Flash animated tale of a nebish who ends up becoming the "chosen one". Good voice cast that includes Tim Curry, Lance Hendrickson and Chris Sarandon is lost at sea thanks to a rather weak script and similar direction. Give the film points for being full of clever references and "jokes" but take some away for the dully way they are put out for the audience to hear. I can't blame the cast since they aren't the ones responsible for an obvious plot and dull handling of the same. Of course it doesn't help that the flash style animation is at best minimal which may have been easy to render but at times made me think I would have been better off watching a film strip. I would take a pass.
6 Reviews
Delightful animated film with great voice acting
neroville31 July 2008
I picked this DVD up at Comic-Con, because I saw that Chris Sarandon was in it, and I've always been a fan of his. I had no idea what awaited me when I popped it into the DVD player, but I loved it! "The Chosen One" is a quirky, delightful animated feature with a relaxed, offbeat sense of humor that compliments its sincerity.
The plot- involving the adventures of a dweeby everyguy named Lou who discovers his superpowers, and encounters temptation in the form of Lucifer (Tim Curry)- is familiar, but it's not bland or formulaic. The everyguy hero is a doofus, but he's smart; his sidekicks are endearing, and the story takes a number of unexpected twists and turns. The voice acting is especially fine. Tim Curry makes a terrific Lucifer, both dapper and ominous, and Chris Sarandon is hilarious- and nearly unrecognizable- in the role of Zebulon Kirk, Lou's ancient roommate. As for the animation, I loved the character designs- I found them adorable- and the whole look of the movie was refreshingly non-CGI'ed. "The Chosen One" manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it!
The plot- involving the adventures of a dweeby everyguy named Lou who discovers his superpowers, and encounters temptation in the form of Lucifer (Tim Curry)- is familiar, but it's not bland or formulaic. The everyguy hero is a doofus, but he's smart; his sidekicks are endearing, and the story takes a number of unexpected twists and turns. The voice acting is especially fine. Tim Curry makes a terrific Lucifer, both dapper and ominous, and Chris Sarandon is hilarious- and nearly unrecognizable- in the role of Zebulon Kirk, Lou's ancient roommate. As for the animation, I loved the character designs- I found them adorable- and the whole look of the movie was refreshingly non-CGI'ed. "The Chosen One" manages to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it!
Hilarious AND good for the soul!
almanzan271 August 2008
I saw this film in an advanced screening and was extremely impressed. It has a unique tone, successfully blending its wacky humor and nerdy references with some surprisingly stimulating religious commentary. From the opening scene, we're seduced by Tim Curry's velvety-voiced Lucifer who tells the story of perpetual slacker, Lou, and his mysterious destiny. As the narrative unfolds, what is so fresh and original about this film is the on slot of quirky gags and eccentric supporting characters, all products of the extreme reverence and appreciation for movie geekdom that this film exudes. The film also successfully rides the difficult line of poking fun at religious traditions while never feeling mean-spirited. Instead it teeters between cynical and genuinely sweet in its existential wanderings, while still managing to throw in some soccer-playing ninjas and robots, a hilarious peek into the complex chain of Beelzebub's inner spy network, and a random imaginary mech. What?! Yeah...I highly recommend this film.
Great fun
TheLittleSongbird2 October 2011
Having seen The Chosen One online very recently, I was looking forward to it anyway but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I mean I figured I would, but this much? I am a fan of animation, and loved the style used. It is a colourful and unique style with good character designs and fluid background art. The soundtrack is fitting and memorable, and while the story is perhaps not groundbreaking in a way effort is made to not make it too bland, formulaic or predictable.
When it comes to the humour, The Chosen One is hilarious. The dialogue is clever and sharp, with a touch of cynicism and quirkiness too. The characters are engaging and quite eccentric, my personal favourite being Lucifer for how dapper and sinister he is. The voice acting is terrific, Chad Fifer is appealing, Chris Sarandon is hilarious, Danielle Fishel is suitably sassy and Lance Henrikssen is interesting and distinctive. Best of all is Tim Curry, his velvety and sophisticated voice over is one of the main assets for Lucifer working so well as a character, and Curry is simply superb in a role that was tailor-made for him.
All in all, great fun essentially. 9/10 Bethany Cox
When it comes to the humour, The Chosen One is hilarious. The dialogue is clever and sharp, with a touch of cynicism and quirkiness too. The characters are engaging and quite eccentric, my personal favourite being Lucifer for how dapper and sinister he is. The voice acting is terrific, Chad Fifer is appealing, Chris Sarandon is hilarious, Danielle Fishel is suitably sassy and Lance Henrikssen is interesting and distinctive. Best of all is Tim Curry, his velvety and sophisticated voice over is one of the main assets for Lucifer working so well as a character, and Curry is simply superb in a role that was tailor-made for him.
All in all, great fun essentially. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Great fun for everyone
billbeaumont19 January 2012
A friend had a copy of this film and we watched it the other day. It is great! The script is well crafted and funny, the voice acting has great performances from some incredible voice talent including the amazing Tim Curry and the irrepressible Chad Fifer. The art and animation style is fresh and entertaining and supports the story well. The story is great too. It's a classic tale of zero to hero that is delivered well, has great pacing and gripped all of us right from the start. If I had to do one of those 'it's movie A meets movie B' things I'd say it's South Park meets Dogma meets Matrix. I hope this doesn't do the film an injustice - it takes elements of each of those films and bundles them together with a huge portion of originality and creates a great audience experience on every level. Great film. Buy it. Watch it. Love it.
Spiritual Truth
realbaddy15 October 2010
Don't be fooled by it's animation style or silly ideas, there's THE great spiritual truth in it which few seemed to grasp and therefore, unfortunately, rated it badly. It's maybe the most original and funny way to deliver these ideas to a broader audience, or at least those that have eyes to see.
You might be offended if your very religious, or deem it ridiculous as an atheist... so there aren't many people left, but this movie is for you! It's really smart and contains the potential to change your outlook on life, purpose and the big "why?"
There are some interesting references to the mindset behind the curtain but what really makes this gem shine is its message, which beats The Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars and even The Matrix. Yes, it's that important.
9/10 Because there's no 10 in this dimension.
You might be offended if your very religious, or deem it ridiculous as an atheist... so there aren't many people left, but this movie is for you! It's really smart and contains the potential to change your outlook on life, purpose and the big "why?"
There are some interesting references to the mindset behind the curtain but what really makes this gem shine is its message, which beats The Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars and even The Matrix. Yes, it's that important.
9/10 Because there's no 10 in this dimension.
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