(2006) ***1/2Apparently futuristic Paris is a big labyrinth. No one can do anything that isn't recorded and logged. It's like ubertechie Big Brother. The Avalon company is the corporation that seems to have it's fingers in everybody's pie. Not only do they have a hand in control of all other industries, they corner the market on health and beauty. When one of their brightest scientists disappears Avalon hires police inspector Barthelemy Karas to find her. As he delves deeper into the investigation he begins to uncover questionable practices within the very company that hired him. Seems he may have bitten off more than he can chew.
The animation technique used for this film is a wonder to behold. I was mesmerized by the beauty and elegance throughout. Similar to A Scanner Darkly but without color or even shades of gray. The detail in the black and white is fantastic and it really works to set the mood. Unfortunately the visual stunning of it can only carry the film just so far. The plot is complex, draggy and often confusing. It's one of those films that over explains itself by revealing plot twists in layers. Though interesting enough it got a little too technical for my simple tastes. Still, I had to throw in that extra half star because the entire film is beautiful, stimulation for the eyes.
7 comments:
The pictures are intriguing. Was the whole movie rotoscoped like A Scanner Darkly?
Yes it was.
I'm so pleased that you've been covering horror animation, which is an entire sub-genre of horror that I was unaware of until you started taking a look at this stuff. Nice review.
That last picture is really stunning. What an interesting find!
Looks pretty cool!
Yo yo yo! It's Octopunk. Sorry I've been absent from everything but this past week has been beyond insane work-wise. As in this is my thirteenth consecutive day without a break and on four or five of those days I've worked past midnight (once until 4 am, bleah).
Why jump in now? Because I'm so cool I saw Renassiance in the movie theater and reviewed it right before Horrorthon '06.
The links don't work anymore, and I didn't realize the flick was shot w/ mocap at the time, although I should have. But on the big screen it was amazing.
I can just imagine, wish I'd seen it at the theater.
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