The Great Pretender anime was…pretty good. When I watched the original anime on Netflix in 2020, I thought it was a fun, stand-out show with a likable cast of characters, a distinct style, and a gorgeous soundtrack. A Robin Hoodish heist series will always be fun with tight writing and engaging dialogue, but it also ran the risk of being too grandiose for its own good. I think the series suffered a little bit during its final arc, hitting a point where things got so ludicrous to the point of snapping the tethers that suspended my disbelief. I say this because your enjoyment of this movie will largely depend on how you felt towards that final arc of the series, as it suffers many of the same weaknesses that were prevalent there.

This plot of Razbliuto is absurd. I'll give a show or movie one chance to wink at the camera about how convenient or neatly planned out everything is, but when it happens roughly three to four times throughout an hour and a half, I'm going to walk out of the theater feeling very irritated. The number of contrivances and coincidental encounters throughout this film is mind-boggling to the point where it genuinely destroys any tension the film has before we even hit the halfway point. Part of many heist movies is the big reveal at the end, how everything ties together, or how a big twist explains how our heroes get out of a sticky situation. However, even if you consider that trope, when you look back and realize how much margin for error was present, it comes off as less impressive and more ridiculous. Razbliuto suffers the same problem that the final arc of the series had, where the overall plan gets convoluted, and so many varying factors are involved that it becomes frustrating.

Does this make Razbliuto a bad movie? The answer is yes when you consider the genre. The abundance of references and easter eggs to other action and heist movies makes the plotting a more glaring issue. However, just because something is bad doesn't mean it can't be entertaining. Every moment I scratched my head or palmed my face, I laughed at the dialogue and character interactions. It's nice to know that regardless of how the heists themselves go, the character writing remains a shining mark on the franchise, which is doubly impressive when you consider that most of this film has an entirely new cast.

We have Dorothy from the original series, but we also have newcomers like Jay and Yang, whose brotherly relationship made up the movie's heart. Their animosity towards each other, yet profound understanding of how messed up the other one is, leads to a unique dynamic. There is a line in the movie about how things sometimes change when you have known somebody for a long time. I appreciate the symbolism between their relationship and walking around with a literal amnesiac who can't remember her connections to other people.

The dialogue is punchy, the character actions are mostly believable, and I like where everybody ends up at the end. I just don't like how we get there. With a much better plot structure, we could've had a great movie that would've stood perfectly alongside some of the best arcs of the original series. Maybe that could've made things better if the film was structured and presented more like an actual film and less like a handful of episodes strung together. That's the other thing that bothered me; it didn't feel like I was watching a movie. Even little title cards are brought up every twenty minutes as if to signify that the episode is broken into multiple acts. Still, they feel like intro cards to another episode that auto-play after the last one finished.

This also relates to the film's visuals, which don't look that much more impressive than some of the better-looking episodes of the series. It helps that Great Pretender was a gorgeous-looking show with a distinct style. The characters are beautifully expressive, with various little touches scattered about that help them stay prevalent, from painted nails to specific piercings. Dorothy is probably one of the most distinct and gorgeously drawn Black women I've seen in anime. The backgrounds are also stunning and colorful, with an array of different tones that help keep the senses stimulated.

I wish I got to hear more of the soundtrack. Great Pretender always had a very varied soundtrack that pulled from various sources and inspirations to reflect many of the different cultures and nationalities showcased in the series. While Razbliuto isn't exactly a massive globe trotter, that musical variety still fits the scenes rather well. Insert songs were also a great listen; we just barely get a chance to hear them because of how sporadically they're spread throughout the film and how short they play.

In case you couldn't tell by my deflated tone throughout this review, I wanted to like this "movie" more. It has some great character interactions, is funny, and has potential for what could come next if another installment is on the way. However, I feel like this film also showcases some of the larger issues the series suffered from; they're just more glaringly apparent because the film has these issues while also trying to present itself as something it's not. If you loved Great Pretender when it finished, then I think there might be just enough here for you to find enjoyment, but if you were someone who was already checking out by the time the series wrapped up (or maybe you don't even really remember much of the series), then I don't think you're missing a whole lot by skipping out on this one.