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jl07045
Joined: 30 Aug 2011
Posts: 1527
Location: Riga, Latvia
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:06 pm
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Konopan wrote: | Flash-in-the-pan high-octane animation porn at its finest, and little else.
Ending really leaves a few more minutes of resolution to be desired, but the film's good at what it does otherwise. |
Pretty much my thoughts about this. Too bad I don't particularly like that kind of stuff. I thought that the ending was fine though. They reached their goal, I don't think that there was more in the plot to resolve.
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Timeenforceranubis
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 171
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:34 pm
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TimMaughan wrote: |
errinundra wrote: |
Worst of all, the film is visually dull. |
lol |
No, I get what he's saying. While the film was technically very well-animated, there was nothing particularly engaging about what was on the screen, and I completely agree with him.
You can have all the flash, vibrancy, and highly-kinetic action in the world, but if it isn't depicting something engaging, it's gonna seem dull.
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Saffire
Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 1256
Location: Iowa, USA
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:44 pm
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Timeenforceranubis wrote: |
TimMaughan wrote: |
errinundra wrote: |
Worst of all, the film is visually dull. |
lol |
No, I get what he's saying. While the film was technically very well-animated, there was nothing particularly engaging about what was on the screen, and I completely agree with him.
You can have all the flash, vibrancy, and highly-kinetic action in the world, but if it isn't depicting something engaging, it's gonna seem dull. |
I think "dull" is different from "visually dull" in this case, but even setting that aside, we must find very different things to be engaging because after watching it three times, my eyes still end up glued to the screen pretty much the whole way through.
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Timeenforceranubis
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 171
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:57 pm
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Saffire wrote: |
Timeenforceranubis wrote: |
TimMaughan wrote: |
errinundra wrote: |
Worst of all, the film is visually dull. |
lol |
No, I get what he's saying. While the film was technically very well-animated, there was nothing particularly engaging about what was on the screen, and I completely agree with him.
You can have all the flash, vibrancy, and highly-kinetic action in the world, but if it isn't depicting something engaging, it's gonna seem dull. |
I think "dull" is different from "visually dull" in this case, but even setting that aside, we must find very different things to be engaging because after watching it three times, my eyes still end up glued to the screen pretty much the whole way through. |
I feel like the film was just desperately trying to engage me the entire time, through all the wrong methods. I would have been engaged if it bothered to actually do some worldbuilding, but instead it opted to constantly hype its own self up, like the movie presumes its awesomeness is a given, and I'm just the guy who doesn't get it.
That's what I mean when I say "it insists upon itself."
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Great Rumbler
Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 328
Location: Oklahoma
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:12 pm
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I just don't see where world-building would really add anything. Do we need to know how the race got started and what it's all about? Do we need to know why the guys on Roboworld are such jerks? Does the history of Earth/humanity really matter to the story?
It's a race and every racer wants to win, that's all pretty universal.
Edit: To expound, the plot and themes of Redline are not dependent on its setting. It could easily have been a modern-day cross-country rally and nothing but the visual trappings would have to be changed [replace aliens with people from different countries, replace Funky Boy with some other secret military project].
Show like Ghost in the Shell and Planetes are totally dependent on the setting, in another setting the plot and themes wouldn't work without heavy alteration, which is why world-building is very important.
Last edited by Great Rumbler on Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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msgundam2
Joined: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 271
Location: Indiana USA
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:12 pm
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kyokun703 wrote: |
msgundam2 wrote: | Am I the only one that don't trust site reviews when they advertise what they are reviewing? |
ANN has had many mediocre to poor reviews and have advertised the same anime. If you know Zac's reviewing style at all, he's not afraid to pan crap when he sees it. Which gives this glowing review even more weight. |
I guess you are right. Zac is a honest review.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:21 pm
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Timeenforceranubis wrote: |
I feel like the film was just desperately trying to engage me the entire time, through all the wrong methods. I would have been engaged if it bothered to actually do some worldbuilding, but instead it opted to constantly hype its own self up, like the movie presumes its awesomeness is a given, and I'm just the guy who doesn't get it.
That's what I mean when I say "it insists upon itself." |
I get what you're saying, but this isn't a flaw of the film itself - it never set out to create this expansive, hyper-detailed sci-fi world where you know the backstory of every race or whatever. That wasn't the film's goal. It's like criticizing a comedy for not having enough drama in it for you.
Everyone has their own taste and they know what they like but it's important to judge a work based on what it *is*, not what you wanted it to be or what you thought it was before you saw it.
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Hardgear
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:26 pm
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I decided to pick it up on bluray because so many people were saying this is the best anime movie in recent memory, and for once I actually agree with the hype (I've been VERY skeptical of every movie that "everyone" says I should watch since I was forced to suffer through Napoleon Dynamite). For all of its (alleged) faults, Redline excelled in the most important criteria I have for my entertainment: It entertained me, and did it better than most shows or movies I have seen in years.
