This is probably going to sound like a negative review, but trust me, it's not. I think QUEST is a fantastic animation which I recommend to everyone. As far as stop-motion animation goes, this is one of the best thing I've ever seen, ranking up there with the Russian classic ...oh bloody hell I can't remember the name of the Russian classic (I think it was called "The Door").
But here's "blah" part of my review. QUEST didn't strike me as being very profound although it seems to believe that it is. Sure, there is a lot of interesting symbolism, metaphor and parallels with the human condition. But these devices don't necessarily make a profound statement or commentary.
In order to avoid spoiling the plot, I'll just invent a totally hypothetical example of what I'm talking about. Suppose I make a movie about walking down the street. I can show that the street is made of gold (symbolising prosperity), and that the houses are identical (symbolising conformity), and that the sky is cloudy (symbolising uncertainty). I can show all sorts of thought-provoking stuff like that. And in the end, my message can be "Life is like walking down the street."
You guys would boo me off the stage, wouldn't you. I would hope so. You see, I believe a good philosophical thought should be one that makes you stop and say, "Gee, I never thought about that!" But in my example (and presumably in QUEST), the philosophical thought isn't anything that you haven't already considered (and probably not even at your best moment).
It reminds me of the time my friend Eric got high and wrote a poem called "Seek the Surf". He dressed it up in a lot of Kerouac-like, drug-induced ramblings, but in the end it was just a poem about water. The next morning Eric sobered up, read it, laughed his ass off and promised never to write poetry while high.
I'm going to conclude by saying something that will REALLY sound like a horrible insult, but I mean it earnestly and with admiration. I think QUEST would make an excellent music video for a heavy metal band. In fact, I'll probably use it as a "mood piece" at my next party. I really enjoy this sort of stuff.
