Delgo

I LOVE movies. I LOVE computer animation. I LOVE sci-fi / fantasy. That is why I hated this film. It gives them all a bad name. Hate is a strong word I suppose. More like overwhelmed to suicidal levels with disappointment. The sarcastic term "REALLY?" popped in my mind constantly as scenes artificially set up to predictably (and very poorly) spoof classic moments from various hit movies. At no time did I connect with the characters. When they went to war I just didn't care. In fact, the only thing I found myself hoping for is that someone would kill (slowly and painfully) Delgo's mentally retarded and epileptic sidekick. That would have gotten cheers from the entire audience (which comprised of just me.) As a hobby I have been making a movie for years. writing and editing a script, creating music, and I'll soon start the CGI work on my home PC. I was really worried that my hobby movie would be worthless because the graphics and animation won't be Pixar quality but DELGO has proved to me that graphics don't make a film. The music was also dismal. My first impression of the art was positive. It looked original and unique but soon decided that nothing was particularly attractive to look at and many of the creatures had extra eyes or appendages just because... like a Jr. High school kid on crack spent too many hours in the SPORE creature creator. Overall the biggest downfall was just direction and delivery. Imagine going to see a stand up comedy show where two comedians had to deliver the same material and one is hilarious while the other is awkward, flat and has no sense of dramatic effect and timing. Delgo is the latter. If anyone from Fathom studios reads this and says, "Hey Mr. Negative Insult Guy, think you could do better?" The answer is YES. I really do. and I would jump at the chance to try.

I admit the animation was wonderful. The initial use of alien creatures was right on the mark -- special -- creative -- enticing... the voices were amazing throughout, but then there's the pesky need for a good story.

As an author of 11 scripts I noticed the scripted flaws immediately and continuously. The introduction narrative was completely unnecessary and should have been incorporated (if at all) into the movie as it unfolded.

The logic and progression of plot points were very flawed: so much so that I was annoyed that the film turned away from its initial strength 'originality' and fell on the sword of blandness. The reason so many people keep saying this film in plagiarism is simply because it follows such common event sequences you can't help but compare it to many other movies: Camelot (guards attacking the helpful hero), Star Wars (comic relief was the mirror image of a famous Gungan), Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty (hero finds a lost item, evil dragon lady,) and even the Lion King (when you see it you'll understand), etc.

The script was quite frankly pathetic in parts, but also (to be fair) had some moments of honesty. Those moments were presented but then lost when the script failed to follow-up on the logic thread.

So much of the movie is filled with clichés, and the comic relief was really annoying -- not funny -- that I was totally outside the movie and making remarks to myself (OMG, please not that, YGTBKM) instead of flowing along with the action. By the way, I was the only person in the theater. When I asked the ticket person if the movie was worth the price he said, "Opening day sold only 2 tickets." What this story has in beautiful animation and initial originality (the first few minutes) was completely lost to illogic. The amazing creatures were pushed to the background for the most part and the main characters were developed by narrative not action. We were usually told, not shown (or allowed) to feel with the characters. There was no character growth as such, just a jarring thump from one sequence to another as if the characters were puppets on a string.

How sad that what could have been a great adventure turned into trivialities. I would just like to say the burning bush had such possibilities.

I recall very, very well when this film was released, and its immediate, astonishing failure. I remember just as well all the talk surrounding it, and to read more about the production in hindsight is very revealing. 'Delgo' was incredibly ambitious: an enormous cast of many big-name stars, an ensemble so great that the very list of credits threatened to distract from the content; a more serious, adult-oriented story, developed over a period when its intended medium was still finding its legs; a medium that still now, and even more so in 2008, was seen as belonging squarely in the realm of family-friendly fare - and all this, outside the major studio system of Hollywood that as of yet still held overwhelming sway in the industry. The filmmakers, writers and directors alike, had very lofty goals, matched only by the passion and sincerity with which they pursued the project. With all this in mind: even recognizing the staggeringly poor reception and reputation, how can one not be curious, and want to check out the feature for themselves? The skill and care of all involved is plain as day, and I admire the effort. I can honestly say, too, that I actually do like this. However, I also see why, even setting aside problems of marketing, the title was a memorable misfire.

The animation sits somewhere between the level of 'Toy Story' or 'Shrek,' on par with the best of what digital artists could generally whip up in the 2000s, and still earlier attempts at computer animation - the sort we may have seen in the mid-90s with forward-thinking kids' TV shows. The designs of the world of the movie, and all within it, are mostly fantastic: the wardrobe, weapons and armor, creatures, landscapes and dwellings, and so on. I'm a little bit divided on the appearance of the Lokni and Nohrin, simply on account of the "uncanny valley" effect, but even these two predominant races I appreciate more than not. Some environments and materials are very noticeably rendered with more detail or texture than others, but so it goes. One way or another, no matter how cynical one wishes to be, the animators did good work, certainly including action sequences. In much the same way, I think 'Delgo' is very well made from the standpoint of any technical considerations, or conventional "behind the scenes" work: direction, cinematography, editing, sound design, and so on. I like the sound effects, and the fundamental quality of the audiovisual presentation is swell. Geoff Zanelli's score is pretty fun.

