GKIDS | Release Date: September 17, 2019
8.8
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 3055 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
2,674
Mixed:
40
Negative:
341
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6
AkuzaFeb 18, 2020
The basis of this movie is very similar to the anime/manga called "fire force" but it's similarities end with the basis. This film is just mindless fun from the beginning to end, with not much story to back it up. the visuals are amazing asThe basis of this movie is very similar to the anime/manga called "fire force" but it's similarities end with the basis. This film is just mindless fun from the beginning to end, with not much story to back it up. the visuals are amazing as you'd expect from trigger, the characters don't really work with the short time they have to develop into fully fledged characters, majority of the time they are fighting with no real time to slow down the movie apart from maybe 1 moment the rest is just building to another fight then another and so on. There isn't anything wrong with doing this, as i say trigger have done a really good job in turning this into a mindlessly fun movie. However when you walk out of the movie only remembering 1 character from the movie, vaguely might i add, it really shows it's a flash in the pan type of movie you probably won't watch again after watching it once. Expand
6 of 6 users found this helpful60
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0
noob328Oct 25, 2021
The basis of this movie is very similar to the anime/manga called "fire force" but it's similarities end with the basis. This film is just mindless fun from the beginning to end, with not much story to back it up
4 of 5 users found this helpful41
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0
Ascended333Oct 25, 2021
9.8 rating… are you kidding me, is this site honestly saying that some anime movie is better than the godfather
4 of 5 users found this helpful41
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3
ShiningLionNov 12, 2021
This film is a trash fire that despite how bad it is, it is hard to hate. The visuals are interesting, though never really reach spectacular or beautiful levels, just enough eye-popping color and action to maintain something like interest forThis film is a trash fire that despite how bad it is, it is hard to hate. The visuals are interesting, though never really reach spectacular or beautiful levels, just enough eye-popping color and action to maintain something like interest for a couple of hours.

Is it a spoiler if by dropping the name of another movie I feel I could give away the entire plot of the film? Or does that just qualify as pathetic lack of creativity and near plagiarism on the part of the creators? As far as the story itself goes, it's basically a tone-deaf version of Karas with an almost identical plot, similar style of "there are no rules to their powers so don't even try to figure it out" action sequences, but missing the more intimate character-building moments and moral uncertainty that cemented Karas as an anime classic.

There are major problems with this film. If in an action movie the sound of someone getting out their weapon makes the same boom and rattles the screen the same way a building toppling over does, or the same as an entire planet cracking apart at the seams does (that never happens in anime, right?), then there is truly no up-and-down of excitement. It's like a horror movie that never accomplishes to be scary or build tension because every few minutes there's an unnecessary fake out jump scare, making the later deadly jump scares seem less scary. It desensitizes the viewer to what's going on and makes the later moments that are supposed to be the climax of the film just feel like a different color of earlier scenes.

This movie is the exact type of movie/show that people who say they hate anime have seen and is why they hate anime. No kidding, it's mindless. Another major issue this film takes from the worst of the anime industry is having endless powers and metaphysical concepts that have no set limitations or rules that must be followed, meaning they can do anything, anything can happen. There's no tension and no point caring because God could literally come down at any moment and turn everyone into fish, and there's a self-aware scene in this film involving a self-titled "Deus ex Machina" that almost seems to poke fun at the audience for that fact. Poorly paced humor in inappropriate moments soils the film. The movie is about 80% expository dialogue, where despite the lack of actual limitations to the film's concepts, characters rattle on about them for entire scenes, and the film's main character even falls asleep listening to such conversations, as a joke. I can't see how it's funny when in actuality I felt just as bored listening. Is this a deconstruction of its genre or just a self-aware film that knows you'll pay to see some half-assed eye candy even if it's plotless and ridiculous? Take away this film's color palette and it would be mediocre in every sense of the word. The colorist deserves half this film's profits. The musicians deserve the other half.

The music is great, the characters are fun and spirited enough that it's hard to hate them, even though they are all extremely cliche and have zero depth. There are moments the visuals feel innovative, but they are very brief. There are as many moments where the film is visually ugly and looks like Minecraft.

I honestly cannot recommend this film to anyone aside from maybe the 8-12 year old age range, unless you just want some mindless flashy images to be shown for a couple hours. But there are films that do that and actually have a compelling story, message, and characters, so if you ask me, life's too short for garbage like Promare. I couldn't wait for it to end, but if it had been 20 minutes shorter I might have been able to forgive some of its major flaws and enjoy it as popcorn fodder. 90 minutes is about the cap for my tolerance for that, though. That said, nothing short of a total rewrite could save this from being a throwaway film and another nail in the coffin for expanding anime to a wider audience. I would be happy if Japan never made another film like this, but I'm sure they'll continue to churn one out every weekend.


