Psycho-Pass: Providence

Once again, I'm reviewing a theatrical spin-off of another anime I never followed. This is Psycho-Pass: Providence, which is actually a prequel to the anime's third season, which aired in 2019. This will fill in whatever plot details the season opened with. Let me fill in some more with the general setting:

This is basically Minority Report: The Anime. In this crummy future, Japan is monitored by the AI Sibyl System, which rates a person's likelihood of committing crimes on the "Psycho-Pass" scale. Anyone with a "Crime Coefficient" reading of 100 is likely to meet an Agent of the Public Safety Bureau, who will likely rehabilitate, incarcerate, or - in extreme cases - kill them. The latter is usually accomplished with their special Dominator guns. A few agents still advocate for the traditional justice system, including the series protagonist, Inspector Akane Tsunemori. 

This time, Akane and her usual Agents are called to investigate the murder of Professor Milicia Stronskaya. She was researching a worldwide expansion of the Sibyl System. But her papers have gone missing, and our heroes have to find them before her killers, a militia called the Peacebreakers, get them first. The Japanese Government is more than willing to negotiate with the Peacebreakers and their fundamentalist leader, Tsugumasa Tonami. But Akane and her partner, Shinya Kogami, are more than willing to see the investigation to the end.

The film opens with text explaining the setting. It goes by a bit too quickly, but it's there. The film's discussions of futuristic law and order are quite interesting. It's especially interesting during the film's shocking swerve finale, during which the Sibyl System is spectacularly circumvented. In the meantime, we're introduced a bit too quickly to Akane's many co-workers. But I found the two mentors, Dr. Shindo and Professor Saiga, the most likable for their affability. You'll feel it when they both take their lives. Akane herself is quite likable; her relationship with Shinya gives the serious story some needed levity.

Now for the new characters. Kai, a double agent infiltrating the Peacebreakers, is the one who personally killed Prof. Stronskaya. We soon learn he had a good reason for it. It's just so compelling to see him more than a cold soldier. You can almost believe Tonami preaching of peace despite his followers' violence. He's so affable that he can circumvent the heroes' Dominators. That's a problem when he possesses his followers with their "Divider" chips. It's quite creepy when he does so. What makes him so memorable is his villainous breakdown. He throws off the cloak of affability and fully turns ax-crazy to battle Akane. That makes it grander when Akane finally takes him down. 

The film looks and sounds great thanks to Production I.G. The futuristic production design includes some massive high rises, but its most appealing scene is a holographic Lunar New Year parade. Shinya fighting Kai in a holographic prairie is unintentionally surreal. But the final shootout with the Peacebreakers is spectacular once our heroes get to use their Dominators. The Peacebreakers opening raid on Stronskaya's ship is made all the more tense with Yugo Kanno's score. The film's overall sound design is as appealing as its visuals.

Psycho-Pass: Providence makes for a good future crime thriller. It's a bit dense a starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the franchise. But it has a few legitimately surprising plot twists along the way. Certain events have made the film's themes of giving AI too much power more relevant. It's available in both subbed and dubbed formats, though my theater only has it subbed. Whichever language you see it in is fine. But see it soon if you want to before it makes its theatrical exit. As for me, I'll prepare for my next reviews.