1923, Munich Germany, Edward Elric is driving Alphons Heiderich to a fair, telling him of day gone by. After Ed gracefully drove the car in to a tree, a caravan of gypsy pick them up and took them to the fair. Alphons builds rockets and fires them at fairs. While Alfons was doing one of his performances, Ed was taking a nap in the truck when one of the gypsy, named Noa, came running from some men. Ed naturally helped her by shooting one of the extra rockets at the men. The men wanted Noa for her special talent to see in to peoples “heats”. The men where part of the Thule Society, who where trying to get to get to Shamballa. After capturing the “great snake”, which is Envy’s from on Earth, the Thule Society sends a group of soldiers to what they think is Shamballa, using Envy as a catalyst. On the other side of the portal the soldiers found Alphonse Elric (Ed’s Brother), and Alex Louis Armstrong in Amestris, instead of Shamballa. When Ed finds the Alchemy Circle that is used as the portal, he naturally redraws it and accidentally activated it. When the portal opened again the soldiers came back, but they where all dead. One of the suits of armor was still moving, and talking, it was Al. When Al and Armstrong where fighting the soldiers (who where already dead) Al attached part of his soul to one of the pieces of armor. After seeing Al again Ed is determined to go home, but at what cost?

Highlights

A few years prior Ed got Al’s  body back but was sent to Earth. After living on Earth for a while Al met Alfons. Alfons is obviously ment to be an older more hansom form of Al. Ed believed that Alphons’ rockets could take him home. Back at home Al is mastering Alchemy, but he remembers nothing of his and Ed’s adventures. Al says that the last thing he remembers is him and Ed trying to bring their mother back to life. Al isn’t the only one with a Earthly twin, King Bradley has one to. Although King Bradley and this man may look alike but they are very different. The one on Earth in a movie producer, who tries to capture a dragon for his movies. Winry Rockbell (Ed’s love interest) may not have a doppelganger  on Earth that we know of, but she is replaced. Neo and her charm easily replace Winry, lucky for Ed there is a hole dimension between him and Winry.

Overall

 This is the end of the FMA series yet it is basically a self contained story. Conqueror of Shamballa does a tricky balancing act of incorporating the old story. The first time I saw this movie I didn’t know a lot about FMA but I basically followed the movie without being to confused but knowing something about FMA defiantly enhances the experience. Speaking of enhancing, seeing FMA on Blu-ray is incredible. The overall quality of the movie is better than ever, especially sense this is an action movie it has more of the “WOW” quality. A movie is a great way to end a series with a bang and with rockets, dragons, Nazis, mass invasions and explosions, it couldn’t have been done any better. Any movie with Roy Mustang and his fire alchemy in it will end with a bang anyways. If you watch this movie in Blue-ray, all of your FMA dreams will come true.  

ComicsOnline Gives Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie Conqueror of Shamballa,  5 out of 5 Alex Louis Armstrong’s sparkling mussels.