Film Noir is an entertaining action mystery that I really enjoyed.
It is interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the broad range of surprising reactions reviewers had to it.
For example, one reviewer says the world never looks believable - yet the cityscapes used are actually filmed, so is reality itself. Others say the animation is amateurish, whereas I thought it was quite well done.
As a fan of comics and animation from way back, I enjoy animations that are unique and characteristic, even if it is a little less than perfect in some aspects. In fact, the lack of "realism" is the whole point of animation and comics - it is art, and the more unique the better.
As for the story, again there are conflicting opinions - one reviewer calls it unique, but I thought it was a mix of so many clichéd plot devices that it would be laughable if you thought about it too much.
Yet the writer does a great job of making something entertaining and reasonably unique from the grab-bag of clichés. He has spun it, wrapped it in noir and set it in a modern context. This is daring and well done considering the genre usually works best with the look and feel of 60+ years ago.
Being an animation is the saving grace and the most entertaining part of this movie. If this was done with live actors it would be so unbelievable as to be laughable and hopelessly B grade; but as an animation, it's easy to allow it to be over the top.
Because of this I settled into the story and quickly let the animation be what the animators and script writers tried to make it, a noir flick with all the elements of the classics spun into a modern day action/mystery/drama. As such it did its job well. What would have failed as a film worked as an animation and I enjoyed the ride. In fact the story had me genuinely surprised once or twice, before resolving the plot twists nicely and at a good pace.
So what of the plot? Well, let's just say a main character with amnesia has been done so often it's not just old, its dead with bleached white bones. But this storyline is not going away any time soon - it's just too darn compelling, and nothing beats it as a kick-starter for getting straight into the action. To come up with some other reason for a protagonists confusion would waste too much time in set up, so you might as well just accept amnesia once again and go along for the ride.
The trade-off of course is that you get quickly into the character's head - and as you share his confusion, you share his thrill ride, too... and this story does provide quite a thrill ride! The main character has to investigate meager clues to find himself, all the while while suffering unexpected dangers, with every revelation brings him one step closer to the invisible monkey on his back. Does he get out alive..? Well I won't spoil it for you, but the expectations of a story like this are well know - dangerous, sexy hard-edged entertainment. For me, Film Noir delivers.
Overall, I enjoyed Film Noir - it kept me genuinely engaged - I did not want to be disturbed while watching it. It is a gritty noir mystery with lots of sex, plot twists, ugliness and violence, but done it a way that was not too gratuitous, and as a result I enjoyed the ride and had a lot of adult fun along the way. To me it's a solid 8/10 and I'd happily watch it again.
It is interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the broad range of surprising reactions reviewers had to it.
For example, one reviewer says the world never looks believable - yet the cityscapes used are actually filmed, so is reality itself. Others say the animation is amateurish, whereas I thought it was quite well done.
As a fan of comics and animation from way back, I enjoy animations that are unique and characteristic, even if it is a little less than perfect in some aspects. In fact, the lack of "realism" is the whole point of animation and comics - it is art, and the more unique the better.
As for the story, again there are conflicting opinions - one reviewer calls it unique, but I thought it was a mix of so many clichéd plot devices that it would be laughable if you thought about it too much.
Yet the writer does a great job of making something entertaining and reasonably unique from the grab-bag of clichés. He has spun it, wrapped it in noir and set it in a modern context. This is daring and well done considering the genre usually works best with the look and feel of 60+ years ago.
Being an animation is the saving grace and the most entertaining part of this movie. If this was done with live actors it would be so unbelievable as to be laughable and hopelessly B grade; but as an animation, it's easy to allow it to be over the top.
Because of this I settled into the story and quickly let the animation be what the animators and script writers tried to make it, a noir flick with all the elements of the classics spun into a modern day action/mystery/drama. As such it did its job well. What would have failed as a film worked as an animation and I enjoyed the ride. In fact the story had me genuinely surprised once or twice, before resolving the plot twists nicely and at a good pace.
So what of the plot? Well, let's just say a main character with amnesia has been done so often it's not just old, its dead with bleached white bones. But this storyline is not going away any time soon - it's just too darn compelling, and nothing beats it as a kick-starter for getting straight into the action. To come up with some other reason for a protagonists confusion would waste too much time in set up, so you might as well just accept amnesia once again and go along for the ride.
The trade-off of course is that you get quickly into the character's head - and as you share his confusion, you share his thrill ride, too... and this story does provide quite a thrill ride! The main character has to investigate meager clues to find himself, all the while while suffering unexpected dangers, with every revelation brings him one step closer to the invisible monkey on his back. Does he get out alive..? Well I won't spoil it for you, but the expectations of a story like this are well know - dangerous, sexy hard-edged entertainment. For me, Film Noir delivers.
Overall, I enjoyed Film Noir - it kept me genuinely engaged - I did not want to be disturbed while watching it. It is a gritty noir mystery with lots of sex, plot twists, ugliness and violence, but done it a way that was not too gratuitous, and as a result I enjoyed the ride and had a lot of adult fun along the way. To me it's a solid 8/10 and I'd happily watch it again.