Black and White, two brothers, claim to own Treasure Town, the city where they live. Life is both peaceful and violent here, ruled by the stray Cats who act as they please. But things spiral out of control for Black and White when they are forced to defend themselves (and their city) from not only the Yakuza but a dark, more sinister and supernatural evil.
A lot was said about 'Tekkonkinkreet', which is why I thought it would be a good movie to see. My knowledge of Japanese animation is limited (Studio Ghibli is as far as it stretches, really), so this was meant to be an opportunity to expand my horizons.
So I was a little let down. I was really wanting this film to blow my mind; instead, it was somewhat average and nothing else. It's not a bad film by any means. The story is a strong one, and I liked how the supernatural elements of the film were integrated with the gritty reality. That was never jarring and, frankly, animated films allow you to suspend disbelief with so much more ease. My problem was with the story – I was just never that engaged. I liked the dynamic between the two central characters (even with their ridiculously obvious names), but not enough to carry me through the two hours. By the end, I was just waiting for it to end. Which isn't good.
But here's why the film is still worth watching – the animation. The art is spectacular, with a superb attention to detail in everything, from wrinkled faces to individual faces in crowds. I watched it in Blu-Ray too, so it was that much more sharper and the colours were so striking and beautiful. It had the same effect on me that Avatar did – I was in awe of the visuals, but fell asleep once the novelty wore off. Yep, I ended up having to watch the second half the next day, simply because I just couldn't enjoy the movie enough to stay awake.
'Tekkonkinkreet' suffers from a story that maybe can't be condensed into a screenplay, and I will safely presume that the original comic is probably fantastic. But as a film, it just doesn't work. Try and see it for the sheer brilliance of the animation but, personally, not much else is must-see here.
A lot was said about 'Tekkonkinkreet', which is why I thought it would be a good movie to see. My knowledge of Japanese animation is limited (Studio Ghibli is as far as it stretches, really), so this was meant to be an opportunity to expand my horizons.
So I was a little let down. I was really wanting this film to blow my mind; instead, it was somewhat average and nothing else. It's not a bad film by any means. The story is a strong one, and I liked how the supernatural elements of the film were integrated with the gritty reality. That was never jarring and, frankly, animated films allow you to suspend disbelief with so much more ease. My problem was with the story – I was just never that engaged. I liked the dynamic between the two central characters (even with their ridiculously obvious names), but not enough to carry me through the two hours. By the end, I was just waiting for it to end. Which isn't good.
But here's why the film is still worth watching – the animation. The art is spectacular, with a superb attention to detail in everything, from wrinkled faces to individual faces in crowds. I watched it in Blu-Ray too, so it was that much more sharper and the colours were so striking and beautiful. It had the same effect on me that Avatar did – I was in awe of the visuals, but fell asleep once the novelty wore off. Yep, I ended up having to watch the second half the next day, simply because I just couldn't enjoy the movie enough to stay awake.
'Tekkonkinkreet' suffers from a story that maybe can't be condensed into a screenplay, and I will safely presume that the original comic is probably fantastic. But as a film, it just doesn't work. Try and see it for the sheer brilliance of the animation but, personally, not much else is must-see here.