, in retaliation, send out their Lando Bell Force to stop Char. Among one of the top members of Lando Bell, is none other than Amuro Ray. The two men still sport grudges against one another even after fourteen years, and it all comes down to this moment. Who will survive? Bandai took some great risks in bringing this title to the States. Considering that there is 3 series worht of backstory to this movie, an excess of 150 episodes. It is easy to see people who have not followed "Mobile Suit Gundam." Thankfully, Bandai has included a 12-page booklet with the DVD to tell exactly what happened that sparked up between Char and Amuro over these fourteen years. As well as terminology and who's who in this Gundam story. Even if you know all these things, the booklet is a great collector's item. Anyway, on to the big stuff. The story is handsomely well-played out. Events move at such an erratic pace that one can't help but to let the film sweep them in. One minute, everything is calm and characters are learning, in the next minute, explosions everywhere and people are dead. This is by all means a war story that rivals even "Star Wars." When people die in "Gundam"...they die, no two ways about it. War is not galmorized in this series, war is a last resort for a race of creatures that deliberatly leads itself towards a last resort. And humanity? Well I heard Yoshiyuki Tomino speak on this matter, and since he is the "Father of Gundam" his words are better than mine; "No matter how destructive they can be, humanity is still beautiful." A theme that has been a staple of "Gundam" ever since. Characters are well-portrayed in this movie, bringing forth an array of new blood as well as old faces. Char and Amuro have grown and matured over the course of time. Amuro has turned from the whiny kid who refused to pilot Gundam into a hardened battle veteran who realizes his duties and responsibilities. Char has turned from a bitter Zeon soldier into an idealistic leader who wants nothing more than the destruction of those who Considering that Tomino didn't have fifty episodes to tell a story like he always does (kidding), to analyze these characters and flesh them out in a span of 2 hours is quite a feat. Lives are changed through out this conflict, and it can be seen in the characters horrified expressions and anguished cries. The animation is very well-done for it's time. This is definitely movie-quality animation. Especially during the climactic battle scenes. Very few anime have been able to conduct battle scenes this chaotic and destructive without losing something, this is one of the few. It's nice to see something that a nearly fifteen year-old movie can hold its own against "higher quality" stuff nowadays. Speaking of animation, this movie features the best-looking mecha to date. The mecha in this film were designed by Yutaka Izubuchi, most famous for "Patlabor" and "Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket." It was also helped by, at the time, the young members of GAINAX, yup before they made "Furi Kuri," "Kare Kano," "Evangelion," "Gunbuster," or even "Wings of Honeiamise," they were doing little animation projects for Sunrise. If you don't believe me, check out the designs for Char's Sazabi and Amuro's Nu Gundam. The Gundam featured in this movie is probably the coolest Gundam featured in any medium that carries the name. The music also goes very well with the movie. Music is actually fully-orchestrated and helps define the tremendous epic nature of this film. It is very difficult not to be moved by some of these tremendous pieces. Definitely, a big change of pace for those who are familiar with the techno-beat of "Gundam Wing" or the trendy pop of "Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory." This is "Bravehaert" meets "Star Wars," and if that isn't epic, I don't know what is. Sound was used very well in the film. Bandai decided to compliment both Japanese and English tracks with both 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks. What does that mean? Well, just crank up the volume and listen to things go BOOM. The only flaws I have seen in the movie would be the tremendous backstory that might alienate those who haven't seen "Gundam." That, and the ending is not feasible the first time one watches it. However, one of the key reasons to own this is so you can watch the anime again and realize what the ending means. And to those who have already seen the movie; yes the ending DOES make sense, the hint is actually in the film. In the end, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" is quite possibly the best "Gundam" title to date. Providing closure to the greatest anime rivalry of all time was no easy task. But Tomino was able to pull it off with grace. This is an epic by every means of the word. A sure sign that "Gundam" is synonomous with "eternal." -RW
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated, but still good
