Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (2009)

But believe me, this one is actually (how to put it) good. Maybe even excellent. As a fan of the Professor Layton games, I can say that this installation in the franchise did not disappoint. The story remained pretty consistent, and the puzzles were integrated into the story-line perfectly without seeming like an unnecessary gimmick. While not necessarily breathtaking in all aspects, the animation was still, in fact, well done, particularly during the end scenes – namely the machine and fighting sequences. Those really stood out particularly well. Overall, I think the music may be the boldest highlight of the film. Very melodic and beautiful. Definitely feels like a Layton story.Some of the original voice actors for the North American release of the games are not present here, mainly because this is a direct port of the UK version. Despite having played the US version of the series, the voices here did not strike me as odd in any way. It all depends on preference, really.Now for those who haven't seen or played the games, the film does quite a terrific job of explaining the gist of the series to the audience. Some references here and there might be missed, but the story itself is very well standalone. Newcomers shouldn't have too much trouble understanding.

This is an average adaptation. Just think of it as being a video game story and you will be fine. The voice actors are all decent for what they are being asked to do...bearing in mind that this review is only for the English version of this video which is the only version I have seen obviously. The characters are also obviously pretty one dimensional, not very deep, so it's hard to judge the talent of the voices here. They are all okay. The level of the writing is pretty weak as I said already, with it being the level of a video game, and the jokes are just stupid for the most part. This is a movie that is just for young kids.

I've heard many things about the great man behind the puzzle-solving game series, Professor Layton. I just never bothered to play the games, until recently (last December). After finishing the first game of the trilogy, I was hooked. The series was addictive! I played all of the games and I enjoyed them all. All three games are full of twists and turns, and even though, it got a bit predictable, (SPOILER FOR GAMES: the people involved, were either robots or brainwashed or etc.) it was certainly entertaining.The graphics were a very large part of why I liked the series, too. After watching the Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright game trailer, I thought to myself, "Wow, this is impressive. This game trailer looks like a real movie trailer! They should make a movie!" Imagine my surprise when I learned that they already did.The movie was pretty decent. It starts out with Professor Layton receiving a letter from a singer, Janice. She invites him and his apprentice, Luke, to watch her play about Ambrosia. Little did Professor Layton know that the play was just a prelude to a game where the audience had to solve puzzles to receive the elixir of life! The game reminded me of a few other mystery-involving shows like Detective Conan and Detective School Q. You had to solve each puzzle to advance and move forward. If not.. Well, too bad.Overall, this movie was pretty decent. I loved the music, too. I was also touched by the ending. The credits were great, as always. What I love about the Professor Layton series are that the endings that always feature even the smallest characters in the show.Fans of the series should watch this movie. It's a great adaption of the games. But even if you don't know a thing about Professor Layton, you may still enjoy it, if you give it a chance. You're bound to have a chuckle or two.

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva Pretty decent movie, with a good and interesting plot throughout. Although it does try to stay true to the game, there isn't much actual puzzle solving (No random puzzles!). Rather the movie is somewhat similar to the Detective Conan series, but has more possible deduction solutions for its audience to perceive than the latter.Animation is done by the same people who made the cut scenes in the Professor Layton series, and voice actors for the J version of the game returns to voice their respective characters for the movie.Music is just perfect! A lot of recognisable tunes ;D - The revamped theme song is just sooo goood! It is definitely geared towards the fans of the series, don't hessitate to watch it if you are not firmiliar to the game as it does fill in the introductions to the characters and the like.Overall a good movie 8/10