Mass Effect: Paragon Lost

The year is 2185.  While whispers of a threat from the deepest reaches of space spread, a more immediate threat descends upon the galaxy: The Collectors.  As Human colonies across the Terminus Systems find themselves besieged by these insect like creatures, the colony of Fehl Prime braces for the inevitable.  Stationed there for the colonies defense is Lieutenant James Vega, the head of the Alliance’s elite Delta Squad.  Their nightmare is only just beginning as they face a threat unlike any the galaxy has ever faced.  In the end, Vega will have to make an impossible choice that could impact the future of the species.  Little does Vega know, this is only a small skirmish in the greater fight to come against the true masters of the Collectors: The Reapers.

Funny that in a month of Video Game Anime Movies, I’ve decided to start things off with 2 of my favorite Video Game sagas (the first being last weeks Halo Legends).  Taking place during the events of Mass Effect 2, Paragon Lost follows Mass Effect 3’s James Vega in what’s basically an very extended version of a conversation he shares with Shephard during that game.  It might not be the best looking coat of paint a Mass Effect Anime deserves but at its core, this is a solid addition to the franchise and builds on one of the surprise breakout stars of the third chapter of the saga.

As I said, this rather tragic origin story for Vega does come up in Mass Effect 3 and that short exchange is pretty effective on its own.  So it is a little surprising to see the first Mass Effect Anime focus on his character.  Turns out, there’s plenty of mileage to get out of the good Lieutenant.  It helps that Freddie Prinze Jr returns to the role after playing Vega in Mass Effect 3.  He’s a good fit for the guy, able to be the charming human with a kind soul and the serious and effective military leader he grows to be throughout the film.  This isn’t a walk in the park mission for the guy.  Vega goes through a lot and that little bit of emotion he showed talking about those events in ME3 was only the tip of the iceberg.  And Prinze delivers in spades, proving that Vega was a worthwhile addition to an already amazing cast of characters across three games, especially since he joined the party so late in the series.

Paragon Lost shows off a lot of what makes Mass Effect such a cool series.  The weapons, biotic abilities, various species and other kinds of tech are all faithfully recreated from the source material.  Vega’s squad is even made up of the various classes you can play as in game: Soldier Camille; Infiltrator Milque; Engineer Mickey; and Adept Essex.  So you get to see all of the powers and tech abilities in action and it’s pretty cool to look at them when theyre not weighed down by Video Game limitations.  There’s even a chance for some of the many amazing In Universe species to shine like the beautiful Asari archeologist (and Vega’s love interest) Treeya, Krogan bad ass Brood (everyone loves a Krogan) and the chilling Collectors who are the main foes in Mass Effect 2.  Basically, even if you’re unfamiliar with the Mass Effect universe, this is a nice little taste of the grand universe that awaits and all the cool and terrifying things waiting in it.

While the story, characters and attention to how the universe works is handled with care, Paragon Lost could have been better.  For one, this is a movie geared towards Mass Effect fans.  While I think new fans can watch it and get incentivized to go play the original trilogy, theyre going to be very lost.  It doesn’t help that there are segments of dialogue playing catch up or expanded accounts of characters,  groups and events from the first two Mass Effect games.  It kind of takes away from what is already a decent tie in that only needed Vega and a couple of mentions of the Collector threat to work.  Theres also the animation.  Production I.G. is always a good bet for amazing looking Anime but…I just wasn’t feeling the quality of this one.  It doesn’t feel like the OVA quality animation Mass Effect deserves from this medium and instead feels like a rushed direct to video cash grab on the hype of Mass Effect 3 (which came out well before this movie). 

Mass Effect: Paragon Lost might not be required viewing for Mass Effect fans but it’s still a welcome addition to the franchise.  The animation might not stand out and you have to be well up to speed on your terms and “current events” of the timeline, but if youre going in fresh there’s still plenty to enjoy.  Vega is compelling, the world presented is a good look at the Mass Effect universe, and there’s an intense and powerful tale of survival and sacrifice that is the kind of stuff good scifi action can do.  All in all, it might not be the greatest, but my Commander Shephard would approve of this little feature.

7/10