Bayonetta: Bloody Fate- Review

"You want to touch me?"

As an interactive medium videogames are (by their very nature) entirely reliant upon audience participation in order to achieve success. Translating the entirely unique sensations of playing a game into film or text is (in a lot of ways) fundamentally impossible. When the core material is no longer presented as a game, the player changes the key postion of active participant, to a passive observer for the events unfolding.

Most videogame adaptations into cinema and the like tend to be rather lacking to say the least because of this very issue. That isn't to say that all videogame adaptations out there are bad (as there are good ones) but those exceptional works are a rarity at best it seems.

Since bringing the element of gameplay to another format is out of the equation, the only thing the adaptation is left with is the story and characters. This creates a huge problem when making the game transition to another medium. Such elements as story and character usually come second to gameplay, so they don't have the polish needed for it make that smooth leap into another form. Thus the end result is almost always the same; a lackluster installment that essentially fails to capture the spirit of the game it is based on.

Thankfully I can say that Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is one of those rare occasions where the adaptation to another format (in this case an anime movie) is fairly solid. Not only is it pretty good as its own standalone piece, it's true to the spirit of the source material, and it even manages to (in some ways) improve upon its original videogame counterpart. While it does have its share of notable flaws to be sure, I find Bloody Fate to be one hell of an incredibly fun over-the-top ride while it lasts.

Two factions were once dedicated to maintaining the balance between light and darkness in the world: the Lumen Sages, followers of Paradiso, and the Umbra Witches, followers of Inferno. Each side carried a piece of the treasure called 'The Eyes of the World' (seperately named 'Left Eye' and 'Right Eye') which they used to oversee the world and secure its safety. A forbidden union between a Lumen Sage and an Umbra Witch yielded a child, eventually causing a rift to form between the once peaceful clans. The controversy over the child's birth eventually led to an all out war, resulting with both side's mutual destruction. No one knows whatever became of the child.

In the present day, the last Umbra Witch Bayonetta awakens after a five-hundred year long slumber. With only her fragmented memories to guide her, Bayonetta sets out to the city of Vigrid to uncover the mysteries of her past. The journey won't be easy though, as it seems the Angels of Paradiso are hunting Bayonetta down at every turn, claiming that the rebirth of the creator of the universe (Jubelius) is near.

To be frank, I feel that story has never been Bayonetta's focus as a franchise, let alone its strongest feature. The characters possess little to no dimension, and the overarching plot is fairly predictable. In the original videogame the story is obfuscated in its presentation, divvying out only tiny bits of context and crucial detail as the game progresses. Essentially making it feel as though the story and characters are an afterthought serving only as a means to bridge the gaps between the gameplay segments. For me, the deliberate obfuscation comes off as only being done to simply draw out the overall run time of the experience. I won't be so bold as to say that the core idea of Bayonetta is outright terrible, but I will say that as far as the game goes, there are much better narratives out there to enjoy.

"I've got a fever, and the only cure is more dead angels!"

In the case of Bloody Fate, the story has a more direct approach towards the mythology. A lot of the core details are in the front of the film via an opening monologue. Personally I think this allows the more casual viewer to have some much needed context to everything that is happening. Granted, not all the answers are thrown out at the beginning, but it does create a more straightforward and easier to digest tale that I feel has broader appeal to those just looking to get into the franchise.

Sadly though Bloody Fate doesn't take full advantage of retelling the story because the characters are just as shallow here as they are in the videogame. While none of the characterization is ever truly bad, we practically learn nothing about them except their basic motivations. By the time the film wraps we have almost exactly the same amount of information on the characters as we did at the start.

"Don't f@#K with a witch!"

Regardless of the minimal character development, I do want to emphasize how much more enjoyable the story becomes due to the writers distilling the core elements of Bayonetta. The pace of the movie is fantastic, with action beats having just enough time between them so that the audience can breath and get ready for the next menagerie of magical mayhem. Sure it's style over substance, but at least everything is clear, making for a very uncomplicated, streamlined, and enjoyable experience.

Making up for the lackluster story is the movie's over-top-action style. It opens with a kick-ass magic and gun infused brawl inside of a ridiculously ornate church that eventually spills out into the open. The gigantic battle that ensues from there goes on to set the standard and tone for the rest of the film. It introduces a fair portion of the cast right out the gate, and provides a nice helping of what some of the characters are capable of.

I'm glad the choice to make Bayonetta an animated movie was made, as I don't think the somewhat quirky character designs or the chaotic nature of the battles would transition well into live-action. Gonzo Studios has clearly put a lot of effort into bringing the core iconic staples of the Bayonetta game design over from 3-D to 2-D. Bayonetta herself looks great, with her unique physique being one of the biggest reasons as to why animation is the only real method of portraying her. All of Bayonetta's acrobatic gunplay and magic attacks take center stage, translating beautifully from the game to the animation. The supporting cast and enemies look just as good in the film as they do in the games, making this undeniably a part of the Bayonetta franchise from the opening shot all the way to the closing credits.

