Renaissance
- The Disc:3.0
In an era when traditional film animation appears to have neared its end, it's refreshing...
In an era when traditional film animation appears to have neared its end, it's refreshing to see a film come along that embraces older artistic styles while offering audiences something completely new. A French film combining motion capture and CG animation to create a high-contrast, 2D world of solid black and white, director Christian Volckman's Renaissance is a stunning piece of futuristic film noir. With an edgy, mature vision, the film takes the success of Sin City to its logical next step and truly lives up to its claims of being a 'graphic novel come-to-life'.
Set in Paris 2054, the film follows idealistic cop, Karas (voiced in the English version by the new Bond, Daniel Craig), as he searches for a kidnapped scientist, and soon finds himself deep within a mystery involving the omnipresent corporation Avalon, dreams of immortality and a body count that continues to pile up.
Less accessible and far more serious than Sin City, Volckman's film nevertheless deserves credit for its bold direction and beautiful detail. While the sensory overload and often-stilted English voiceover work can be jarring and have a tendency to undermine the plot, it's worth persevering for what is a thoroughly enjoyable last half hour. Unfortunately a slight making-of is the only feature on offer.