Review: While a good movie, I think that CCA had a lot of potential but did not fully use it. First off, I think that they should have released Zeta and ZZ before this movie, since I see a lot of reviews here complaining about things that have an explanation in Zeta or ZZ, such as why Hayato Kobayashi is not in this movie. I would highly recommend watching at least Zeta first; and since it will soon be released that shouldn't be too much of a problem! Anywho, my main problem with this movie are the characters. Char and Amuro seem horribly out-of-character; in fact, it's as if they switched personalities. Char becomes whiney, and Amuro becomes mature and calculated. It's nice to see Bright back to his old authoritative self (after that embarassing role in ZZ), and Astonauge is always welcome in a Gundam series. Someone said that CCA is too focused around the stupid annoying kids, and I'll agree there. Quess is annoying, and not even that pretty, and Hathaway just makes me want to slap him (even his own father can't resist!) Although someone earlier called Hathaway unimportant, which is simply not true: he is the star of a novel that takes place when he is older, and these events in CCA inspire his behaviour in said novel. Hathaway may not have been one, but CCA did have its throwaway characters. Gyunei, for example, who may have been cute but was absolutely useless; as well as Rezin (the girl who hates Newtypes) and Chan/Chein. Don't get me started on her; her only personality was that she loved Amuro. I much preferred Beltochika from Zeta, who was Amuro's love interest in the CCA novels. Even Nanai's existence was pretty pointless... and I hate to include Mirai in this list, but they did not have to show her that much. In fact, I wish that they could come up with something more creative than "Mirai tries to get to the colonies due to impending problems on Earth" since that was done in Zeta as well. A little upsetting, considering that she piloted a war ship in her younger years. Cameron shows up though, which is greatly amusing since he seems rather bitter towards Bright. Hehe. I'd call Kaira useless, since it seems like they only made her so they could cause tragedy for Astonauge. Which is just mean; Astonauge has been through enough! Did anyone else find Lalah haunting Char and Amuro weird.. 'cause I sure as heck did. I didn't see her ghost before then, did she just get bored in the afterlife and decide to start? Anyway, every UC fan should see this movie at least once, but it is rather disappointing if you are expecting another MSG or Zeta.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated, but still good
Review: While a good movie, I think that CCA had a lot of potential but did not fully use it. First off, I think that they should have released Zeta and ZZ before this movie, since I see a lot of reviews here complaining about things that have an explanation in Zeta or ZZ, such as why Hayato Kobayashi is not in this movie. I would highly recommend watching at least Zeta first; and since it will soon be released that shouldn't be too much of a problem! Anywho, my main problem with this movie are the characters. Char and Amuro seem horribly out-of-character; in fact, it's as if they switched personalities. Char becomes whiney, and Amuro becomes mature and calculated. It's nice to see Bright back to his old authoritative self (after that embarassing role in ZZ), and Astonauge is always welcome in a Gundam series. Someone said that CCA is too focused around the stupid annoying kids, and I'll agree there. Quess is annoying, and not even that pretty, and Hathaway just makes me want to slap him (even his own father can't resist!) Although someone earlier called Hathaway unimportant, which is simply not true: he is the star of a novel that takes place when he is older, and these events in CCA inspire his behaviour in said novel. Hathaway may not have been one, but CCA did have its throwaway characters. Gyunei, for example, who may have been cute but was absolutely useless; as well as Rezin (the girl who hates Newtypes) and Chan/Chein. Don't get me started on her; her only personality was that she loved Amuro. I much preferred Beltochika from Zeta, who was Amuro's love interest in the CCA novels. Even Nanai's existence was pretty pointless... and I hate to include Mirai in this list, but they did not have to show her that much. In fact, I wish that they could come up with something more creative than "Mirai tries to get to the colonies due to impending problems on Earth" since that was done in Zeta as well. A little upsetting, considering that she piloted a war ship in her younger years. Cameron shows up though, which is greatly amusing since he seems rather bitter towards Bright. Hehe. I'd call Kaira useless, since it seems like they only made her so they could cause tragedy for Astonauge. Which is just mean; Astonauge has been through enough! Did anyone else find Lalah haunting Char and Amuro weird.. 'cause I sure as heck did. I didn't see her ghost before then, did she just get bored in the afterlife and decide to start? Anyway, every UC fan should see this movie at least once, but it is rather disappointing if you are expecting another MSG or Zeta.
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