You know, watching War in the Pocket and this film pretty shortly afterward, I think it made me realize something... I tend to prefer more grounded conflicts in mecha anime. The majority of the original Gundam Trilogy (Gundam 0079, Gundam Zeta, and Gundam ZZ), as well as Char's Counterattack had mostly battles taking place in space, with barely any battles in residential zones. However, with the opening of this film taking place on a colony, as well as War in the Pocket, I feel like it just makes things feel more urgent, more catastrophic, and gives the action more weight. The animation definitely helped with this, as it's a visual spectacle, and possibly the best looking Gundam anime I've seen to-date. The thing I felt was lacking in weightiness was the story. It explores themes of anti-war, but never really has anything to say about it one way or the other. The characters are fun but don't feel especially new or different. Still entertaining overall, but it's uneven enough where I wouldn't call it necessary viewing. Only really recommended to die-hard Gundam heads.