57
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe film's look is impressive; it's the most successful rotoscoping effort to date (far surpassing Richard Linklater's duo of "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly"), and causes every frame to drip atmosphere.
- 80The New YorkerAnthony LaneThe New YorkerAnthony LaneOne of the year’s more luscious releases, offering not just the sleekest car chase but the most romantic of rainstorms.
- 70VarietyLisa NesselsonVarietyLisa NesselsonA melancholy actioner that shines a new light on film noir. A sort of "The Third Man" for the 21st century, chiaroscuro curio's level of graphic invention is exceeded only by its pleasingly mournful approach.
- 67The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurraySome kind of wonderment.
- 60Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustA visually wondrous experience in high-contrast black and white, bogged down by a slow, underwrought story and uninvolving characters. It would be easy to dismiss it as another great-looking film with little else to offer, but that wouldn't be entirely true.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumConnoisseurs of digital animation, graphic novels, and the history of dystopian art will have plenty to discuss about Christian Volckman's visually striking, technically impressive black-and-white animated feature Renaissance…But no one will be talking about the movie's banal plot, the trite dialogue, or any of the indistinguishable characters who offer a bleak futuristic vision of cinema that's all style, no soul.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterPitched as "animation for adults," Renaissance will find an audience among those in the 20-35 age group who enjoy graphic novels, but will disappoint anyone hoping for emotional or intellectual sustenance.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceFor a little while, the film is dazzling. Then it's dizzying. Then it's just kind of . . . wearying. That's not because it's in black-and-white; so was "Sin City". There's just something terribly, tragically dull about Renaissance.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenOver the course of 105 minutes, the brutal high contrast begins to strain the eyes. Effectively moody as it is, the style makes a convoluted story of corporate greed, high-tech espionage and science run amok even more difficult to follow.
- 40L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorThe director is Christian Volckman, whose skills as an animator greatly exceed his grasp of an idea worth pursuing.