I like what I’ve seen of the “Mobile Suit Gundam” shows and movies but “Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway” is a gigantic disappointment. A lot of the other “Gundam” content I’ve enjoyed has perfectly combined giant robot action with a complex world of political alliances and feuds. However, this new film was a total bore and completely failed to engage me.

The “Gundam” plots frequently get very complicated with all sorts of different factions fighting amongst one another on Earth and on colonies in outer space. Normally, I find that they do it in a way that is captivating even if you don’t fully understand what is going on. Unfortunately, I had virtually no idea what was happening in “Hathaway”. The monotonous plot should have been broken up by more giant robot fights.

Some of the other “Gundam” shows and films have had characters that you can at least get behind. I just didn’t care about anybody in this film. Some may feel the animation style looks slick but I thought it looked rather soulless. There was a charm to the older “Gundam” shows and films even if the animation style was more simplistic. Something about the animation here just left me feeling a sense of emptiness.

It’s hard to make giant robots fighting boring but sadly, it is possible. “Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway” is apparently intended to be the start of a new anime film trilogy. I do sincerely hope that any future instalments in this trilogy make some drastic changes. There is a tremendous amount of “Gundam” content out there with the countless shows, movies, games and books. With so much stuff, it’s not surprising that it isn’t all great. It’s a real shame though that “Hathaway” is this bad. Maybe those folks out there that enjoy the “Gundam” franchise even more than I do, will find something of value in here.