I won't be giving a plot synopsis this time around, to avoid spoilers in general. Plus given I just watched it I think I can do pretty well. That does mean it won't be quite as thorough as it could be, but hopefully this review does the movie justice. So, it's time to take a look at the phenomenal V-Cinema, Kamen Rider Accel.
To start, this movie and the next W RETURNS, Kamen Rider Eternal, are both directed by Koichi Sakamoto, famous for doing lots of Power Rangers executive directing, as well as directing Kamen Rider W FOREVER: A-Z - The GaiaMemory of Fate and Ultra Galaxy Legends: Mega Monster Battle, both also extremely good action movies. Sakamoto uses a lot of wires and slo-mo, and it shows, but he does it with such mastery that it's hard not to like it. This movie doesn't have quite as many flips and such, but the action still delivers on all fronts. Unfortunately, his work with PR is riddled with lots of explosions, as is America's standard, so it's harder to enjoy. Still, his work in Japan is not to be missed.
That said, let's get into the movie. I'll be breaking it down into parts to make this easier since my last movie review could have been done like this to avoid spoilers. Ah well.
Plot
Starting with this since it'll be simpler. Our hero of this movie, Terui Ryuu is Kamen Rider Accel, as well as a police captain in the city of Fuuto. He and his wife Akiko are newlyweds and are now living together. The movie starts with a night scene that introduces some of the characters of the movie, a group of pickpockets. One in particular, Aoi, sets up much of the movie to come. Afterwards, we get a look at Ryuu and Akiko's new living conditions which are pretty nice. Ryuu gets a call and goes to work on one of his biggest cases yet. Who is the Commander Dopant?
The main plot is only supported by one subplot, the case of Akiko getting angry that Ryuu is off at work so much and off with Aoi. No one knows the details of why they are running together, so naturally Akiko gets angry and even threatens to divorce Ryuu. It works pretty well for a love story and the main plot isn't too shabby either. It is fairly standard for W, though a lot of the stakes are raised so it definitely feels like a bigger plot.
Characters
There are a ton of new characters in this movie, as well as all the main characters and a couple of side ones. Many new characters are unimportant, though they each get some nice spotlight time and no one really feels left out. Commander Dopant is really cool, and you do feel for him until he does something really underhanded in the movie's climax. Still, empathy is not far.
The movie really highlights how far everyone's come since the series' end, and definitely feels like a new mission. Choosing to focus the movie on Ryuu rather than Shoutarou and Philip also really gives a lot of screentime to other characters that deserve it. Naturally, being a police movie, there are new officers from a special unit, and they're very good too. Akiko is hit-and-miss with a lot of people, but I think her reactions are all very natural and it doesn't feel like she's regressed into a nuisance at all.
Music
I can't tell if there are any new tracks, but if there are, they're used well. We get an opening akin to the show's, instead set to Leave All Behind, Accel's theme song. It's really nice and there are even some new shots in it and a logo to boot. It shows that the production team cares about the series at large and gives it a very independent feel. There are also some re-used tracks, some especially good ones. It's all very fitting, not much else to say.
Action
It's Sakamoto, what do you expect? This movie starts strong and ends even stronger. Every action scene is high-energy and some are really gritty. Accel gets a new form, Booster, which is really cool. We may never see it again, but for what it was needed for, it works really well. It's not just an aesthetic change - the movie actually uses it to its advantage and it doesn't feel tacked on at all. Jinno gets a really cool action scene and I kinda wish Makura had gotten one just to make it better. Still, it was really good. There's enough W to make everyone happy as well. I don't know if there's any way to describe the action, it's just...cool.
Overall
I am not disappointed with this movie at all. There was never a moment where I thought "Oh, this is boring" or "Man, I wish they had fought somewhere else". This movie felt like it could have been released in theaters - instead, it was direct-to-DVD. Thankfully, that lets us get it sooner. I understand why, too; they're just spinoffs and Toei has to pimp All Riders first and foremost. Still, I would gladly take more and more W spinoffs and specials if it means we get the cast and all this high-speed action with it. A lot of the choices made in the movie help it feel like an older, grittier production too. This is a cop movie more than a Rider movie, and it shows. It feels like a police drama. It's also got less comedy and is much more hardcore than a lot of action movies, so those are definitely pluses. For a W movie, it's fantastic. For an Accel movie, it is exactly what I wanted and more, and that makes it nearly perfect. I am really excited for the Eternal movie coming this July. Sakamoto has also said he wants to work on more W, and hopefully that becomes a reality. The more the better. It's movies like this that make me proud to be a tokusatsu fan.
FINAL SCORE
9.5/10
Watch it. And then again. And then a third time.
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