Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic (2017) Poster

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9/10
The most elegant of character developments of sorts
thedevilfound24 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The film begins on a professional note as Ciel and Sebastian prepare to combat a rather eerie situation where doctors conjoined in efforts with beings called "Shinigami's" are planning to bring the dead to life- at the cost of infecting the world with soulless creatures or walking dead. Only later we come to realise that this was a project with a rather bigger picture in mind- creating animal weapons of war and establishing a new reign of terror.

One of the most stunning aspects of the entire film is the character development. One of the first characters to be developed was that of Lizzie (Elizabeth), fiancé to Ciel. Only gradually do we come to know of her true self- a sword genius, and in literally no time she transforms into a sword dancing enchantress from a little, soft, pitiful cry-baby.

The next instance was when Sebastian stops Elizabeth from getting into a combat with Grell Sutcliff. A move to prove he wanted to be his only contender ? *shrugs* though he waved off his reason as one in which he didn't want to further trouble the young lady, I have my doubts.

The third and the most prominent was undoubtedly that of Sebastian himself. Was he always the meek and admirable ideal butler to Ciel that he is now? No, he wasn't. In fact, up to this point it was hard for me to digest the fact that he was. No matter how hard he craved Ciel's soul at the end of their contract, it was impossible for me to imagine that he would have risked his life in more than several situations as he did, to save Ciel. Another example of a hungry demon we know from beforehand is Claude Faustus. Was he likewise debonair to Alois? Yes, at first. But his craving got the better of him and he devoured his master before the end of their contract. Why didn't Sebastian do the same ? Contract or not, a demon is a demon.

The answer is very plain from this particular character development. He wasn't always as posh, as kind or perfect, at first. He was in fact bent on thinking that he was hooked to a rather insolent brat. However with time, their bond grew to be something more than that of a master and demons servant. They began to teach each other skills that they would need to sustain themselves in the future. And in it they exchanged more than just master servant association.

P.S. I loved the part where Sebastian punished Ciel for a wrong translation by a slight spank on his hands :P

With time Sebastian grew to understand that he needed not just to devour the soul of Ciel but he felt the need to grow with it and help to sustain it and help it to acquire its desired revenge. And that no doubt gave a rather personal touch to their contract. And its clear as day Sebastian is more than just a "butler" to Ciel. Remember the episode where there was a camera that showed people's favourite (but dead)person in the picture of themselves. Sebastian sneakily clicks a picture of Ciel and guess who's in the picture with Ciel ? Not his parents, but Sebastian.

It is also cute how Ciel cares for Sebastian when he is hurt and asks him to take rest when they get back.

All in all, kudos to the production, kudos to the entire team and I love you all beyond any reasonable imagination :) <3
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8/10
Titanic
jaysshukla20 September 2021
Yes, you read that right. The entire movie has a Titanic reference. Once again, a decent storyline and good characterization. Get ready to be surprised by few characters and to know the details that were missing in the first season. Even the Sebastian's cinematography was contradicting from what we saw in the season 1. Strangely, Undertaker reminded me of Orochimaru in this movie. However, few things felt repetitive. If I oversimplify it, it is since the first season that we are being told things like 'humans are trash' and after all this time we are still there.

Do I recommend this movie? Yes, my lord.
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10/10
Don't get what other people are talking about, this is the best entry in the Black Butler franchise so far.
CriticalOfEverything22 June 2018
Black Butler has always been my favourite anime for a number of reasons. The characters, the story, the Gothic feel, the weird and dark humour, the music and the animation. Whilst the series has had it's inconsistency in quality for a few years now (with season 1 being fantastic and season 2 being OK), by 2014 when Book of Circus came out, the series started to get much better with Book of Murder following shortly after, both of which were absolutely amazing. Book of the Atlantic, in my opinion, isn't just on par with some of the best Black Butler material, it's the best entry in the anime by far.

Ciel and Sebastian board a luxury cruise liner to investigate illegal experimentation of the dead being brought back to life. The idea of zombies being on the Titanic, leading to the iceberg crash, may sound dumb, but for Black Butler, a series known for exploring things that happened during the late 1800's like Jack the Ripper, this is definitely not the most absurd thing it could've done. It's executed nearly flawlessly, however, and if something dumb is executed with brilliance then that's really all you need to enjoy something. There's also a superb plot twist near the end and the reason behind that characters motivation (not naming them for obvious spoilers) is explored in such great detail. It's great to see a work of fiction give such an in depth reason as to why a certain character does something that may seem out of place.

The characters as usual for the series are just as great as ever. Ciel and Sebastian are still likable and great characters who both get some great character development, and I'm not even gonna tell you how much Elizabeth is improved in this movie. Grell Sutcliff and Ronald Knox aren't developed or anything, Grell is the same as he's always been and Ronald is a new character, but they both get their moments and are clearly a threat. Grell actually gets some screentime where he is actually fighting properly which got me off guard as I thought they were just gonna use him for comic relief like they usually do. Snake from Book of Circus is back as well but doesn't get a whole lot of screentime, still, he's fun to watch.

The animation is still absolutely fantastic, but the 3D animation looks a little out of place at times. It's not horrendously awful like some people here are saying it is, but it's not exactly as amazing as the 2D animation, the movie could've done fine without it.

