As a fan of animated films, I am happy that Saving Sally made it into this year's Metro Manila Film Festival. "Finally! Something that will represent the animation field," was my first thought. And after previewing its trailer, it made me want to see the full film.
Personally, I think the film was okay --okay in a way that nothing did surprise me about the story itself though it can be unpredictable in some parts. There was a story that the audience can follow through which is good for entertainment but lacks depth at the same time. Symbolism was evident in the film partnered with some visually yet subtle puns but I did not get any deep "hugot" from it. Not referring to punchlines though, but a meaning which the audience will not derive from the screen but from their realization because of the story's essence. I was looking and hoping for this until the end but unfortunately did not get any.
In addition, I also have some concerns about the language preference. Personally, I think the movie's message would have been conveyed better if the writers have chosen Filipino as the characters' language considering that they have already used it as well in some parts of the film. Why not retain the consistency? Though I'm pretty sure that the writers have some reasons for such preference.
Technical point of view, I couldn't skip, of course, to mention the cinematography, editing and the props department of the film. I do think that the filmmakers did a good job in these facets. Nonetheless, with regards to the film's visuals, I personally think that there are better shots that may have been used to create more compelling scenes in some parts of the movie but the ones presented were not that bad either.
Overall, I appreciate Saving Sally most especially the animation throughout the entire film considering the difficulty in putting something like this as a whole. As a matter of fact, I perceive Saving Sally as a symbol of hope of the country's future animated films. I do really hope that this will initiate more locally-made animated films in the future.
