What's this about a Macross Plus movie? That was my first impression when I saw the video box on the shelf. What more could there be to the story beyond what was done in the four-part OAV series? Was this a sequel? A prequel? Alternate universe? Well, I had to find out!

First of all, there's really nothing new as compared to the Macross Plus OAV series in terms of plot. The universe is the same, the time frame is the same, and the characters are the same. Some sequences of events are left out or changed in some minor manner (as you might expect when taking 130 minutes of OAV, adding some new footage and some minor plot changes, and then compressing it down to 110 minutes.) Yes, there is a lot of footage not seen in the OAV series, but I for one could have done without this movie. The plot is very disjointed, due to the editing. Every aspect of this movie feels rushed, and forced -- there's no real flow. A lot of the suspense that was built up from episode to episode in the OAV series is gone, and as a result, I started to get bored in the middle of the movie. Perhaps the one good thing about the movie is that it spends a lot more time on the character of Guld Boa Bowman, especially in his final dog fight with the Ghost X-9 unmanned fighter. We get to see a lot more of what he put his ship and himself through to finally destroy the unmanned fighter, but even this scene is not presented well -- there's too much, and it's overdone. If you're a die-hard Macross fan, you'll love the additional combat footage. But if you're not, stick with the OAV's. There's better plot development and story, and you won't feel like you're being pushed in line. - AN