The music is still great and Sid have come back to do a song for the credits which is among one of my favourites in the whole franchise so far. The rest of the music is still pretty good, but the credits song is the most memorable.

Finally there's the English dub, the version I watched. The Japanese voice acting is decent and all, but Black Butler's English dub is, in my opinion, fantastic. The British accents fit the setting of the show and J Michael Tatum and Brina Palencia do a great job at voicing Sebastian and Ciel as always, with both of them now used to how their character speaks and acts that they can now pretty much voice them the way you would usually hear them in your head without any difficulty. They've been voicing these characters for such a long time and it's great to see that they've finally nailed these two roles. Every other voice actor does a great job as usual too.

The action is better than it's ever been for the franchise and after not kicking as much ass as he used to for the entirety of Book of Circus and Book of Murder, Sebastian is back to being an absolute badass in combat. And, once again, I'm not even gonna talk about what happens to Elizabeth.

Overall, this movie is amazing. So much has been improved from the action, music, characters and the superb balancing of humour and serious storytelling. They really outdid themselves with this movie, and I can't wait to see what happens next if the anime does indeed continue.
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10/10
great movie!
amiemistymoto-4771823 June 2017
i really loved this movie it was awesome. the audience was just as great as the movie. both the dubbing and original Japanese versions were both great.I'm more for the dubbing though as it allowed me to see more of the action instead of having to read it and hope i caught it all. the effects in this movie were awesome and the best part was they got all of this arc to fit nicely in the movie they didn't leave much of it out.
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6/10
While not the best Black Butler movie, its very watchable.
peterfmodel12 August 2019
The Black Butler TV-Series, the mystery movies and the real life movie are all excellent. This movie from the series is watchable, but certainly not great. The feeling of the TV-series is not present, except in small parts and there is no Sherlock Holmes type mystery to solve, as was covered in the mystery movies. As a result it can be classed as a basic, if enjoyable watch. I would watch the TV-Series first and if you liked it, move on to this movie.
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10/10
Wow. Absolutely jaw dropping
jessicamorrison-4623917 September 2017
This has to be my favorite Kuroshitsuji film that has came out so far. Totally worth the wait. The animation was spectacular, although some say the 3D and the 2D elements don't work, I think they work fine. A lot of work has obviously been put into this movie and oh my god you can see it. The fight scenes, the development with the characters design, the overall story as a remake of the Titanic. Sum it up, zombies on the Titanic. Who wouldn't want that? Also, slight damn service for Sebastciel shippers. Just saying.

I recommend this movie for any Kuroshitsuji watcher, or anime fan in general, a complete and utter masterpiece, that I enjoyed watching from the start right up until the end. Well done.
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10/10
Amazing
joneskendall-242304 September 2020
I like this movie more than the other black movie even though the other was pretty good. I liked that the reepers were in this one :)
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4/10
Underwhelming!
Ansango6 May 2018
I was really intrigued after watching the trailer of this movie but alas! I have to say, the trailer was better than the movie itself. The movie was only entertaining in bits and pieces. I kept thinking that something better would come but i was disheartened by the film. So, let's talk about the movie:

PROS.

1. Captivating animation - The quality of animation in the movie was splendid and the attention to detail was noteworthy. The film is stunning to look at and is a visual treat.

2.Eccentric characters - The film is home of some of the the most bizzare and outlandish characters. The best part is that each characters are given a unique behavioral quirk which defines them and adds to their zaniness, and are entertaining as hell.

3. Voice acting is pretty good.

4 Direction - Although the film has a thin plot, it is elevated by its direction. Direction is really good here as it makes the film watchable even when there are so many negative factors going against the film. Also even though it has a poorly written plot, it manages to hold you attention.

CONS.

1. Poor script - While the central idea is very interesting, the film is marred by its almost non-existent plot. The screenplay is poorly written and lacks the sophistication of manga series. I have to say the whole film falls flat only because of its poor writing.

2. Chaotic narration - Film's narrative structure is weak. It feels like as if the scenes are patched together in one bundle without making much sense. The editing is poor. The twist in the end fails to make an impact. And these are the things which drags the quality of the film down.

3. Music - Music is here only to fill gaps and is below average. It does nothing to elevate the mood, it's just there to play silently in the background without serving any purpose.

4.Anti-climatic ending - The ending feels too anti-climatic and rushed. Several things are left unanswered.

All in all, Book of the Atlantic is a moderate affair which is a mish-mash of Titanic(1997), Resident Evil and Hellblazer. It's strictly for manga's fan. If you are an anime lover then go for it, albeit with a lower expectation. Overall, a strictly moderate affair...
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1/10
A titanic inspired story about a boy and his butler.
gyzzelj15 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The animation was horrible when it used 3D effects. The two animation styles did not blend well and looked choppy at times. The story was dragged out using pointless flashbacks. The undertaker's reason's for bringing the dead back to life was too complicated. It would have been better if they were simple zombies, "editing" their lives reel so that it was infinite had no connection to blowing their heads off as their weakness. The English voice acting was atrocious, I could not help but laugh at their attempts to act. Overall just a waste of time watching this movie, that is filled with clichés.
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1/10
im confused
miawebb-9109211 January 2022
I dont get how im supposed to watch these, it only gives me photos and trailers.. someone help. Im unable to watch any of these series. Someone tell me if im supposed to pay or something or this certain show is blocked rn..................................
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