Voltes V: Legacy–The Cinematic Experience as prelude to the highly anticipated live action and CGI-heavy TV series Voltes V: Legacy, proves to be such a thrill to Voltes V fans as it has been envisioned to be by GMA-7.
Now showing in SM Cinemas, prelude gives a preview of the first three weeks of the upcoming big-budgeted series.
Read: Director Mark Reyes on mixed reactions to Voltes V: Legacy: “There are more positive than negative.”
According to Kapuso president and CEO Felipe Gozon, Voltes V: Legacy is "very difficult, very expensive" to produce.
Will it meet the expectations of the fans? Will it live up to the hype?
THE VOLTES V STORY
Voltes V: Legacy follows the story of five young people who have been trained to be pilot fighters.
It is composed of the Armstrong brothers—Steve, Big Bert, and Little John—together with Mark Gordon and Jamie Robinson.
Steve (Miguel Tanfelix) is the leader of the group, a marksman, and an ace pilot. Big Bert (Matt Lozano) is a defense tactician, while Little John (Raphael Landicho) is a genius inventor of automatons.
Mark (Radson Flores) is an orphan and a rodeo champion, while Jamie Robinson (Ysabel Ortega) is a descendant of a ninja clan and is a highly trained fighter.
These five youngsters operate the five special aerial fighter vehicles that form the giant robot Voltes V, which is earth’s last line of defense against an alien invasion led by Prince Zardos (Martin del Rosario) from the planet Boazan.
Ironically, Voltes V was created with the help of a Boazanian. He is Baron Hrothgar (Dennis Trillo), whose human identity is Ned Armstrong who married Mary Ann Collins (Carla Abellana), a scientist.
Ned and Mary Ann are the parents of Steve, Big Bert, and Little John.
The couple, along with other exceptional scientists and leaders on earth, put together Voltes V as part of the preparations for the invasion of Boazanians.
superb CGI, solid action and dramatic SCENES
The first few minutes of Voltes V: Legacy–The Cinematic Experience highlights how Ned/Hrothgar ends up on earth, falls in love, starts a family with Mary Ann, and builds Voltes V.
The three-week-long part of the series is compressed in one hour and 45 minutes, so there isn't really character development.
The action begins (literally and figuratively) the moment the five main characters don their pilot suits.
Their V formation and mechanical transformation in close-up as the Voltes V shout the familiar lines as they fight adversaries are all powerfully evocative scenes for this writer, who grew up watching the famous Japanese series.
Fans will surely feel nostalgic hearing “finger missiles,” “chain knuckles,” “ultra electro-magnetic whip,” and “laser sword” during the giant robot’s fight scenes.
Voltes V: Legacy is a visual feast.
It is easy to get lost in its superb visual effects, albeit there are a few hard-to-miss details that demonstrates the limitations of CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery). One example is the cartoonish appearance of the Voltes V members while alighting from the launch conveyors.
The musical score pans out smoothly. You might catch yourself singing along or tapping your fingers to the familiar tunes.
The captivating CGI and the musical score are not the only highlights of Voltes V: Legacy – A Cinematic Experience, the cast, too.
Standouts among the actors is Miguel, who perfectly transforms into a brooding Steve, with the way he effectively portrayed the role and delivered his lines, he has truly grown so much as an actor.
Carla Abellana showcases her convincing prowess as an actress in her role as a doting mother and delivers in the heavy scene.
Miguel Tanfelix plays the role of Steve Armstrong, the leader of Voltes V team
Carla Abellana delivers with her acting as Mary Ann Collins Armstrong
Epy Quizon, who plays the Boazanian scientist Zuhl, also does a good job.
There are also funny punchlines that lighten up the fight scenes.
Also worthy of mention is the climax of the cinema cut, which is a major highlight.
This is the final battle of Voltes V and a beast fighter, while a dramatic scene is occurring at the same time. It culminates in a bittersweet ending that is very moving.
Voltes V: Legacy—A Cinematic Experience makes for an excellent and impressive build-up for the upcoming Kapuso TV series airing on May 8, 2023.
Voltes V is originally produced by TOEI Co. Ltd., and was launched in 1977.
It first hit the small screen in the Philippines in 1978.
From then on, the anime series has had a number of reruns, has been dubbed in English and in Tagalog, and has created a huge following among the Filipino viewers.