Ace Attorney is a live-action film based upon the game series of the same name. It stars Phoenix Wright, a rookie lawyer, as he struggles to prove his client's innocence. The plot adapts two of the cases from the first game, establishing the mentor relationship with Mia, then partnering with her sister Maya, and then being pitted against Miles Edgeworth. Some of the casting works really well, looking very close to their game counterparts, while others not so much. The hairstyles would have always been difficult to translate into reality so looking so heavily gelled is the best that they could do. Unfortunately, the plot is too overbloated with the pacing grinding to a halt at times over the 2+ hours that the film goes for. In a bid to mimic the iconic scenes and exaggerated actions of the games, the over-the-top direction does not work well. Oftentimes, it feels that the logic is forced and Phoenix being more stupid than he really is. It's only when represented by real-life actors that you notice how outlandish some of the concepts are. Overall, Ace Attorney at least still retains the intriguing murder mystery aspect but could have been streamlined a bit more.