If you want an anime that handles the same social themes with a thousand times more brains, depth, and nuance, check out Terror in Resonance or Darker than Black (minus it's horrible sequel series that destroys everything), or probably any other anime, seriously. If you want similar action done better, even Advent Children and Karas, which arguably set the tone for this style and created many of the camera innovations of it, hold up better after all these years.
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3 of 4 users found this helpful31
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6
clem666Nov 13, 2020
The universal acclaim about this movie is to be understood by the atmosphere it creates. Everywhere your look goes you see bright colors and movements and animations you simply can't understand. Because 'Promare' definitively is aggressive,The universal acclaim about this movie is to be understood by the atmosphere it creates. Everywhere your look goes you see bright colors and movements and animations you simply can't understand. Because 'Promare' definitively is aggressive, moving and clocked. Characters are attractive, intelligently connected an funny. You can find differents sub-stories that evolve in parallel with the main plot and those add some content to the characters it concerns without dragging us out of the movie. Far from being perfect, visual effects do bring a lot in 'Promare' and there is something charming when you watch it.
However, story is way too conventional and there is no turn of events unless those who are fundamental to japan-animation movies. I enjoyed to discover the universe in which Promare people live but I was less intrigued by the resolution that you can predict from miles and miles away. Animation is colorful yes but jerky and often really hard to follow. Shapes and colors don't stop hitting your retina so fast you wish you could simply zoom out this mess. The particularity of the animation is that it swings between amazing and cartoon-esque. Some vehicules are gorgeous to watch while faces in overall seem to have been drawn by a 8-year-old kid. The main criticism I have to address to 'Promare' is that I felt we don't show us enough of the past stories: there are a lot of flashbacks and complex connections between characters that are not correctly explained by the movie itself. I suppose I don't have to underline the fact the central protagonist is a stereotype of himslelf: an intelligent, sociable and strong boy/man with a dumb motto and unlikely hairstyle.
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3 of 4 users found this helpful31
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0
cornpubFeb 18, 2022
tfw random anime movie gets better user review than the godfather part i and ii
3 of 4 users found this helpful31
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10
pokleyJun 28, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. That scene where Lio and Galo kissed is genuinely the greatest moment in Anime history. Love that green-haired twink~

Soundtrack is pretty cool too.
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12 of 20 users found this helpful128
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0
Labelle75Aug 3, 2020
I don’t like the film ! Is so boring !! Omg since the beginning .. i don’t recommend
4 of 8 users found this helpful44
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10
LiofotiaSep 24, 2019
Absolutely phenomenal movie, truly a must watch! The jaw-dropping animation, other worldly action sequences, captivating story, lovable characters, and remarkable soundtrack all come together to make this movie one of Studio Trigger’s bestAbsolutely phenomenal movie, truly a must watch! The jaw-dropping animation, other worldly action sequences, captivating story, lovable characters, and remarkable soundtrack all come together to make this movie one of Studio Trigger’s best works. It was an absolute joy to experience this movie in theaters and I could not recommend it enough. Expand
2 of 5 users found this helpful23
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10
Dungeon00XSep 20, 2019
Promare is the most ambitious animated film of the year. It may not win any awards, but it was so much fun to watch.
2 of 6 users found this helpful24
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8
JamejarrsApr 28, 2020
If you've seen any other of Imaishi's work, you know exactly what you're in for. It revels in his past work, with scenes and characters practically ripped from them at points.

It's not here to be thought provoking or profound, it's here to
If you've seen any other of Imaishi's work, you know exactly what you're in for. It revels in his past work, with scenes and characters practically ripped from them at points.