Unfortunately the animation isn't always spot on. Mind you, when Bloody Fate is running on all cylinders, it's truly a sight to behold, and a testament to how awesome 2-D animation can still be. It's just that there are a noticeable amount of budget saving tricks that Gonzo utilizes that detract from what would otherwise be an absolutely gorgeous film. Such things as long still shots against mostly static backdrops, or bits of rehashed animation all crop up throughout, not to mention the somewhat janky animation quality in certain scenes.

"Hello there, Cheshire!"

Now to finally address the elephant in the room. For those who are already familiar with Bayonetta, this comes as absolutely no surprise, but Bayonetta: Bloody Fate overtly leans into fanservice. I don't want to mince words here, this flick shows so much skin, it practically needs lotion, never mind our titular heroine making sexy poses all the while. There almost isn't a single scene featuring Bayonetta that doesn't have some sort of sexually-charged element to it. If Bayonetta isn't salaciously licking her lips while spouting double entendres, then you'll see Bayonetta in a teddy, in the shower, or suggestively sucking on lolipops only to store them in her robust clevage. It's so obvious that Bayonetta's breasts have been enlarged for the adaptation, only driving home ever further the somewhat pandering feel this movie provides to the audience. If you're not one for a somewhat exploitative romp of the female form, or just can't handle a lot of nudity (of a PG-13 caliber mind you, so you don't really see anything) then you may want to try avoiding Bloody Fate.

"Let's dance!"

As of the writing of this review Bayonetta: Bloody Fate has no English dub. Since the franchise's very beginnings, Bayonetta has always had an English speaking cast, so this marks the first time Japanese actors have portrayed the characters. For the most part I think the cast does a good job with their parts overall, but sadly Atsuko Tanaka just doesn't deliver when it comes to playing Bayonetta herself. Hellena Taylor (the English voice of Bayonetta) just can't be matched it seems, as Tanaka's voice feels disinterested and aloof to everything that's going on. While I do understand the cultural differences in what both languages deem as a "sexy" voice, Tanaka comes off as simply trying too hard at numerous points; especially in the scenes where Bayonetta is being flirtatious. I'm almost sure that for many viewers their mileage will vary on this topic, so I'm not going to go so far to say that her performance is bad. It's just not what I'm used to hearing for the character.            

Some of the game's original music does blare across the speakers for Bloody Fate, and when it does the movie's vibe becomes just that much more better. Fans of the game's score are bound to hear one or two of their favorite tracks during the film, but oddly enough they don't use all of the music. Instead, new pieces are littered throughout, and they're not very good. These new tracks quite frankly just don't have the same effect as the ones from the game. In some cases they actually make some scenes (regardless of what's happening on screen) feel somewhat boring. They just don't have that distinct and instantly iconic jazzy pop the Bayonetta game built its ambiance from. The song for the end credits "Night, I Stand" is a catchy tune though that does feel faithful to the spirit of the game. Yoku Shioya is given composer credits, and as far as my research has shown, he's more of a voice actor than a composer. While I can't be certain, I think Bloody Fate may be his first time composing, and tragically it shows.

As an overall package Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is a solid hopping on point for potential new fans. It distills the core elements of the game down, and presents them in a straightforward manner that's easy for pretty much anyone to swallow. Prior knowledge of the game is completely unnecessary to enjoy this outing, so even if you never play the game, you've at least got a fun movie. If you can look past the lackluster character development, the semi-predictable plot, or the copious amounts of fanservice then you'll probably have a great (albeit shallow) time. It isn't the pinnacle of modern animation, but the action scenes are robust with plenty of style to boot. In a lot of ways this film is exemplary of how a videogame adaptation can actually be pretty good. The spirit of the game is there, while it presents itself with a certain bit of that old-school 90's anime sort of charm, and that's just fine by me.

Positive Factors

• Distills the essentials of the Bayonetta story down into an easy to follow and enjoyable plot.
• A well paced style over substance romp.
• Character designs translate beautifully from the 3-D game to the 2-D animation. This is undeniably Bayonetta!
• At its best when it is capturing the essence of the games through great over-the-top action.
• Solid Japanese dub overall.
• Use of the game's original score help add to the "This is Bayonetta!" vibe.
• If you're into the fanservice from the game, or just like fanservice, you'll like what you see.

Negative Factors

• Characters are still shallow with very little development.
• Some cost cutting measures are taken on the animation. Long shots and stilted bits throughout the experience. 
• New music is lacking in the "This is Bayonetta!" vibe.
• If you're not into fanservice you may want to look elsewhere.

Final Rating: Splenderiffic!