Beyond the bedazzlement that follows from observing the actors assembled for the voice cast, I think each makes fine contributions, with some standing out more than others. Chris Kattan's shrill timbre and wild exclamations as spirited supporting character Filo are surely some of the top highlights of the film; much the same is true of Eric Idle as henchman Spig, though he's less prominent. For the time that she has, Anne Bancroft clearly was living up the opportunity to voice wicked villain Sedessa. All this is well and good - there's much to enjoy in 'Delgo.'

Where the feature is an especially mixed bag is in the writing. Some dialogue is too simple, communicating ideas in the language of a younger audience, while at large it could have just benefited from more development, and maybe another set of eyes (or ears) or two for perspective. Characters are okay I suppose, though nothing remarkable, and no few simply inhabit archetypal roles for an epic saga. The scene writing is perhaps one of the more definitively solid aspects here, filled with variety: lighthearted humor, adventure of lighter or darker tones, action, outright war, and more pointedly dramatic facets, all within a tale of grandiose fantasy. In turn, scenes successfully inculcate feelings of awe, majesty, excitement, and even inspire some small laughter. And that brings us to the narrative. It's not that there's anything specifically wrong with the story. It's compelling, if familiar, and a firm foundation for genre fare. Moreover, it plays with lots of Big Ideas as themes and beats that have served many a similar saga well. War, prejudice (and overcoming it), thirst for blood and power, corruption, ambition, finding courage, manipulation, distrust, histories of disagreement and conflict, making peace with the past and resolving long-standing enmities: all this, and more. It's a lot to weave into a very concise length of film, in addition to character moments, comedy, major action, and sufficient establishment of the realities of a fictional world no one has ever seen before. I think the filmmakers mostly do just fine in bringing it all together. Only - it feels, in this case, as though everything 'Delgo' tries to say, do, and be fits together inelegantly, squeezed into a ninety-minute runtime so as to become overfull. The treatment each notion should get is thereby reduced, subsequently diminishing the impact that it all could ideally have - and, ultimately, viewer engagement. As if to emphasize the point, the ending feels unexpectedly abrupt, and not at all satisfying as a result.

It's very noteworthy that those who wrote and directed this have not apparently made anything else since. I can't help but be sad at that - they poured so much heart and energy into this title, and heartfelt earnestness, and what they got in return was, well, a HUGE loss. What strikes me is that in addition to not very successfully advertising to its audience, the movie wasn't altogether clear on who it wanted its audience to be. It's a kids' movie more than not, but it even with humor peppered throughout it couldn't be called a comedy in the same way that 'Finding Nemo' or most any other animated picture. Its Big Ideas aren't so adult-oriented as to exclude younger viewers, but even with somewhat gawky dialogue I'm unsure if the material is simple enough to hold appeal or interest for children. Add in the difficulties of the storytelling in truly giving form to everything that it desired, and it's not particularly any wonder why 'Delgo' was released to deafening silence. To repeat: I do actually kind of like this. I don't think it's bad; above all, it's nowhere near as bad as its infamy portends. The hard work that went into it is clear, and appreciable. It's just so very unfortunate that the whole couldn't quite find its voice in any capacity, as for such lack all that labor was for nothing. I wish nothing but the best for Marc Adler, Jason Maurer, Scott Biear, Patrick Cowan, Carl Dream, Jennifer Jones, and everyone else who had a hand in the feature's creation. I hope they all have found success and happiness elsewhere. It's regrettable that the the chips fell in such a way that they couldn't find it with 'Delgo.'

the references are the basic support for transform Delgo in an acceptable animation. the fight between good and bad, the bitter memories from past, the characters who seems be from The Dark Crystal. all ordinaries ingredients are present. all the glamour from fairy tales, love story, the good king against cruel relative, different people with so common links, the revenge, the ordinary guy who becomes hero, the goodness in all the nuances and the drops of humor. and that does the film acceptable, predictable and almost boring. because the same story, with better adaptations, is not exactly a virtue. but, like many simple animations , the references, the nice scenes, maybe Filo more than Delgo are reasonable solutions for entertain. but a film saved only by memories of the public about another films with the same subject is far to be the most inspired option.

Wow. It's like Lord of the Rings never happened at the start of the decade.

Even the opening credits sequence with those bloated flying things just made me cringe.

It appears to have been written and animated by middle-schoolers, and yes they were probably high too. They had to bring in all that big-name talent to do the voices, or the handful of people who did go see this film wouldn't have even gone.

However, I do credit the animators with at least making a handful of nice images in the film. But really, a film like this should be beautiful to look at from start to finish, not just a few brief instants.

There are not-so-subtly racist overtones, and the use of the slur "pansies" renders it even unfit for viewing by children, although infants are probably the only age group likely to be able to enjoy it.

Watching this, I feel insulted as a viewer. It's geared towards infants, as far as I can tell. Of course, so was Toy Story, but the difference is that Toy Story is a masterpiece, and this is ... not.

And the thing was about 30 minutes too long.

If I had been associated with this project, I would have wanted it to disappear quickly and be permanently "lost". I would not be alleging that a more competent team "stole" it. But, these days, it seems the courts are the refuge of the incompetent, when it comes to content creation. Avatar is such a superior work that obviously required far more effort, that there is just no way that the Delgo team could ever hope to claim to have contributed to it. Rather, it seems more likely to me as a viewer that Delgo was ripped off from Avatar, and rushed out the door to beat it to market. An inside job.