It's not here to be thought provoking or profound, it's here to be fun. I'd say it succeeds.
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1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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5
RedPanda_94Jul 20, 2020
I really cant believe this thing has recieved so many praise by everyone, being by far the most mediocre product Trigger has released since Franxx, yes, the technical aspect of the movie is outstanding, and it shows how much can the studioI really cant believe this thing has recieved so many praise by everyone, being by far the most mediocre product Trigger has released since Franxx, yes, the technical aspect of the movie is outstanding, and it shows how much can the studio accomplish with proper resources and time, but the writing... god is the writing bad in this movie. There is absolutely zero character development, Galo is especially guilty of this, his arc is a goddam circle, well, more like a Q, but it ends up right at the beginning having learned nothing in the entire movie. The twist, what twist? you mean the one you can see throught right at the beggining? The secondary characters are just fill in, they have 1 personality trait and barely anything more, they act like cardboard cutouts to fill an scene while something is happening, you legit can't remember any of their names after the first watch cause they're that bland and uninteresting. The ending is complete doodoo, no spoiler but there is no moral of the story in here, a story about the pretty obvious "racial" struggle between two parties could have left such a powerful message to todays society with all that has been happening in the past years but noooope, no message at all.
Aight let's adress the elephant in the room, i watched this movie 'cause a friend sold me that there are actually gay characters in here, let me tell you now, there aren't. I was really interested on seeing an actual big studio telling a story with openly homosexual characters knowing how slow Japan is moving in regards to LGBT rights... well this is pretty much just some Fujoshi bait **** the "gay" moment in the movie is introduced as barely more than "space magic rcp", enough to sell a ****ton of merch and have an army of girls losing their **** about the two characters, but clearly not openly gay 'cause they don't want to alienate no one on their home country since is that box office and critics the one that determinates if they get more work.
TL:DR on a technical aspect the movie is really good, but the very predictable story, forgettable secondary characters and a null development of the main ones leaves this as barely more than a mediocre movie to kill some time
PD: The OST by Hiroyuki Sawano is godlike as usual
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1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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0
mailpollFeb 17, 2022
This film is a trash fire that despite how bad it is, it is hard to hate. The visuals are interesting, though never really reach spectacular or beautiful levels, just enough eye-popping color and action to maintain something like interest forThis film is a trash fire that despite how bad it is, it is hard to hate. The visuals are interesting, though never really reach spectacular or beautiful levels, just enough eye-popping color and action to maintain something like interest for a couple of hours Expand
3 of 10 users found this helpful37
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8
MBobatMay 29, 2020
This Film is a delightful, colorful mess. Filled with heart and fire It's a delightful visual and auditory spectacle.
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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10
SaltyhaltJul 19, 2020
Great movie. The story was quite entertaining and the music had me wanting to start singing along. 10/10
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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8
NearAug 25, 2020
I’m giving an 8 because I’m bias, this movie is probably a 7. It’s the child you get when Kill la Kill and Gurrenn Lagann **** You got Sawano’s music as well. It goes beyond having the same writer and staff, the movie goes out of his way toI’m giving an 8 because I’m bias, this movie is probably a 7. It’s the child you get when Kill la Kill and Gurrenn Lagann **** You got Sawano’s music as well. It goes beyond having the same writer and staff, the movie goes out of his way to remind to everyone who’s the mind behind it, and I got to say... As a big fan of Gurren Lagann, I cannot complain.

Animation-wise is really peculiar. I loved it but I honestly found it a bit too much chaotic, especially because of CGI-scenes made in what it looks like 15 frames per seconds. It’s effective, but I wish sometimes they kept a more fluid flow because it makes it honestly hard to watch. I know it’s a stylistic choice, it’s just one I don’t necessarily agree on.

Story-wise it uses classic trope of the genre, mixed with ideas coming straight from the show I mentioned before. There’s the typical rival arc, the twist that’s really not a twist, etc. I’m not really mad about it because the movie clearly doesn’t pretend to surprise the audience, the story is just a mean to deliver an exciting and entertaining show, and it delivers.

The pacing, however, is kinda all over the place. Some scenes drags for too long. These two are the only real issues with this movie. I never got bored, but at the same time I wouldn’t watch it again. On top of that, the ending has no epilogue, and the protagonist really doesn’t have any character arc.
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0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
umaumaiMay 7, 2020
If you are a fan of anime or just curious I would highly recommend watching Promare. This is contemporary anime at it’s peak. While it’s very heavy handed in it’s message, very heavy handed, it delivers an absolutely wild story set againstIf you are a fan of anime or just curious I would highly recommend watching Promare. This is contemporary anime at it’s peak. While it’s very heavy handed in it’s message, very heavy handed, it delivers an absolutely wild story set against some great visuals with some amazing action sequences - and it all comes together as one of the most fun and exhilarating anime films I’ve seen in a long while. With an art direction that is highly stylized it’s something suitable and fun for most ages, however because it is so stylized it can be hard to make out everything that’s happening during the fast action sequences. I would say that the ratings across the board from critics to users alike are pretty spot on here. For me, the only reason I gave it an 8 and not a 9 is that, though it is a wild and crazy not so straight forward story, it follows what I can only call “fan service” logic and dialogue to solve and move all the plot devices for every situation. Still, I think that’s what makes it so great and I’m not sure what I could have asked for instead. Expand
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8
Davrosdaleks1Sep 18, 2019
Promare takes place in a world where giant robot piloting firefighters go up against the Burnish, a group of people who control flames. The Burnish are also persecuted in this world and soon things become more complicated.

