Review by Chris

February 18, 2003

In UC 0083, the Pegasus class carrier Albion takes off from the Federation's Torrington base in Australia. Anaheim Electronics systems engineer Nina Purpleton thinks about their mission and remembers the horrific previous night. On that night, Zeon ace pilot Anavel Gato stole the prototype Gundam GP02A "Physalis" from the Albion's hangar. Nina thinks about a new generation of soldiers like Kou Uraki and Chuck Keith who never experienced war before. She recalls the previous day when they came aboard the ship to examine the Gundam GP01 "Zephyranthes" and the GP02A. Nina also remembers an encounter in the cafeteria where Kou asked her if the GP02A was capable of firing a nuclear warhead. She then remembers chasing them away later that night before Gato stole the GP02A. After he broke out of the Albion's hangar, Zeon forces began attacking the Torrington base with missiles and Dom Tropen mobile suits. Kou took the GP01 into combat in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the GP02A. As a rookie test pilot, Kou was no match for Gato and couldn't stop the GP02A's escape. Afterwards, Kou, Keith and senior pilot South Burning chased Gato across the Outback to retrieve the GP02A. They destroyed a Komusai II that Gato was attempting to board, and Nina informed Kou that one of the GP02A's weak spots was the cooling system on its shield. Though Kou struck that weak spot, Gato escaped on the Jukon class submarine U-801 and warned Kou that he would kill anyone who attempted to stop the revival of the Principality of Zeon. The Albion passes over the Sydney crater and then heads into space. Burning complains to Captain Eiphar Synapse that only the cruisers Nashville and Yulin have been sent to help them. Gato arrives at the Garden of Thorns, and Admiral Aiguille Delaz introduces him to Cima Garahau. She offers to destroy the pursuing Federation ships, and Gato tells Delaz that he doesn't trust Cima. At the cafeteria, Kou tries to show Nina his calculations on the GP01, and she tells him that it would probably be better for Bernard Monsha to pilot the GP01. She tells Kou that he's reckless, and he runs off as a battle alert is sounded.

Cima's Zanzibar class cruiser Lili Marleen sends out its Gelgoog Marine squad and fires at the Albion. Delaz sends out a transmission across space and says that the peace treaty ending the One Year War was signed by traitors of Zeon. He accuses the Federation of building up its military might to suppress people in space. Cima doesn't like the way her mobile suit forces are performing, so she decides to launch in her commander's type Gelgoog Marine. Kou makes it seem like he's going to launch in Burning's GM Custom, but he instead decides to take out the GP01. Nina tries to give him a disk with algorithms to improve performance, but he ignores her and launches. Cima lands on the bridge of one of the Federation's ships and destroys it with her rifle. Kou launches from the Albion and has trouble moving since the GP01 hasn't been upgraded to the Full Vernian space combat mode. He takes several shots and misses before being able to destroy a Gelgoog Marine. Cima attacks him and causes heavy damage to the GP01. Burning breaks out of his cast and launches in his GM Custom to save Kou. Delaz shows off the GP02A as proof that the Federation has violated the Antarctic Treaty, so he declares war on the Federation. Later, the Albion lands on the lunar city of Von Braun to ship off the GP01 to Anaheim for repairs. Director O'Sullivan isn't happy about what happened, and Nina asks him to let her fix the GP01. O'Sullivan later meets with Cima, and she demands that he give her better mobile suits for face a colony drop on the Moon. Monsha embarrasses Kou in a bar, and Kou runs off and gets beaten up by some punks. He wakes up in a junkyard and meets one-armed mechanic Kelly Layzner, who is restoring the One Year War mobile armor Val Varo. Keith, Mora, and Burning look for Kou, and Nina is informed that she has been pulled off the GP01 project. Kelly's lover Latteura Chapra is mad at Kou because Kelly had almost given up on the Val Varo. She tells him that Kelly used to be a Zeon pilot and wants to go back. Kou and Kelly get into a fight, and afterwards he finds Nina. He tells her he'll return to the ship soon because he has some unfinished business to attend to.

