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In the depths, where the illusion of light and the reality of darkness meet in the mind of what remains of the White Hawk, is where the last part of Berserk: Golden Age Arc begins. One year after the events of the second movie left the Band in a dire situation, with Guts wandering the country in search of something to call his own, the unnatural consequences of Griffith’s actions are now becoming apparent to the rest of the world.
During this time the Hawks have become fugitives, being hunted by both the kingdom’s army and soldiers of fortune. Under commander Casca they’ve managed to survive this long, even if their numbers have dwindled due to enemy attacks and desertion.
One night, an enemy raid strikes the Band by surprise. Things look somber for the exhausted and crestfallen Hawks, but the former captain of the Raider squad, Guts himself, makes a timely appearance to help fend off the attackers, which uplifts their spirits.
This movie has mended many of the previous installments’ issues.
Where the previous installments had issues, this movie has mended many of them; from the first battle the film wants the audience to know that this is where most of the care and attention (and budget) to this project went. The animation in this skirmish, although short, is gorgeous, the CG blends a lot better now with the 2d animation, and a certain character that didn’t show up in the ’97 anime makes an appearance here — even if only briefly — continuing with the trend that started in the end of the second movie.
The next morning, a worn out, disgruntled and desperate Casca lashes out at Guts, blaming him for what happened to Griffth when he left the Band behind after their duel. What happens next is, to me, one of the parts that suffers the most because of the cut content from the source material. The truth behind Casca’s anger towards Guts can be elucidated through the nuances of bonding and romance thrown in during the previous movie, and her not-so-nuanced idolization of Griffith, which had been tested during the last year. But the transition from murderous intent to their “moment of joy” still feels…bumpy.
The rest following their refractory period is interrupted by the appearance of a grim armored figure who reiterates Zodd’s prophecy to Guts, but in a way that hints that there might be a way to survive such a catastrophe. Following this, a small group comprised of the major players of the Band sneak into the castle with the aid of the Princess, with the intent of rescuing Griffith from the dungeon he’s being held in.
I don’t remember these kind of lapses in the previous movies.
Allow me to go on a tangent and point out that this is the second time this movie has seemingly obviated the development of the plot. Coming from reading the manga more than a couple of times, and rewatching the ’97 adaptation (dubbed and undubbed) more times than I can remember, it can be easy to not wonder why things happen the way they do, and simply fall into following a checklist of what is and what is not present in this version. Very early in the film we see the remnants of the Band being attacked, and Guts shows up to save the day. But the last time we heard of him he “went away” and nowhere in the movie are we told what he did, nor how he learned about his comrades becoming hunted criminals, yet he puffs into existence in the battle because the source required that box in the checklist to be marked. Now that they’re sneaking into the castle, we didn’t even get a “hey, Guts, we have a plan” or something alluding to one beforehand. This is a heavily summarized rendition, yes, but I don’t remember these kind of lapses in the previous movies.
Now with their General back, the soldiers celebrate their future change of fortune, except for those that got him out of the dungeon he was being imprisoned in. A year’s worth of torture has left Griffith unable to fight, walk, or even talk. Despair strikes the Band once they learn of this, and Casca asks for some time to figure out what to do, while the Midland army is yet to catch up to them. Guts goes after her and tries to console her but, before any concrete decision is made, Griffith somehow manages to take the reins of the wagon he was on and rides off.
To say that what follows next is perhaps one of the main reasons for this movie, if not for this series, to exist isn’t much of a stretch — therefore I’ll keep it concise and vague. After crashing and falling off the wagon, Griffith finds something precious that he had lost during his stay in captivity. This serves as the catalyst to trigger Zodd’s prophecy, and the next thirty minutes or so of the movie is comprised of shots that could very well be described as heavy metal album covers, with monstrous violence and the brutalization of every character you may have taken a liking to.
The amount of blood, gore, and vicious frenzy in this segment surpasses that of the source. The scene right after the rebirth of Griffith as Femto, the last of the God Hand, earns the dubious achievement of being more disturbing and uncomfortable than both the manga and the ’97 anime. There’s something oddly seductive (in a gut-wrenching sort of way) about seeing something beautiful — carefully built and well taken care of — become devastated and left in shambles. This is by far the movie’s strongest point.
The Eclipse is going to make you feel things.
Even as a longtime fan that knows what’s going to happen, it’s still not easy to take it when the time comes. At some point in my life I heard that art’s main purpose is to make the audience feel something, and if it accomplished that then it did what it was supposed to. I’m unsure whether I completely adhere to that ideology or not, but what I can say without a doubt is that The Eclipse is going to make you feel things.
By the end of the festival, Guts has lost much more than just an eye and an arm, Casca is barely more than a husk of what she used to be, and Griffith is now a godly figure that reigns supreme over humans along with his newfound peers. We leave the story with Guts, consumed with fury, silently vowing to the coming dawn that he will get his revenge. From here, Berserk‘s story is only just beginning.
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