It's impossible to exist in modern anime fandom without bumping into a few (usually enthusiastic!) Gundam fans along the way. It is the definitive mecha franchise, having survived long hard decades by inflicting generation after generation with its deadly mixture of epic, awe-inspiring mecha warfare and intimate, compelling personal tragedy.
"Mobile Suit Gundam Movie I" is a theatrical retelling of the first 15 episodes from the original and classic Mobile Suit Gundam series, vintage 1979, and being new to this entire universe, I'm excited to finally begin watching Gundam where it's fearsome reputation was first conceived.

Set in a far off futuristic era, the ceaseless ambition found in humanity has seen us spread across the universe. No longer is mankind bound to Earth and there are now seven large space colonies that make up the "Earth Federation".
The people of Zeon, one of these space colonies, are dominated by particularly proud and confident characters and have decided to fight the Federation and claim true independence and honour. This has become a bitter war, lasting many hard-fought years and eventually reached stalemate with neither side willing to budge an inch. Amuro Ray is but one young man forced to take up arms and fight for the lives of his friends and family.

One lazy day in an extremely lazy week, a unit of aggressive Zeon soldiers (in large robotic suits) viciously attack Amuro's colony; indiscriminately destroying houses and killing innocent civilians. In a desperate last ditch attempt to fight back, Amuro jumps into a strange looking robot (which is currently waiting at his colony to be transported across space by the Federation) and simply does what comes to him naturally, fight, and fight hard.
Soon enough he finds himself in the middle of mankind's greatest war, expertly piloting the mysterious Gundam mobile suit and yet struggling to find the strength within himself to continue fighting in a war he doesn't believe in.

I've seen enough to know that movies converted from TV series are typically dire affairs, but I found this effort surprisingly solid. If truth be told, the old fashioned animation and generally simplistic character designs are enough to turn off any casual viewers but give this movie a fair chance and you will be surprised by the heavy emphasis on an interesting science fiction story and some inspired characterization.
Amuro Ray is the closest thing we have to a hero, but the story throws in a few interesting twists of fate to suggest there are no heroes in war, only victims. While his transformation from social misfit to super-star Gundam pilot was too fast for my liking, his complex personality is soon pushed to its limits when a visit home ends in tragedy, compellingly illustrating how war can force a harmless, peaceful kid into becoming a vicious, almost incomprehensible soldier.

Mobile Suit Gundam presents us with an interesting vision of the future where isolated human colonies operate under their own political regimes. Most colonies happily accept the guidance of the Federation but Zeon is under dictatorship and is dangerously militaristic; driven by ambition and individuality, it draws parallels with the now by-gone era of "the Cold War".
Listening to the Zeon army chant in unison sent shivers down my spine, it's a powerful and foreboding scene that works perfectly as a low-key, cliff-hanging climax to the film and I can't help but imagine what bravery, and what horror, lies ahead for us.

Of course, Mobile Suit Gundam is largely about battling mecha and the robotic action, while often feeling a little repetitive, contains enough tactical style to retain several tension filled moments. The tone of this movie suggests that anyone could die at any given moment and it's this persuasive feeling that adds another level of excitement.

In Summary

Appearances aside, I was quietly impressed by Mobile Suit Gundam Movie I. It's a multi-layered story about war, taking glances at the epic scale of mecha-dominated combat but also compelling personal struggle and sacrifice. Like the best science fiction, it contains snap shots from the author's contemporary world and transforms it into something frightening in it's realism but awe-inspiring in its scale.