"Conqueror of Shamballa" serves to conclude the original anime after that series ended on a bittersweet note. I was excited when I first saw this film back in the day to see how everything ended and it didn't disappoint.All the characters who lived are back and everything is different. The characters are a few years older and more mature. The story does an interesting take on the idea of parallel universes and we get to see alter egos of characters in Ed and Alphonse's world in the real world setting of Europe cira 1925. Ed and Alphonse are separated on both sides of the gate and both are attempting to return to each other. In the midst of all this a fringe group of the Nazis is studying alchemy in an attempt to pass through the gate and conquer the alternate world in order to fuel their supplies for war. It moves at a brisk pace and has great action sequences befitting of FMA. The animation has much better production value than the show (although some of the CG used hasn't aged well) and makes great use of color for both worlds. The film has a good villain but not as good as in the series. I can't recommend this film to people who haven't seen the show because it requires prior knowledge of the show to understand the events of the film. If you liked the original "FMA" then you will most likely enjoy this film.

Before the two anime adaptations, "Fullmetal Alchemist" was originally a manga (Japanese graphic novel) written by Hiromu Arakawa and published in Square Enix's monthly magazine "Shonen Gangan". It was the story of two brothers who used the ancient arts of alchemy to perform a risky taboo: to transmute their dead mother to bring her back to life. As a result, the younger brother lost his entire body, while the older lost his leg. At the last minute, the older brother bounded the younger brother's soul to a suit of armor, sacrificing his right arm. With the older brother outfitted with artificial limbs made of steel (called auto mail), they then set out on a journey to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone and use it to get their bodies back to normal.While the manga was still being written, an anime series would be produced by Bones and Aniplex with Arakawa's approval. When it was released internationally (in my case, being a selection on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block), the popularity of the franchise soared, and critics took notice, with one saying that it was a perfect blend of action, comedy, and hard-hitting drama. They weren't lying in that regard. When the series ended, it was not the end of the story, so a feature-length movie was produced. This is where "Fullmetal Alchemist - The Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa" comes in.Directed by Seiji Mizushima, who also directed a majority of the episodes of the television show, the film takes place two years after the events of the last episode of the series. It's 1923 in Munich, Germany, and since his sacrifice leading to the separation from his younger brother Alphonse (Aaron Dismuke), Edward Elric (Vic Mignogna) has spent his time in our world studying rocketry with his friend Alphons Heiderich (E. Jason Liebrecht). One day, Ed saves a Gypsy girl who has the power to read minds, which throws Ed into a devious plot by the Thule Society and the Nazi party that could start a war between the world he's in and his home world, all while his brother Alphonse sets out on a journey to find his brother at the same time.Going in blind, the average moviegoer would barely understand what the hell is going on in this movie, if at all. This is why I would say to people when discussing the series as a whole to watch all 51 episodes of the original series before watching this, despite being an original story derived from the show (according to anime critic Ryusuke Hikawa). As for the movie itself, story-aside, the film captures the action, comedy, and drama of the show just fine, and also includes the show's musical score blending with tracks made for the movie. As someone who is a fan of the franchise, I can say that it's a definite plus. The downside is that the film is geared toward a limited audience. Again, if you haven't watched the entire series (the original, not "Brotherhood"), pretty much all of the movie won't make a lick of sense.While I do agree that "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" is a much better work with a superior ending, the original series and the movie itself is actually not too bad either. I kinda like it, and would give it a recommendation to fans of the series. Is it the best ending they could come up with? No. But it'll suffice.

I expected more. And by more I mean much much much much more. That's an understatement, but you get my idea. I finished watching The Fullmetal Alchemist in like two weeks and was so psyched by the ending and wanted to see the movie as soon as possible to tie the loose ends and finally give some closure to it all. I didn't expect, as someone put it before me, "an evil Nazi movie". I don't like spoiling movies so I won't give you anything in detail, but I feel some aspects were not thought through completely and some characters deserved way more space than they got, not two minute sequence after which no one seemed to remember them. If I had a time machine, I'd probably go back and told myself: "Don't watch the movie, imagine how the series could have gone on and you'll be much happier."

As a devote fan to the series, I got very excited when hearing that there was going to be a movie made. Part of me was worried that it wouldn't be made with the same meticulous perfection that the series was created with...I shouldn't have worried.The movie itself is absolutely awesome. I found it very enjoyable and (unlike a lot of anime movies) find myself able to watch it over and over again.And to those who complain about the ending. If the end of the movie had been *any* different, it would not have been FMA's style. I thought the end was brilliant. So, check it out!