For anyone who wants to begin to understand this ambitious animation project, I recommend you first watch the movie "Heavy Metal" (1981). Rock Odyssey follows a similar theme, and is presented similar.
Rock Odyssey is not a straightforward narrative but instead a series of four vignettes, with a rather contrived framing story.
The four vignettes feature the four decades of Rock music since its inception: 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's.
Each vignette shares the zeitgeist of that decade.
Analysis:
This movie is definitely front loaded, and runs out of steam as it goes on.
Its plain to see that, in production, the Rock music songs were chosen first, and then the vignette narrative storyboarded around, inspired by the lyrics.
This is not the first time such an ambitious idea has been produced in film. Walt Disney's Fantasia endeavored similarly to take existing music and animate a narrative to it. And it also failed at the box office. In comparison "Heavy Metal" (1980) has also 4 vignettes + framing device (similar to this movie Rock Odyssey) but it's obvious in that case the narratives were storyboarded first, and then Rock Music added. Both these do it better than Rock Odyssey.
This movie appears to have been produced in filming order.
The first Vignette, 1950s seems to have the most storyboarding and is the most fleshed out. If you've seen George Lucas' "American Graffiti," and "Grease" you will appreciate the Hot Rods, Car Hops, Girls, and Drive In Movies celebrated here. The final bit features a 1950's prom, which you will appreciate if you've seen "Back to the Future." All the music choices are solid, if you like any of the aforementioned movies or 1950's in general.
The second Vignette, 1960's San Francisco, presents the themes expected. But Forest Gump did this decade better, and with better music choices. The narrative is looser, and here we see the first bit of "throw it in," with the "healthy tooth" bit, which looks like a leftover from an unaired school special. It has nothing to do with anything. Its a "throw it in" The vignette decays into a chase scene that goes on too long due to the length of a buffalo springfield song. The last bit quickly visualized "The Electric Cool Aid Acid Test" complete with bus "Further" but with a bad Jimi Hendrix cover.
At this point (42:00/1:26:00) I was an exhausted viewer. You may feel similar fatigue. This is also the part, where the wheels begin to fall off.
The third vignette, 1970's is dull and tells a timeless tale that really doesnt have anything to do with the 1970s: A sailor and his love. This is couched in a "Greenpeace, save the Whales", framing device, that is dispensed with quickly in this vignette. Indeed, most of the animation is a character sitting in a life raft, not doing too much, as mostly unknown 1970s music plays on. In consideration of the one hit wonders on the recently released "Guardians of the Galaxy" albums, this is was an opportunity lost to the producers. At the very least, they should featured "Brandy" by Elliot Lurie, for its nautical theme.
The fourth vignette, 1980's is a homage to the movie "9 to 5" (1980) with a character similar to Jane Fonda's stumbling around a "modern" office. This vignette is celebrating the women liberation movement and entry into the professional office workforce. But again, "9 to 5" presents this topic better. This vignette is also thematically weakened, as a related bit on the women's liberation movement is featured at the end of the 1970s vignette. Which, of course has nothing to do with its other nautical theme. The narrative would be stronger if they put both women's stories together. They didn't, and the movie suffers as a result. The music choices? I cant even remember. Certainly unremarkable. Another opportunity lost for Rock Odessy.
Finally, the movie has a contrived ending fitting the contrived framing story of love, similar again to "Heavy Metal" (1980). They could have left it off honestly. I give the producers credit for wrapping up the loose ends.
The Rundown:
Pros: The animation is quite good and some of the special effects are quite advanced for the early 80s. The foreground character art is nicely detailed, the secondary characters animated more simply (ala Disney) and the backgrounds in some places are quite detailed. If you watch this movie for its animation and watch it carefully, you will see and appreciate the art.
Cons: The Music choices get less fun as the movie goes on. All are cover bands, and as expected, the first vignette 1950s has the best music.
The story vignettes get looser and more off topic compared to the songs and lyrics as they progress.
Feel free to turn off the movie when you've enjoyed enough music and art. It does NOT get better as run time progresses. It just declines until it fizzles out.
In Summary: Watch only for the Art, or as a curiosity. Enjoy the music as an afterthought. "Heavy Metal" (1980) is a superior choice in the genre.
