My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

Heroes Rising is a pretty radical watch. It delivers exactly what any My Hero Academia fan expects - tons of stirring, emotionally-fueled action and an adequate balance of quirky humor and gritty drama. The climax is absolutely heart-pounding and delivers some much overdue chemistry between Midoriya and his rival, Bakugo - and in a positive manner. It's not just another nerd vs. bully confrontation, it's the two putting aside their differences and making sacrifices to save the day, and it's a breath of fresh air seeing it all come to fruition. All the other characters - Todoroki, Uraraka and Iida, to name some -have a decent amount of screentime, too, assisting in the battles in their own unique and visually intriguing fashion. It's lot more than the previous film had to offer for them. Everyone's got a purpose in Heroes Rising.

That said, the film is definitely in its own world. What I mean is it doesn't tie-in to the ongoing story much, let alone furthers it. I expected that, but some hardcore fans could find that disappointing since a longer running time could promise more development. Heroes Rising also doesn't shake the issue that most films based on anime have, which is the pacing. It very much feels like you're watching an overstretched episode of the show and it doesn't really scream cinema in any distinctive visual and narrative fashion...well, aside from the climactic battle with Nine - which is jaw-droppingly beautiful - but that's about it. It still could've been pulled off in a regular episode. Nevertheless, Heroes Rising is a great treat for the fans to enjoy. Action-packed, emotionally investing and just plain fun.