I will start this review by stating I will avoid major plot spoilers and discuss the events vaguely as to not spoil anything but will discuss character developments Firstly this movie was one of my favourites in the fate series and I am very glad I had the opportunity to see it in theatres. I am a fan of darker and sad stories and this certainly fits right into that genre. While I believe many will be discussing the more heavy focus on sexuality in this film I would like to focus on other elements and only touch on the sexual elements to say that it was done well and did not take away from the core plot or feeling of the film. The scenes were enjoyable and honestly rather touching when you view them as more than simple fan service and instead as a way to express the true desires of the characters and the meaning that it holds for each of the protagonists. Sakura has a sad past so it is not surprising that she would so dearly and with much desire seek out someone who cherishes her and seeks to protect her. On another note one downside of this arc of Fate is that it heavily requires knowledge of the other routes to make sense of the film. This is not necessarily a fault but it is still true nevertheless. Most likely this is due to time restraints. Story/Plot: 8 As mentioned previously I like stories that make you feel for the characters and this movie does that very well. The story of Sakura Matou is a dark one and the way in which they portray her her experiences and the effect that it has upon her is honestly amazing and one of the strongest points of the film. Her dream scene for example showing an absolute contrast of pure innocence and evil was very well done and while furthering the plot it also further personified Sakura in my eyes. The pacing of the events does not feel so fast as to be unnatural but it is also not necessarily slow either. I have not played the VN however I am aware that much inner dialogue and downtime was cut to streamline the film. While some may view this as an inherent deficit I do not view it the same. Perhaps if I had played the VN I would not be of the same opinion but as the film is right now I feel as if the core elements that needed to be there were there. However that is not to say that this movie is not a little confusing even for someone who has seen all of the other fate adaptations. While part 2 answers some of the questions we had in part 1 it still leaves much unanswered and unclear to the viewer. The goals of certain characters and the way in which the grail functions in this war is still rather unclear. However as this is only part 2 I cannot fault the movie on this as we still have part 3 that may provide clarification to many of these unanswered questions we have. One slight complaint I do have with the story is the situations Shirou keeps getting himself into that always involve Rin Archer having to come to his aid. I do not wish to be more specific than that to avoid spoilers but it was a little bit annoying knowing that probably no matter the situation he would charge into it will be resolved the same way. This is only a minor issue and I could not find any major issues with the plot. The true time for indepth plot analysis will be when part 3 is released so that we may indefinitely conclude on what is lacking and how it could have been done better in the earlier films as well. Characters: 9 Unlike much of the Fate Series this route does not focus on servant servant or servantmaster relationships as much as it does the main masters of the series. We learn little of the servants desires and honestly hardly hear from them at all. While some might characterize the Fate Series for simply the servants in it I believe this approach to further flesh out the masters is a great one that was done very well. Naturally the most fleshed out character Sakura was done extremely well. As previously mentioned her dream scene not only furthered the plot but showed her inner idealized innocence in contrast to the greater outer evil. This was an extremely memorable and impactful scene for me. Her greatest development is likely her own perception of herself that changes over the course of the film with the help of Shirou. From a tainted object to be used and abused she starts seeing herself as someone who can be loved. Truly a touching development but not one without a catch such is the intense desire to be loved and belong that follows Shirou our other main protagonist alongside Sakura can be seen as two broken parts trying to fit together to be one again. It is sad. It is tragic. But it was done well. The internal conflict within our characters at many points in the film showed their true desires in active conflict with their idealized versions of themselves. Shirou the hero of justice and Sakura the innocent girl. The conflict of these desires and their ideals and wishes to protect one another gave a depth to the characters that I had not expected when compared to the other Fate adaptations which seemed to follow a righteous path in comparison to Heavens feel which does not mind dirtying its hands to produce a great story. Both approaches are fair however the dark reality brought upon by the cast and story of Heavens feel is a great change and delivers a great story with protagonists you can truly feel for. Illya Everyones favorite loli. In this film she is mostly seen as comic relief but has her moments as well later into the film as well. I would have liked to see her given a little more time to flesh out her place in this film but if that would mean less time for the two protagonists then I cannot complain. She is still given some serious parts in addition to her silly and adorable segments too. Tohsaka is given a bit of time as well as I mentioned in the plot section but does not play as significant a role as our other two protagonists. But dont be sad Tohsaka fans. She is still given quite a bit of screentime. Art: 8 Let me begin with why this score is not higher. I truly would have loved to give this a 9 for the absolutely amazing scenes between Shirou and Sakura that truly enhanced the film overall. The atmosphere characters and feelings were all conveyed very well through the art and various absolutely stunning scenes. But unfortunately I cannot. While those scenes among many others make this a very strong 8 certain elements of the fight scenes make it hard to justify a 9 or higher. Please do not interpret me as saying the fights were bad as they absolutely were not. However during some fights it would simply turn into a show of solid colors flashing across the screen and focused far too much on wide scale destruction as opposed to the fight itself. I had this same complaint with Fate / Apocrypha but it seems to be here to a lesser extent in comparison. Perhaps this is simply my opinion but I prefer to see an epic fight than being impressed with a plethora of flashing colors and destruction. I also believe the general choreography of fights was stronger in other Fate Adaptations. But with that being said this Arc does not seem to focus as much on fights as it does the characters so this is not a major fault. Overall the art was still VERY GOOD and with scenes being simply superb. I am very impressed and pleased with the art. Music: 7 While the music of this film was good it was not as good as other routes that I may have given an 8 to. All the scenes went well with the music and I never found fault with any music. However it did not feel as if it impacted me as much as it had in previous films and not enough to justify a higher rating. The music is by no means bad I am giving it a 7 after all but it is not a key feature that stands out in this movie. Especially in comparison to the other elements I have discussed. Overall Whether youre a fan of Tohsaka Shirou or Sakura Heavens Feel is a great addition to the Fate series. Would I recommend this movie? Absolutely yes. If you are a fan of the Fate Series / Nasuverse you will absolutely enjoy this. You will enjoy it even more if you can accept a more heavy/dark plot than the other routes have taken. This is a story that I have been waiting for and am glad it is being told as well as it is. I along with probably many of you eagerly await Part 3