I always felt 'Bonds' worked best when you viewed it as a direct emotional response to Sasuke's departure post-Sasuke Retrieval Arc. The main series kept them apart for ages, so the movie gives us this isolated scenario where they're forced back together against a common enemy. It doesn't radically change canon, no, but it explores that unspoken dynamic—the resentment, the lingering loyalty—in a way the weekly episodes couldn't afford to pause for.
What I find compelling is how the conflict with the Sky ninja mirrors their own bond breaking and reforging. Naruto's determination to save the village and Sasuke, even while Sasuke is openly hostile, highlights that stubborn, one-sided faith that defines so much of Part I. The animation for the final battle is fantastic, a real spectacle, but the quieter moments, like when they briefly fight side-by-side, carry more weight for me.
It's essentially a big-budget 'what-if' character study, filling an emotional gap rather than a plot one.