Patema Inverted

Don't read any spoilers for this movie, just watch it if you like anime. I think this is better than most other anime movies out there, including many Ghibli movies.

It does start off a little slow, and the music is pretty mediocre, but if you keep watching you will be surprised how good this movie is. Make sure you pay attention to the small details, and it will all make sense. Watching it a second or third time, you notice things you didn't the first time you saw it! That's all I can really say. Give it a try, you may love it. The story is just fantastically done.

The animation is stellar, no surprises there. Voice acting is great as well. Where this film suffers is pacing; it tends to get a little jarring from time to time, and the ending feels... incomplete. It just ends when it feels like it needed just that one last concluding scene where the plot is wrapped up and you just don't get that. But that aside, I had a good time watching this film, even though a lot of the emotion felt a little hollow. The cinematography was definitely what made this movie a film worth watching if nothing else.

It's an amazing movie because it's story line is incredible...

I don't want to spoil anything but when I saw the concept of this movie I did not think much of it. I figured I'd go watch it on the strength of the fact that it won some award in Ireland. I just saw the North American Premiere and I was totally shocked by it. The only review I had read of this movie was that it was "OK".

Folks, this movie is better than OK, it is fantastic. It is not at all what I thought it would be and the concept of "inverted" is key here. They keep on changing what's real and what's not, and your idea of what reality is switches back and forth several times. They have a few really big reveals in the film that kind of blow you away. I don't even want to say what other movies this is like because it would give it away. But similarities aside, it still manages to be original and refreshing. Just be prepared to have your mind blown several times in the course of the movie all the way to the ending.

There is another movie called Upside Down that came out around the same time as this, maybe a bit earlier. I have never seen it but the reviews on it are terrible. These guys may not be the "original" upside down movie but they certainly did a great job with the concept, probably better based on the reviews.

Do yourself a favor and watch it, and do not read any plot synopses on it beforehand. Don't spoil the surprises.

Every other summary probably will choose "Upside down", but it does fit perfectly so why shy away from it. It's intelligent cinema that keeps you on your toes (reaching for the ceiling or floor, depending which side you're on). While there are a few things that can be considered cliché, it's not many things that will come with that tag or branding. So no worries there.

The animation is something fans of Anime will be used to, people who are used to Pixar and Dreamworks Animation might struggle at first though. But you'll get used to it. And if you let it, you'll like it too. Because it's the idea/story that counts and the movie is winning in that department for sure.