One Piece Film: Gold Review

Quite unfortunately, I have only recently seen the latest One Piece film. I was extremely busy to be able to catch its theatrical release and could only opt for the more...thematic approach to watching the movie. I really wanted to watch this in the theatres but things don't always go as planned. Regardless, I have finally consumed it and I felt the need to review it!

I am going on the assumption that if you're reading this, you're a fan of One Piece. The movie starts with an incredible intro to the villain, the setting and of course, the mood. This time around, the movie revolves around the floating casino known as Gran Tesoro. The Straw Hat Pirates have decided that they want to sit back and relax, through the medium of gambling. As with all adventures however, the crew gets into trouble, they fight and then they win. It's a formulaic approach of all One Piece story arcs but the heart lies in the adventure along the way. And it certainly does deliver.

Firstly, the art and animation fidelity for this movie is incredible. Gran Tesoro is very similar to Las Vegas, just covered entirely by a gold shine. You see tons of people walking the streets filled with laughter and excitement, buildings are brightly lit with vibrant colours and the architecture of the central hub very much conveys the personality of Tesoro himself. The presentation perfectly translates the setting of the film: a grand casino filled with riches.

Besides that, the design also lends itself to this. Rooms and corridors are wide and far-reaching, vehicles and contraptions creatively fit the setting, and while some of the games possess enormous assets, they never felt out of place. The Straw Hats also have quite a handful of wardrobe changes this time around and every colour scheme lets them pop in every scene. Sure, there are some weird drawings every now and again but overall, its quality sets it apart from the anime by a landslide.

The soundtrack for the film is very different from the usual tracks from the series. Initially, I'd thought the composer for the film also did Boku no Hero Academia. You can imagine my surprise when I found out it really was him. Every action sequence kept me pumped with his epic blend of strings and percussion. The softer parts held a very consistent tone and the atmospheric tracks just nailed the "VIVA LAS VEGAS" feel. You'd have to watch and experience it. It's very satisfying.

Art and music aside, the story approach was fantastic. As I said initially, it still has the same formula but with more variety and nuances that definitely set it differently from the rest. Some of the things they did in this movie, I never expected One Piece to have. Then again, One Piece has almost every formula and trope of storytelling out there so I'm actually not surprised now that I think about it. There were sequences that made me laugh out loud, sequences that triggered goosebumps under my skin and sequences that got me rocking my head. Everything was pieced together near perfectly with my only gripe being certain scenes with odd voice delivery and minor plot holes.

Now, mixing the factors above together, we get epic fight scenes that bests Strong World and Film Z. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm not going to mention anything but the obvious. The obvious here is that if you combine One Punch Man's animation style with Boku no Hero Academia's soundtrack, you get something very special. Ok, maybe not as good as One Punch Man, but close enough.

All in all, I'd probably say Film Gold is my favourite post-time skip movie. I say that because I still have a soft spot for Strong World, which is my favourite pre-time skip movie. Strong World dealt with the resulting emotional camaraderie leading to the time skip but Film Gold did everything right given the backbone foundation of the One Piece formula.

If only they knew how much more they got from their movie