The animation is undeniably first class. I wavered between "gorgeous" and "very pretty" whilst watching. As much as I wanted to give this film better marks, though, it's impossible to get past the sheer silliness of the script. Its unlovely bones are a jumbled mishmash of legends, myths, and tired tropes.
Cartoonish eruptions of mindless video-game violence don't help either. Why in the world must a helicopter gunship and masked villains be thrust into the action? Further on, the big fellow who seeks his lost love has an amazing ability to pluck various supplies out of thin air, such as a bulky submachine gun that very clearly wasn't hiding under his clothes or in a backpack that he didn't even have with which to begin. The insulting suggestion of unlimited ammunition made its sly appearance as well. :/
Without belaboring painful plot holes and numerous other problems, the entire production is a disappointing betrayal of the promise of delight held forth by the introduction of so many potentially rich ideas. It's as if a group of educated but stoned scriptwriters dashed this off near midnight of the day before the final deadline, and the producer sighed and did what was possible to lavishly illustrate a chaotic mess. Frankly, virtually the only bright spot other than the outstanding art was the combination of an entirely sympathetic heroine and her believably loving mother. I expected better. Much better. -_-
Cartoonish eruptions of mindless video-game violence don't help either. Why in the world must a helicopter gunship and masked villains be thrust into the action? Further on, the big fellow who seeks his lost love has an amazing ability to pluck various supplies out of thin air, such as a bulky submachine gun that very clearly wasn't hiding under his clothes or in a backpack that he didn't even have with which to begin. The insulting suggestion of unlimited ammunition made its sly appearance as well. :/
Without belaboring painful plot holes and numerous other problems, the entire production is a disappointing betrayal of the promise of delight held forth by the introduction of so many potentially rich ideas. It's as if a group of educated but stoned scriptwriters dashed this off near midnight of the day before the final deadline, and the producer sighed and did what was possible to lavishly illustrate a chaotic mess. Frankly, virtually the only bright spot other than the outstanding art was the combination of an entirely sympathetic heroine and her believably loving mother. I expected better. Much better. -_-