Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion (2013)

Fantastic!

A Brilliant Conflict

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

...if it hadn't been for the last 5-10 minutes of the film. I understand that there can't be a God without a Devil, but the way they ended the film was really stupid.The buildup to the final fight scene could not be more beautiful! The art, the characters, and the story were wonderfully made; but the ending killed the entire movie.One thing that I liked was how they told the story through Homura's perspective rather than Madoka's as they start a familiar story. From the beginning, instead of having the stoic Homura, we have the shyer and kinder one that slowly becomes the herself of the series. The symbolism of the movie is very vast and insanely deep, but the ending had something to be desired for.To call it a cop-out would be too insulting, but they went a very ridiculous route by making Homura become the Devil after she escapes her soul gem. Believe me, I was not expecting that, but the route they ended up with seemed too condescending for me.Good story, ending sucks. 6/10 BECAUSE of the ending.

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion" is a movie sequel for popular "Madoka Magica" anime series. It is preceded by two movies which retell the events of the anime. "Rebellion" is a first proper sequel with new story.All sequels following a successful work of art are automatically suspicious of being blatant attempt on cashing in on the previous achievements. The creators may run out of ideas, get lazy or just lose interest in continuing story at original level of creativity. This is absolutely not the case with "Madoka Magica 3". I'm still surprised how good this sequel actually was.Everything what TV anime series was praised for is present in the sequel. Soundtrack is equally good and animation style is even better - while equally imaginative it's even more psychedelic, more detailed and more stunning. The storytelling is as brilliant as it was in original series. It gradually reveals the new mysteries of the (now slightly different) world and is meant to surprise the viewers and to shatter their expectations. And yes it does shatter them! At least one of major plot twists (there are many) is of the category "Absolutely didn't see that coming!". And yet it isn't some random event pulled out of thin air - immediately after re-watching one will definitely see why it made perfect sense.This particular plot twist is a reason why not everyone liked the movie, there were even accusations of "ruining the franchise". I can't delve into details why I find these accusations unfounded. If you like the original series you must watch the sequel to see for yourself.

I love "Magic Madoka", and was curious about this movie that follows up the movies, so by extension, the series (for those who don't know, the first two movies are a slightly condensed version of the 12 episode series) If you don't know anything about Madoka, you should stop reading here, unless spoilers don't bother you.The movie is slightly confusing at first, and I can't describe the plot too well without giving away spoilers. I can say this much: Homura wakes up in a world where all her friends are back and they're all happily fighting monsters together. Homura grows suspicious. About as much as I can say.Honestly, of all the ways to continue this franchise, this seems like one of the best options. It really takes Homura's character in a fascinating direction. It doesn't feel like a cash in, cause a cash in would've just had a mindless action movie with an excuse plot, and not the furthering development of Homura. There are scenes here more shocking than anything even in the series. It's not the stereotypical direction.Of course some people aren't going to like this. Some for legitimate reasons, cause the ending of the series was perfect. Though that doesn't make this movie bad by any stretch. It's a great character piece for Homura, and given the ending, I would certainly look forward to another follow up.

The first two PMMM movies are, at the time I was writing this review, the most powerful emotional experience I ever had while looking at a screen. The third one is much weaker than the masterpiece that the original duology is (which is made up of the TV series edited with a few cosmetic improvements and a few scenes cut there and here). This sequel was only made as a cash grab to capture the money of the fans of the original duology/TV series, nothing less and nothing more. Still, given it's a cash grab sequel it is actually excellent if compared to other ones, Urobuchi is a very talented writer, able to come up with very creative and unexpected plot developments that one would never get in a conventional Hollywood movie.