Intro
After spending a couple years slowly and kind slogging through the Fate route to get the through the story of the Fate/stay night (2004) visual novel without missing a lot, I became so invested that even if I only considered that route to be a 7.5, I had bought the game on Switch, and while I'm more interested in playing other things and haven't continued to the other routes in the visual novel, I've gone forward with the /anime/19603/fatestay-night-unlimited-blade-works TV anime (I gave it a 9) and now am starting the Heaven's Feel film trilogy. I'm working on a larger review of both seasons of Unlimited Blade Works, but I was so moved by this first film, that I wrote up an essay and am now publishing it lol.
I don't recommend reading this review if you have not at least experienced the Unlimited Blade Works story, even if there are only minor spoilers.

A Singular Problem
I will start with my only issue with the film. There was no need for Illya threaten Saber with rape on top of taking her head. It was completely uncalled for not because it was out of place entirely for such comments with this darker storyline, but because Illya despite her age appears to be a young age due to her nature. Having her say such things really is in bad taste and makes the series seem more pedophiliac than it really is.

A Masterful Work of Film
I did not expect the film to start with explaining how Shirou and Sakura’s relationship came to be how it is now. Every route of the visual novel starts the same way, so starting with such things was frankly a really nice change of pace, and also worked really well for developing Sakura’s character and Shirou’s character specific to this storyline. As the film started to reach retreading ground, I really enjoyed how it played around with the fact audiences were supposed to already know what was unfolding in front of them. From the credits sequence representing Shirou’s comatose and dazed state when killed by Lancer, to the editing, framing, and focus of the visuals being different from how it was in the visual novel and previous adaptations. That latter element was particularly amazing to me. Even more so than the previous adaptation, the writing and even editing leans into the fact the audience knows more than the main characters do. Where I think many of these sorts of things could be explained away as references to Zero, what was here were very clearly callbacks to the events of what are fundamentally different ways the events could have played out.

On that note, the cinematography and editing was absolutely phenomenal. I think this was already the case with Unlimited Blade Works, but by focusing on characters that are not even in the conversation, and expressing elements that were not present in the original visual novel at this early point in the story, these seemingly unconventional choices in visual presentation really draw attention to themselves. It is obvious this film would not be very enjoyable to someone that is not familiar with the previous routes. Let alone since this is objectively a bit of retread, but I truly believe that the film shines at reinventing the existing material, animated and not, in a unique and remarkably cinematic manner. One particularly good change in the beginning that I wouldn’t say is anywhere near as cinematic or unconventional, is the greater focus put on Shinji as well.

Strength in Character-Driven Narrative
It is no secret how much I enjoyed the stories of the previous routes, especially Unlimited Blade Works, but not only do I think this route did a great job of building everything from before (which I’ll get to), but this is the sort of story I enjoy more and I personally can root for Shirou’s motivations here more than in the previous routes.

This route is shaping up to be the story of the Matou family, from the hardworking and tormented younger sister Sakura, to the jealous and insecure elder brother Shinji, and to the detestably perverse grandpa Zouken, but thus far information on Zouken has not been made available. Bits of pieces of Shinji have been previously shown in the other routes, as he was a decently important mage in the War, but little of Sakura was shown. She simply felt like the epitome of the housewife fantasy. However, now that that she is given this backstory and concrete evidence for the troubles she faces, in particular at the literal hands of her bastard of a brother, this is long the case. With more time spent on how Sakura constantly helped Shirou when he was injured the previous year, the motivations behind their actions, and the elements of their changing relationship from then to now, it makes their relationship a lot more understandable, charming, and worth rooting for. Naturally, this makes the rage Shirou feels against Shinji, and the the shifting of the narrative towards all this to be not only believable, it makes me seeth with rage as if I already didn’t hate his guts before. The story masterfully made a character that once felt like a male fantasy due to the way she acted, as a someone you actually want to protect so she can continue being that way for herself and her dear upperclassman.

What is to Come
There were many massive changes in this route from the previous ones. From Kotomine and Saber explaining their relationships to Kiritsugu, presenting conflicting takes on Shirou’s hero and the nature of his natural enemy (as a side note, I absolutely loved how this was not revealed until Saber talked to him about it, and it cut back and forth between Kotomine’s account and Saber’s), to Kotomine inviting Shirou to lunch and revealing he is a Master in the War. Not to mention the entire involvement of Zouken, introducing a True Assassin, and swiftly dealing with Caster and Souichirou, who were such thorns in the protagonists’ sides previously. Or even, Saber needing to confront the evil within her own heart. This is shaping up to be the best character drama, the best romance, and a better Saber story than the Fate route.