Audience Member
Long time Mass Effect fan here (1,2, and 3 only. Not Andromeda, etc.) who created an account to review this film.
The only reason I'm deducting a star is for basic inaccuracies such as Sovereign being shown towed away intact in the flashback, the Citadel orbiting Earth, weapon inaccuracies, and minor things like the Biotics being powered more by Power Cells than their metabolism and available reserves. In addition, the art style is a bit outdated for its time.
But all of that isn't worth Paragon Lost losing more than a star. Really, this film — with all of its flaws — delivers a solid, memorable storyline and even characters, too.
It's just a damn shame that it didn't come out before Mass Effect 3 was released, as that would've given Vega a bit more love than he initially received.
OK, so the film's plot is pretty simple at first during the Alliance's attack. No spoilers, but that whole intro battle was both unexpected and sort of accurate to where this film is taking place. People need to remember that the Alliance didn't have much strength and numbers in the Terminus Systems, which explains the way things went in their deployment. From there on, we get to see the characters get stuck in and show us what they're made of. Good stuff.
Speaking of the characters, I was pleasantly surprised by how such a standalone film, which a good portion of Mass Effect fans either weren't aware of or might not have cared for back in the day, managed to give the feels for its characters. I'm not going to spoil anything, but even the least memorable character on Vega's squad hits you hard when, well, things happen. Kamille's moment was especially hectic.
If there's one pro that I'd really want to highlight about this film, it's the soundtrack. Really, whoever was in charge of that department needs to give themselves a good long pat on the back, because the OST keeps this film going for much of the time. The intro battle, non-action scenes, emotional moments, later battles, and climax all benefit from a superb soundtrack that ranks right up there with what the franchise has to offer in terms of original music.
I'm not really one to cry even in the most emotional of films, but almost everything in the last half to quarter of the film especially brings the tears. The way things play out, tue way the colonists are waiting, the way Vega struggles with his choice, and especially the soundtrack playing delivers one solid, spectacular finish. I'll even go as far as to say this this subpar animation beats many of the games' scenes, purely based on its entire package.
Final verdict:
If anyone's still interested in watching this film almost a decade after it was released, I urge you to go in with an open-mind. If you can forgive the lore inaccuracies and subpar animation, you'll find a gem of a film that, in all honesty, might be one of the most underrated video-game films of its time.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
good story but not for kids good acting
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I liked jimmy vega to begin with, this makes him even better
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Great! = 4/5
Adds some great backstory to the Mass Effect universe from one of their most underrated characters, James Vega. As enjoyable to watch as it is well written - Paragon Lost makes me hopeful (and excited) that we'll hopefully soon see another Mass Effect story in the anime like style.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Adds new content about what happened during the period of shepard's reconstruction. Also helps one to appreciate James Vega much more as a character.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Not a bad edition to the franchise but this could have been so much better. Overall it's average and a bit disappointing
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
Full Review
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