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The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya was exactly the kind of experience I've come to expect from this series, but there was definitely a sense that the series has stopped playing around and is looking to make some relatively significant progress from here on out. Indeed, what was once a relatively fun franchise sets out to become more serious.
And consequently get ahead of itself along the way.
Part of the reason I take issue with the series suddenly taking itself seriously are the liberties it takes with its narrative. While Nagato managing to supersede Haruhi's powers brings a sense of vulnerability to the latter's character, it undermines the point of watching over the titular character in the first place; perhaps Suzumiya's abilities are not fully developed yet, but when "God" is overrided by the "servant", I'm probably not the only one who isn't going to swallow that.
Then there's the matter of the time paradox towards the end of the movie where Kyon has to go back to save himself. Personally speaking, the time loop makes no sense, as what is the point of saving himself if he already survived and furthermore, when did he "first" travel back in time? I know a later novel covers the trip in detail, but really a good movie should be able to stand on its own, or at least for one that's part of a series, not to leave any threads answered by upcoming events.
I have no problem with a series deciding to take itself seriously, but the aspects which affect the plot should be tackled honestly as well.
Still, this is hardly enough to affect the value of the film by any significant amount. Because more than a hard science-fiction series where reality is at stake, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is a movie about self-realization, or in Yuki's case, self-admittance. And indeed, Nagato gets some significant development in this installment, so much so that I often muse that the movie should be called "The Melancholy of Yuki Nagato."
But I digress. We see a different side to many characters who were previously just a tad one-dimensional; we see Tsuruya portray a protective side for her friends when she steps between Kyon and Mikuru; we see Haruhi actually behaving like a normal girl at least before Kyon spills the beans on his situation, and most of all we see a side to Yuki that is, perhaps, her bottled emotions (in a pinch I'd ship Kyon and Nagato, but that's another story for another day).
And of course there's our (un)reliable narrator himself. His want to bring the world back to the way it was, while predictable, was more about the journey itself. KyoAni once again shows their capacity to create a good drama out of anything, never going over the top, but never glossing over the events in realistic/cynical fashion, because our main character is sarcastic enough already.
If there's one thing I'm still apprehensive about, it's where the series goes from here. As a stand-alone movie it's nothing short of incredible, but how well is this going to fit in the long run? Only time will tell, but for now the fifth slot on my favorites list has disappeared with the appearance of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
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