Kou goes back to the junkyard to help Kelly finish the repairs on the Val Varo. Kelly asks if it's out of pity, and Kou says that he doesn't know what he would do if he stopped being a pilot. After testing the upgraded GP01Fb in space, the Albion leaves the Moon and heads for the Solomon see. Elsewhere, the Delaz Fleet heads for Konpeitoh, where the Federation is holding a naval review. Kou, Keith and Burning patrol space, and Keith panics when he sees two space colonies moving. Burning explains that the colonies are being moved to Side 3 as part of the Colony Reclamation Project. On a Musai class ship, Gato asks his subordinate Karius if he's doing the right thing. Gato decides that he must fight for all those who sacrificed themselves at Solomon, and he launches in the GP02A, followed by Karius' Rick Dom II. At Konpeitoh, General Green Wyatt gives a boring lecture on naval reviews from the ship Birmingham. He thinks that the naval review is the best way to show the Spacenoids the power of the Federation. Kou is attacked by a Dra-C, but he destroys it with his beam saber. Gato and Karius evade attacking automatic defense satellites as they head for Konpeitoh. Kou attacks a Zaku and is joined by fellow pilots Alpha Bate and Chap Adel. One of the defense satellites spots the GP02A and transmits an image to the Albion. Bate and Adel tell Kou to hurry over to Konpeitoh and stop Gato. Kou leaves the battlefield and is joined by Keith as they rush to Konpeitoh. Gato flies by the Federation fleet and stops over Konpeitoh. He arms the nuclear warhead onto his bazooka and fires at the fleet.

The blast from the GP02A's nuclear warhead immobilizes two thirds of the Federation fleet. At the same time, Cima's ships attack the Colony Corporation vessel that is transporting the two colonies. Gato escapes from Konpeitoh and finds that his left arm has been disabled. He detects something approaching and is attacked by the GP01Fb. Kou tells Gato that he hasn't forgotten about him because they live in disgrace over the GP02A's theft. Gato says that he can understand that and fires his vulcans at Kou. He hides behind space junk and tosses out his beam saber to distract Kou. He attacks from behind and destroys Kou's beam rifle. As they fight, Kou notices Gato's weakness. Gato sticks his beam saber through Kou's shield, and Kou slices off the GP02A's left arm. Kou blocks another attack with his foot, and he uses his chest verniers to damage the GP02A. Both suits begin to overheat, and Kou sees that he can't use the Core Fighter to escape. Gato tells Kou he'll never forget his name and escapes as both Gundams escape. Synapse calls Kou and Nina to his office and tells them that they're going to the Anaheim ship La Vie En Rose to pick up the GP03 'Dendrobium' Stamen mobile suit and Orchis mobile armor. Cima's mobile suit forces attach explosives to one mirror on each colony, and her ships fire at the explosives to destroy the two mirrors. First officer Paserov tells Synapse about the colonyjack. Nina theorizes that the mirrors were blown off so that they eventually collide and bounce off each other so that one hits the Moon. Gato meets with Yuri Hasler from the Axis fleet and is given the mobile armor Neue Ziel. The Federation fleets launches from Konpeitoh to pursue the colony, and O'Sullivan is forced to use the Moon's laser system to power the colony's mirrors and ignite the engines. The Federation fleet runs out of fuel, and the colony heads for Earth. Federation officer Nakahha Nakato tries to stop Kou from stealing the GP03, but Synapse, Paserov and the pilots stop him. Kou enters the battlefield in the massive GP03, and Cima sends out her mobile suits to attack him.

