5 Ways the Gundam Movie Can Become the First Great Live Action Anime Adaption

In 2018, Legendary Pictures announced they’d officially be working with Sunrise to make a live-action adaption of the legendary anime franchise, Gundam. Hollywood anime adaptions have had a rough go of things up until now with the abysmal Dragon Ball Evolution, not great Ghost in the Shell, and so-so Alita: Battle Angel all springing to mind.

We’re still waiting on the first truly great anime adaption, and a legendary franchise like Gundam could be just the one to do that. But there are a few things we think the film needs to do if it’s really going to claim that spot.

Practical Effects

Big anime or comic adaptions are huge money sinks these days, with a truckload of CG effects. And yet, there could be a better way to do things for Gundam, by mixing computer effects with practical effects.

Gundam has always had a grittier, more realistic aesthetic, versus the shinier sci-fi aesthetic of something like Star Trek. This is something that’d be more properly represented by opting for a few practical effects. This is something that other films have done in the past, like The Force Awakens, or even last year’s First Man.

Hand-crafting mobile suit cockpits and the inside of ships would go a long way toward making everything more believable. Obviously, the bulk of the mobile suit action will have to be done in CG, but there are plenty of opportunities for practical effects in a Gundam movie.

Opting for nothing but CG would give the film that trademark “shiny” look, but by mixing in practical effects the Gundam movie could better emulate the more realistic feel of its anime counterpart.

Eclectic Anime-Inspire Soundtrack

Part of what makes anime so unique as a medium is a way it uses sound and music, completely changing its tone or style. Just take a look at something like Cowboy Bebop, which uses its soundtrack in brilliant ways to set a western them mixed with elements of pop. Cowboy Bebop wouldn’t be what it is without its soundtrack.

Sadly, this is something that Hollywood adaptions of anime just haven’t really gotten, option for either big-budget orchestral soundtracks like Alita, or some kind of futuristic synth, like Ghost in the Shell. However, this is something that Gundam can change, heavily leaning into its eclectic music roots.

Gundam has always used a varied selection of musical styles; just look at the slow romantic song that’s the first ending of Gundam 0083, or the intense pop opening of Gundam Wing; two series that came out only four years apart. Even past that, Gundam Thunderbolt fantastically characterizes its two main characters by mixing jazz and pop music into its action.

Looking at all of this, the Gundam film absolutely needs to do something interesting with its soundtrack, and not just have an epic orchestral score. Use different genres of music, use songs with lyrics, really go for it. It’s frustrating that anime adaptions haven’t gotten the music aspect down pat, and that’s something that Gundam would be perfectly situated to fix.

Universal Century Setting

There are any number of settings you could pick for a Gundam movie, even creating an entirely original universe. However, the best idea would be to use the tried-and-true Universal Century, the setting for the bulk of Gundam content out there, and the one that the original anime created. a

There are a few different reasons for this, the biggest of which is breeding familiarity with Gundam fans, or even those that have a passing knowledge of Gundam. There have been countless anime, OVAs, manga, and games set within the Universal Century, making it a diverse period of time with any number of stories to tell.

Despite having so many self-contained stories there’s a look and a style that runs concurrently through everything, whether it’s the narrative idea of newtypes or the design of mobile suits like Zakus and GMs.

By setting the film in the Universal Century you instantly have the interest of longtime Gundam fans, and you can catch the eye of others with things they’ve seen before, like the glowing pink eye of the Zakus or the iconic RX-78-2 Gundam, the original one.

Because the Universal Century is so diverse you don’t have to have a story that’s reliant on the anime series, as it can be completely standalone. That means you have no worries about newcomers feeling lost, while actual fans can delve deeper about where the film fits into the timeline and history of Gundam. 

An Entirely Original Cast of Characters and Story

Even though we think the Gundam movie should be set in the Universal Century, at the same time, it should use an entirely original cast of characters. Instead of adapting a story and having live-action versions of Amuro, Char, or other, it’d be a better idea to introduce a host of new characters.

Gundam has constantly shown that its strongest when telling smaller self-contained stories, evidenced by the strong OVAs and standalone series like Stardust Memory, Turn A Gundam, and Thunderbolt. Considering a large portion of audiences wouldn’t be familiar with longtime characters anyway, the film can simply invest time in developing and characterizing new characters.

At the same time, introducing new characters means viewers who are familiar with Gundam still get introduced to new characters, and don’t have to wait while audiences are introduced to longtime ones.

Of course, you can reference events from the original Gundam series, or others, but introducing an entirely original story and characters means that every viewer goes in on equal footing, and you also get more creative freedom.

Take Inspiration From the Smaller Gundam Series

With a series that’s been running for 40 years, there’s a ton of inspiration you can take from countless Gundam anime, manga, and video games. But where do you take that inspiration from, and do you take it at all? Well, yes for one, but the best idea the Hollywood movie can have is looking at the smaller Gundam OVAs and movies, the ones that tell more personal stories.

I’m talking about 0080: War in the Pocket, Gundam F91, 08th MS Team, and Reconguista in G. These series get that you don’t always have to tell a sweeping space opera, but instead focus on the human aspect of everything, and how war truly affects those smaller lives.

Don’t put the scope on some massive galactic war that culminates in a giant battle, but rather a personal tale that finishes with a furious battle between two elite pilots. This is what the greatest Gundam series do, like Gundam Wing and Gundam 00, and it’s something the Hollywood movie should absolutely take note of.

Modern sci-fi, especially film, tends to have this idea that things need to be big and flashy in order to succeed, and that’s just not true. The Gundam series that have stood the test of time as the best are the ones that double down on characters, emotion, and storytelling. f course, they have giant robot battles to back it all up, but Gundam is truly a franchise about human nature and war.

It digs deep into drama and political aspects, and a Gundam movie that’s just mindless sci-fi action is a true disservice to this legendary franchise.