barkerj-874-410111
Joined Dec 2013
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Reviews6
barkerj-874-410111's rating
I gave this film an 8 out of 10. I wanted to give it a 7, and during certain parts of the film, it barely deserves a 3.
The good:
A lot of the animation in this film is disgusting. It's gross, it makes your skin crawl. It's deprived, and terrifying. This is what would happen if you took a lot of psychedelic mushrooms in Sin City. The style of many parts of this animation comes straight from the words of my fantasy version of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing. And the whole thing is driven entirely by lustful sinful sex with cartoon characters. It's cheap, disgusting, and self centred, and sexy, with just a touch of class and a dash of jazz.
The bad:
The story is okay. I really didn't care for the second half of the film which focuses on 'doodles' being in our world. It was kinda good, a bit trashy, didn't really work.. But it depends how you view cinema in general, some people wouldn't notice it at all to be a problem, me - I've got high standards. Also I thought that Kim Basinger didn't do the best job playing Holi Would. She's the most promoted name in the film, but I thought her delivery of the role lacked the subtle elegance that cartoon Holi had. It was this very elegance that really made her character - if I had to give her a back story, I'd say she was the unloved daughter of a crime boss who ran away, finding only a home with those truly lost in life, becoming heavily involved in the crime scene herself, though not a criminal. Using her good looks and, what is very, very deep down, an innocent soul to guide her, and keep her with the respect of her peers.
This film is great. Pretty awful in some parts, but it's redeeming qualities are out of this world, and have my full respect. All in all, and perhaps most importantly, it's unique. There is no other film I've seen, or could ever imagine, to be quite like this (this includes Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, which is basically this films parallel, but lacks 100% of the darkness, and sheer depravity this film brings formed). Love it or hate it, it's got balls, and at least should have some level of respect shown to it for that.
The good:
A lot of the animation in this film is disgusting. It's gross, it makes your skin crawl. It's deprived, and terrifying. This is what would happen if you took a lot of psychedelic mushrooms in Sin City. The style of many parts of this animation comes straight from the words of my fantasy version of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing. And the whole thing is driven entirely by lustful sinful sex with cartoon characters. It's cheap, disgusting, and self centred, and sexy, with just a touch of class and a dash of jazz.
The bad:
The story is okay. I really didn't care for the second half of the film which focuses on 'doodles' being in our world. It was kinda good, a bit trashy, didn't really work.. But it depends how you view cinema in general, some people wouldn't notice it at all to be a problem, me - I've got high standards. Also I thought that Kim Basinger didn't do the best job playing Holi Would. She's the most promoted name in the film, but I thought her delivery of the role lacked the subtle elegance that cartoon Holi had. It was this very elegance that really made her character - if I had to give her a back story, I'd say she was the unloved daughter of a crime boss who ran away, finding only a home with those truly lost in life, becoming heavily involved in the crime scene herself, though not a criminal. Using her good looks and, what is very, very deep down, an innocent soul to guide her, and keep her with the respect of her peers.
This film is great. Pretty awful in some parts, but it's redeeming qualities are out of this world, and have my full respect. All in all, and perhaps most importantly, it's unique. There is no other film I've seen, or could ever imagine, to be quite like this (this includes Who Framed Rodger Rabbit, which is basically this films parallel, but lacks 100% of the darkness, and sheer depravity this film brings formed). Love it or hate it, it's got balls, and at least should have some level of respect shown to it for that.
There's so much a person could say about Utopia. Dark, hilarious, scary, real, provocative and ambiguous, morally uncertain.
Without giving too much away, in probably the most brutal way, it is the story of corruption, pain, suffering, and the end of everything we have ever known, the beginning of the next evolution of mankind. Is it right? Is it just? Is it okay for potentially billions of people to lose everything they want? I guess you'll have to watch and find out.
If you were to watch it, I can humbly promise some of the most intelligently written television you're likely to see. Beautifully directed, everything relates to everything, every action, every word, has been masterfully written towards the overall, overlying plot.
Channel Four must have put some serious money into making this, that or accidentally employed some very talented up and coming new production crew. At the time, they advertised it hugely, but it didn't seem to attract all that much attention. Much like many HBO programs, often the first episode or two isn't enough to draw you in. By the third or fourth, you'll be hooked, by the fifth or sixth, you won't be able to stop watching! Sadly there's only 12 in total, but it's worth every second. When it begins to draw to an end, you'll feel a sour sense of dread.
This show is dark, and not for the faint of heart, or the squeamish. It will ask unanswerable, moral and philosophical questions, ones so deep that no human should ever have to answer.
I hope you do watch this series, as it genuinely deserves as much attention as it can get.
:)
Also, excellent soundtrack too, fits absolutely perfectly. Kinda like Aphex Twin, but with slightly more influence from the mainstream electronic scene at the time - which I don't usually care much for, but it's so subtle and well used that it doesn't matter. Really very fantastic, if you like that stuff.
Without giving too much away, in probably the most brutal way, it is the story of corruption, pain, suffering, and the end of everything we have ever known, the beginning of the next evolution of mankind. Is it right? Is it just? Is it okay for potentially billions of people to lose everything they want? I guess you'll have to watch and find out.
If you were to watch it, I can humbly promise some of the most intelligently written television you're likely to see. Beautifully directed, everything relates to everything, every action, every word, has been masterfully written towards the overall, overlying plot.
Channel Four must have put some serious money into making this, that or accidentally employed some very talented up and coming new production crew. At the time, they advertised it hugely, but it didn't seem to attract all that much attention. Much like many HBO programs, often the first episode or two isn't enough to draw you in. By the third or fourth, you'll be hooked, by the fifth or sixth, you won't be able to stop watching! Sadly there's only 12 in total, but it's worth every second. When it begins to draw to an end, you'll feel a sour sense of dread.
This show is dark, and not for the faint of heart, or the squeamish. It will ask unanswerable, moral and philosophical questions, ones so deep that no human should ever have to answer.
I hope you do watch this series, as it genuinely deserves as much attention as it can get.
:)
Also, excellent soundtrack too, fits absolutely perfectly. Kinda like Aphex Twin, but with slightly more influence from the mainstream electronic scene at the time - which I don't usually care much for, but it's so subtle and well used that it doesn't matter. Really very fantastic, if you like that stuff.