Overall Recommendation; 4/10.
Rock Odyssey is not a straightforward narrative but instead a series of four vignettes, with a rather contrived framing story.
The four vignettes feature the four decades of Rock music since its inception: 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's.
Each vignette shares the zeitgeist of that decade.
Analysis:
This movie is definitely front loaded, and runs out of steam as it goes on.
Its plain to see that, in production, the Rock music songs were chosen first, and then the vignette narrative storyboarded around, inspired by the lyrics.
This is not the first time such an ambitious idea has been produced in film. Walt Disney's Fantasia endeavored similarly to take existing music and animate a narrative to it. And it also failed at the box office. In comparison "Heavy Metal" (1980) has also 4 vignettes + framing device (similar to this movie Rock Odyssey) but it's obvious in that case the narratives were storyboarded first, and then Rock Music added. Both these do it better than Rock Odyssey.
This movie appears to have been produced in filming order.
The first Vignette, 1950s seems to have the most storyboarding and is the most fleshed out. If you've seen George Lucas' "American Graffiti," and "Grease" you will appreciate the Hot Rods, Car Hops, Girls, and Drive In Movies celebrated here. The final bit features a 1950's prom, which you will appreciate if you've seen "Back to the Future." All the music choices are solid, if you like any of the aforementioned movies or 1950's in general.
The second Vignette, 1960's San Francisco, presents the themes expected. But Forest Gump did this decade better, and with better music choices. The narrative is looser, and here we see the first bit of "throw it in," with the "healthy tooth" bit, which looks like a leftover from an unaired school special. It has nothing to do with anything. Its a "throw it in" The vignette decays into a chase scene that goes on too long due to the length of a buffalo springfield song. The last bit quickly visualized "The Electric Cool Aid Acid Test" complete with bus "Further" but with a bad Jimi Hendrix cover.
At this point (42:00/1:26:00) I was an exhausted viewer. You may feel similar fatigue. This is also the part, where the wheels begin to fall off.
The third vignette, 1970's is dull and tells a timeless tale that really doesnt have anything to do with the 1970s: A sailor and his love. This is couched in a "Greenpeace, save the Whales", framing device, that is dispensed with quickly in this vignette. Indeed, most of the animation is a character sitting in a life raft, not doing too much, as mostly unknown 1970s music plays on. In consideration of the one hit wonders on the recently released "Guardians of the Galaxy" albums, this is was an opportunity lost to the producers. At the very least, they should featured "Brandy" by Elliot Lurie, for its nautical theme.
The fourth vignette, 1980's is a homage to the movie "9 to 5" (1980) with a character similar to Jane Fonda's stumbling around a "modern" office. This vignette is celebrating the women liberation movement and entry into the professional office workforce. But again, "9 to 5" presents this topic better. This vignette is also thematically weakened, as a related bit on the women's liberation movement is featured at the end of the 1970s vignette. Which, of course has nothing to do with its other nautical theme. The narrative would be stronger if they put both women's stories together. They didn't, and the movie suffers as a result. The music choices? I cant even remember. Certainly unremarkable. Another opportunity lost for Rock Odessy.
Finally, the movie has a contrived ending fitting the contrived framing story of love, similar again to "Heavy Metal" (1980). They could have left it off honestly. I give the producers credit for wrapping up the loose ends.
The Rundown:
Pros: The animation is quite good and some of the special effects are quite advanced for the early 80s. The foreground character art is nicely detailed, the secondary characters animated more simply (ala Disney) and the backgrounds in some places are quite detailed. If you watch this movie for its animation and watch it carefully, you will see and appreciate the art.
Cons: The Music choices get less fun as the movie goes on. All are cover bands, and as expected, the first vignette 1950s has the best music.
The story vignettes get looser and more off topic compared to the songs and lyrics as they progress.
Feel free to turn off the movie when you've enjoyed enough music and art. It does NOT get better as run time progresses. It just declines until it fizzles out.
In Summary: Watch only for the Art, or as a curiosity. Enjoy the music as an afterthought. "Heavy Metal" (1980) is a superior choice in the genre.
Overall Recommendation; 4/10.