In my opinion,
Promare takes place in a world where giant robot piloting firefighters go up against the Burnish, a group of people who control flames. The Burnish are also persecuted in this world and soon things become more complicated.

In my opinion, Gurren Lagan and Kill la Kill are two of the best anime of recent years. So when I heard that the studio and main director and studio Studio Trigger were making a movie, I made sure to see this.

This has a very unique look to the scenery. A simplistic lineless cel-shaded look involving neon colors and geometric shapes. The minimalist look can be pretty impressive at times, like a scene of the mountains at sunset. The costumes, giant robots, and actions scenes are all stylishly designed.

However, I did find the quick shots and frame rate to be a bit jarring. The character designs are from the same guy who did Gurren Lagan and I felt a couple of characters' looks felt recycled.

Promare has an over-the-top tone to it and isn't afraid to poke a little fun at itself. Still, the stakes and world building in this are enough that they are able to anchor the movie.

This does suffer from trying to squeeze a little too much into two hours. There are way too many characters. A couple of the firefighters don't really do much. At times, the film feels like it's going too quickly just jamming stuff down your throat. At other times, new plot developments feel like things are being stretched out.

The villains are rather one-dimensional and over-the-top.

The music is pretty good and helps set the mood.

Overall, I didn't like this as much Gurren Lagan and Kill La Kill. This movie just tried to do too much. This may've worked better as a TV show that gave eveything time to breathe. Promare though distinctive in style doesn't tread that much new ground from past anime that feature giant robots or characters with mutant abilities. Surprisingly, this isn't even the first firefighter hero-themed anime. That all said, I still had a good time. This is sugar food, lightweight fun.
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0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
XV_May 8, 2021
Judging by the mere name, Promare doesn’t say to you anything at all. Its first 15 or 20 minutes might make you think this is just only a hyper-stylized and action-oriented anime movie, but just by looking a little further, Promare has a lotJudging by the mere name, Promare doesn’t say to you anything at all. Its first 15 or 20 minutes might make you think this is just only a hyper-stylized and action-oriented anime movie, but just by looking a little further, Promare has a lot of things to say.

Co-produced by Studio Trigger and XFLAG, Promare tells us the story of an alternate reality in which a mysterious cataclysm known as the Great World Blaze killed a large amount of the world’s population, the only thing for certain is that this was caused by spontaneous human combustions and after this event, humans with pyrokinetic powers (known as the Burnish) started to emerge.

After a brief prologue of the Great World Blaze and setting the premise, Promare fast forwards to the future some decades later and throws ourselves right into the action where a group labeled as terrorists called Mad Burnish are creating mayhem in the city of Promepolis (our main place), and here we are introduced to our main protagonist Galo, a member of Burning Rescue team created to counter the attack from Burnish rogues.

If you’re familiar with Trigger you know how they roll in terms of stylization and action sequences, in this movie they certainly went all out by giving tons of fluid action to the plot, not only the action is incredibly kinetic but the composition of the scenes are outstanding too, almost every scene could be a wallpaper and that isn’t an exaggeration. The use of dramatic reactions and movements also gave great physical comedy, and in Trigger fashion, they use immense titles with bold fonts to present characters and other things to accentuate key moments.

Characters in this movie are pretty likable and relatable, even the main protagonist who if it was made by other people would probably be annoying, it’s pretty well scripted, some other characters can feel a little one-dimensional but giving them just a few moments they show more depth.

The movie has a heavy emphasis on action, at times it can be hard to grasp the situation and know exactly what’s going on, this is a thing that persists during the entire film and can be a little tiring once the movie hit its third act, but if you’re into the right mindset you can easily enjoy this ride without any problem at all. The second half of the movie is more tamed in terms of action and it is more focused on developing characters, which is good as it lets you breathe between the fights.

Promare has a lot to say in regards to its characters and discourse, it makes you think about current social problems like racism and classism among other things, even with the hyper-stylized animation these themes are well presented and arguably have a similar focus in regards to the story. Promare it’s a movie that may be hard to grasp for many but it definitely will be loved by many more.
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10
titan2287Jul 16, 2023
Pure hi-octane fire! This film definitely lived up to my expectations, especially from the same creator that made Gurren Lagann and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
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9
Agentep99Jan 27, 2022
The animation, art style and story are fantastic, I also really liked the world building, easy 9
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9
Cool_guy1234Mar 14, 2023
I like this movie, the animation, the action sequences, the story and Mike Pollock (eggman) voiced one of the characters so I (for some reason) watched the dub just for him.

9/10
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