I for one have been doing my part and forcing everyone I know to watch the bluray. In fact, after I finished watching Redline was the ONLY time I have ever started calling my friends and family up the second the credits started rolling trying to arrange an impromptu gathering to watch it again.
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Shenl742
Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1524
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:31 pm
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Really great movie.
Probably the only problem I had with it? The bioweapons. One of them is pretty hyped up, and the other one is actually a rather important character voluntarily transformed. They tustle for a bit, and you think you'll be seeing them fight for the rest of the movie's second half, at least in the background
...and they just kind of disappear and are never mentioned again. A bit disappointed with that.
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Anthis
Joined: 11 Nov 2011
Posts: 7
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:48 pm
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I can't help but feel hesitant when seeing an over-the-top rating like this (highest I've seen so far on ANN?). Puts it on the level of other masterpieces in anime history.
Very much looking forward to it! Had high expectations long before I read this review though, been aching to finally see it.
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Timeenforceranubis
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 171
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:59 pm
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Zac wrote: |
Timeenforceranubis wrote: |
I feel like the film was just desperately trying to engage me the entire time, through all the wrong methods. I would have been engaged if it bothered to actually do some worldbuilding, but instead it opted to constantly hype its own self up, like the movie presumes its awesomeness is a given, and I'm just the guy who doesn't get it.
That's what I mean when I say "it insists upon itself." |
I get what you're saying, but this isn't a flaw of the film itself - it never set out to create this expansive, hyper-detailed sci-fi world where you know the backstory of every race or whatever. That wasn't the film's goal. It's like criticizing a comedy for not having enough drama in it for you.
Everyone has their own taste and they know what they like but it's important to judge a work based on what it *is*, not what you wanted it to be or what you thought it was before you saw it. |
I think it is a flaw of the film. I'm not asking for the film to be a sci-fi epic, but I don't think it's too much to ask for a little framing to initially engage me in the film's world. It's not like criticizing a comedy for not having enough drama. It's like criticizing a comedy for not framing its jokes correctly.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:18 pm
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Timeenforceranubis wrote: |
Zac wrote: |
Timeenforceranubis wrote: |
I feel like the film was just desperately trying to engage me the entire time, through all the wrong methods. I would have been engaged if it bothered to actually do some worldbuilding, but instead it opted to constantly hype its own self up, like the movie presumes its awesomeness is a given, and I'm just the guy who doesn't get it.
That's what I mean when I say "it insists upon itself." |
I get what you're saying, but this isn't a flaw of the film itself - it never set out to create this expansive, hyper-detailed sci-fi world where you know the backstory of every race or whatever. That wasn't the film's goal. It's like criticizing a comedy for not having enough drama in it for you.
Everyone has their own taste and they know what they like but it's important to judge a work based on what it *is*, not what you wanted it to be or what you thought it was before you saw it. |
I think it is a flaw of the film. I'm not asking for the film to be a sci-fi epic, but I don't think it's too much to ask for a little framing to initially engage me in the film's world. It's not like criticizing a comedy for not having enough drama. It's like criticizing a comedy for not framing its jokes correctly. |
Bad analogy.
A comedy that doesn't frame its jokes correctly falls apart at a very fundamental level and fails to operate as a comedy.
Redline not giving you whatever sci-fi details you were looking for outside the basic premise doesn't mean it doesn't function as a narrative. I know you didn't like the film, but that simply is not true. You want something that isn't there, but its absence does not dramatically cripple the film's story or make it difficult to understand.
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sepherest
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:43 pm
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Anthis wrote: | I can't help but feel hesitant when seeing an over-the-top rating like this (highest I've seen so far on ANN?). Puts it on the level of other masterpieces in anime history.
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I don't think it's necessarily bad with this review that Redline got a pretty high grade, especially for anyone that's watching it for the first time. Though I believe that if a person watches it more than once (like I did) that's when the secondary thoughts come in about how it could've been better.
Maybe something will happen to this one like with Origin~Spirits of the Past~ and another review will pop up on here later that has a slightly different view. The only review on here that ever made me think "No, that's completely wrong!" was Utena getting an A in the english dub department.
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Psycho_Despair
Joined: 17 Nov 2009
Posts: 376
Location: East of Eden
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:44 pm
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I am sorry but all these negative comments I see are just excuses to make this Amazing film into something that its not.
One of the great things about this film, is how we are able to recommend it to ANYONE, without losing them from any complex narrative.
Anyways, awesome review Zac. I am most likely gonna import the Collector's edition for me and lend the US copy out to my friends.
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Chagen46
Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:50 pm
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I just know I'm going to love this movie.
I love absolutely ridiculous shit like this. And I love any kind of racing movie as well. As much offense as people may take to this: this movie reminds me of the "new" Speed Racer film. Both are immensly over-the-top, utterly un-realistic, it's obvious that the director(s) loved making every second of it, and both are AWESOME.
One of them, Speed Racer, is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I think Redline is going to be as well.
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