I am maybe being too harsh on this movie with its rating: if I watched it divorced of context, I would surely raise it higher. But, viewed in light of the series, it feels so devoid of so many of the sources of its greatness: interplay between the cast (Jet and Faye are all but absent), a coherent and timeless soundtrack, well-tuned pacing.

There are unquestionably good bits here: the animation and direction are wonderful and unambiguously improved, the Moroccan aesthetic is lovely, and the story of Vincent & Elektra feel very much "in the vein" of the melancholy themes of the show. But elevating this story into a film feels unfair: it would have been better as a two-parter.

★★