Having never seen any anime before Utena, except for the nauseating dubbed versions of Sailor Moon and Pokemon, I became immediately hooked. The series is a must-see, and the film is excellent, but it will confuse the heck out of anyone who hasn't seen the series. This series and movie are definitely for adults, simply because of the complex themes and symbolism. Even if you don't understand what's going on however, you can appreciate the eye candy in the film. The artistry is spectacular, and the film is a deep examination of the themes in the series. Definitely one of my favourites! Highly recommended viewing, but don't skip the series!

I'm a big fan of the series and watched the movie when I had seen most of the episodes. Basically, they tried to put in most of the meaning and ideas of the series into the movie. But they changed some major points - so much that a person who has never seen the series will see a very different move than a die hard fan. Unfortunately, there are many "shout outs" to episodes which are randomly scattered in the movie and make no sense.

The movie's style is similar to the series, but it does many things just for their aesthetic value. That and the randomness of certain things makes it a very strange movie to watch. It feels more akin to a work of art than a movie (think Titanic of the Matrix). Every time I have watched it I have enjoyed it more and come away more emotionally moved.

If this is your first exposure to Utena, just accept that some things won't make sense. If you are familiar with the television series, pretend that the movie takes place in a different universe.

"Revolutionary Girl Utena" is one of the most original and interesting film adaptations from a television series: While the tone and the characters are somewhat different of their television counterparts, this movie still has the essence of what made the original series good in first place: A interesting, surreal story, with stylish designs and pretty good animation, many strange, dream-like situations, filled with complex symbols and metaphorical scenes.

Also, it's not necessary to see the series to understand this movie (I have seen the series first, and I still found this movie to be quite hard to understand) because this movie has a completely new and different storyline, that stands for itself.

"Utena" is one of the weirdest animated flicks that I've ever seen, but also one of the most beautiful and interesting as well.