Kou fights off the enemy mobile suits, but they retreat so that Gato can attack Kou. Gato is amazed that the GP03 has an I-field, and Kou fires missiles at Gato as he escapes. Kou is ordered to return to the Albion for re-supply, but he is still engaged with Gato. On the Gwaden, Cima's men storm the bridge and kill Delaz's officers. Near the Moon, the Federation fleet refuels to continue pursuit of the colony. General John Kowen asks General Gene Corini to deploy the Earth orbital fleet, but Jamitov Hymem points a gun at him as he is taken away. Gato tells his men that they can't count on Cima's forces and have to fight for themselves. Synapse tells Nina that she can leave the ship, but she says she wants to stay on until the end. Near Earth, Federation ships and Balls oversee the deployment of the Solar System II. Kou heads back into battle and fights with Gato again. Kou uses his large beam saber to destroy a Musai. Gato manages to use an all-range attack to destroy Kou's I-field. The colony then passes the Point of No Return, from which its course can no longer be changed to avoid hitting Earth. The Delaz fleet announces a cease fire with the Federation, and Gato returns to the Gwaden. Delaz tells Gato to continue with Operation Stardust, and Cima kills him. Gato slams one of his arms into the ship's bridge, but Cima escapes. Cima launches in the Gerbera Tetra, and Kou destroys the Lili Marlene. Nearby, Bask Om supervises as the Solar System II prepares to fire. Gato flies over to the mirrors to stop them from firing and hitting the colony. Energy is collected from the sun, and Gato destroys the Solar System II's control ship. The mirrors fire, but without the control ship they do little damage to the colony. Bask's ship maneuvers quickly to avoid the colony as it smashes through the mirrors of the Solar System II.

As the colony heads for Earth, Nina steals a Full Vernian Core Fighter II and heads for the colony. Kou continues to fight with Cima, and she damages the GP03. As she comes around for another attack, Kou maneuvers and causes her to impale her Gerbera Tetra on his beam cannon. He then fires the beam cannon and disintegrates her. Inside the colony, Gato performs the final course corrections to change the colony's trajectory. He sees Nina and says he'd hoped she'd forgotten about the time they were lovers on the Moon. She asks him to stop, but he says he has to complete Operation Stardust. She grabs his gun, but Kou comes in and shoots him. Nina rushes over to Gato's side, and Kou asks her what she is doing. She says that she prayed it wouldn't come to this and that the two of them wouldn't fight each other. Kou reminds her that Gato stole the GP02A and the colony, and Nina says it isn't about that. She shoots at Kou and escapes with Gato. Gato hands Nina over to Karius, and he waits outside the colony for a final showdown with Kou. As they fight, Gato damages the GP03 and prevents Kou from undocking the Stamen. Bask has the Solar System II fire again, despite the fact that there are many Federation units in front of it. The blast hits Gato and Kou, and when Kou wakes up Gato is gone. He undocks the Stamen and starts shooting wildly at Bask's ship. Nina watches from Hasler's ship as the colony hits North America. After the colony drop, Gato makes a pointless final attack with the Neue Ziel and smashes into a Salamis. As the Axis fleet leaves, Nina launches in a Hohsenka shuttle and flies by Kou. Following Operation Stardust, the Federation creates the Titans task force to seek out Zeon rebels. The Titans are placed under the command of Jamitov and Bask, and most of the Albion's crew become Titans officers. Kou is court-martialed and sentenced to a year in prison for stealing the GP03. Later, all records on the Gundam Development Project are secretly deleted, and Kou's sentence is rescinded.

I have to say, this is probably the worst compilation movie I've ever seen. The editing of the story elements here is simply horrible and subpar compared to other compilation movies. It even starts off wrong with Nina narrating the events of episodes 1-2 at blinding speed. Some of these events occur with barely any transition. Also, she mentions that even she's heard of Gato. Of course she has...they were lovers. But her saying that makes it sound like she doesn't, and the narration is supposed to be her private thoughts! Also, some of the editing choices make no sense. With the One Year War flashbacks mostly cut out, we really don't know anything about Gato's motivations or anything about Operation Stardust. While they wisely cut out Kou's pointless duel with Monsha, the battle where Gato escapes in the H.L.V. was a good one that should have been left in. Even more baffling is that they left in all the stuff with Kelly and the Val Varo, but Kou never fights him. What's the point of that? Also, Burning's death is skipped over, so he kind of just disappears before the battle at Konpeitoh and is never seen again. While most of the end is intact, they don't show Kou's reunion with Nina on Earth. Instead we get an extra shot of the Stamen and Nina's shuttle. There were a few seconds of new footage at the beginning, but they add nothing to this poorly composed film.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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