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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
A brilliant masterpiece, 3 February 2002
Author: Wolf from England

I recently saw the UK Premiere of this movie at the London Sci-Fi Festival and I was blown away. It was fantastic. A lonely woman is driven to seeking more danger and greater challenges but looses herself so much in the game that everyone plays, named 'Avalon' that she seems to loose track of herself. A Secret area, 'Special A' is where she goes to seek a man she knows, whose mind was lost in Avalon, leaving his body in the 'real' world, a vegetable. The ending leaves nothing clear, but bring audiences to consider what truly is reality.

5 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Film Is Much Better Than Miramax's Poor Pitch., 19 October 2004

Author: sundown321 from Long Beach, CA

"The Matrix" touched on a few subjects that hadn't been discussed in film (especially an 'action' film) since "Blade Runner". 'What is Reality?' and 'Is there purpose to life?' and 'Is there more than what I am seeing?' are common questions that are acknowledged in art.

The subject of virtual reality and the nature of reality is not new (read William Gibson's 'Neuromancer'), but Mamoru Oshii manages to do something that is rarely done in cinema, or at least rarely done well. That is make you feel something that is intangible and beyond words. "Ghost in the Shell" did this for me as well as such monumental films as "2001". This film is in that class, I believe.

The only suggestions I have to those that are interested in watching "Avalon" is don't believe Miramax (who botched the American DVD) and their hype about comparing this film to "The Matrix". They want to sell it to Matrix fans. They think it is a hard sell. But other than the virtual reality aspect, there is not much that these two films have in common. Also, watch the film with subtitles, if you have the Miramax version. The dub leaves a lot to be desired, and hearing the film in Polish gives the film a different feel and complements the imagery.

People interested in ideas and art will enjoy this film. It is not an 'action' film.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Avalon - True magic, a masterful work of art, 8 February 2006

Author: twj61 from United States

Mamoru Oshii's "Avalon" is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's on par with "Blade Runner". This movie is truly ground-breaking cinema. The photography is fantastic. Tremendous thought went into the coloring of scenes - shading, lighting, and angles. Absolutely breathtaking! From heart-pounding moments of shock to quiet corners of solitude, this movie carries your soul to the furthest reaches of human experience. The sound track is marvelous, stunning, thrilling. The choral and orchestral contributions are refined and balanced, easily lifting you to climaxes expression, then drawing you to glide to imperceptible moments of lull. A work of art that will send shivers down your spine, warm your heart and fill your mind with deep thoughts. I will continue to watch this movie over and over again for the rest of my life. Way ahead of it's time. It is so unusual to find such a perfect combination of plot, special effects, orchestral arrangement, acting and inspirational settings. The depth of theory that underlies this philosophical tome of cinematography filled my soul with wonderment throughout each moment of this triumphant film. This movie is destined to be a classic in the annals of movie making! If there was a god, he has undoubtedly gently drawn breath through the artists who collaborated on this project. A masterwork of untouchable excellence!

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Just shy of brilliant, 28 September 2001

Author: patrob1 from Los Angeles

Although not a terribly original story (see other review's movie list) Avalon has many positives that make me want to see it again. The cinematography is beautiful- most of the film is monochromatic and contrasty with very well blocked scenes. The acting is very solid. The soundtrack is astounding as with other Kenji Kawai works. The effects range from amazing to 'not too distracting', but most are on par or above. My only major dislike was the terrible editing (most notable in the first hour) which stole much of the energy and emotional impact from many scenes. (I hope when Miramax release Avalon in the US they re-edit it.) Personal, minor dislikes: the sound effects were a little tinny, and the choice of music track from Kawai's (very powerful) score matched up with some scenes left me scratching my head a couple of times. Overall though a beautiful, entertaining film worth watching (esp. if you like Ghost in the Shell or play UT or QA).

3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
A great visual movie, more geared towards filmmakers., 9 April 2001
Author: tkim123 from South Korea

I thought the film was great looking, but a little slow. There are so many subtle details that you miss watching the first time. Also, it's a good idea to know some Arthurian legend before you see this film, because the story is closely based on the legend. There are alot of references to the legend that I didn't get. It's not going to blow your socks off, but it's a good film for the computer gamers out there.

4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Great Merit!, 28 December 2003
Author: Christopher Dallas (christopher.dallas@home.com) from United States

Consider that there are many movies that earn praise for their style and presentation where content might otherwise lack. This is ironically a visually alluring film even though it is through sepia tones. The music is great. The faux operetta 'Avalon' reminds me of Hans Zimmer's aria in Hannibal. For anyone who enjoys the Dystopia genre (Bladerunner, 1984, Fahrenheit 451 etc.) this will be a contemporary addition. For those who were disappointed; you were expecting the wrong kind of movie.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Watch just for the music, 6 May 2006

Author: rbirge-1 from Coventry, CT, USA

What happens when you combine mystical Japanese computer art with a brooding Polish mythology that no matter how creative you are, your lives are controlled by others. An interesting story that has just enough clues to make it possible to follow, but with a few surprises and a few unanswered questions. But the best part of this movie is the music of Kenji Kawai that has a life of its own and will keep you rewinding the credits to hear it again and again. It appears that the Warsaw Philharmonic Symjphony Orchestra played much of the background music, and the quality is stunning. There is much to criticize in this film too, as there are too many unanswered questions left to the imagination of the viewer. When do we leave the game and reenter reality, or is reality the game, and Avalon is the only way to find a world worth exploring. And how can the main character go on for days without eating? Welcome to Avalon.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Best 'foreign film' I've seen in years.., 15 December 2005

Author: FaultRaider from Brownwood, Texas

An illegal virtual-reality war game with a twist. I'm a computer gamer, and caught this one on TV the other day and decided to sit down and watch something new. I absolutely loved it, the main character (Ash) being a bored gamer, looking for a new challenge. I love how the director showed Ash's uneventful life outside of the game; lonely train ride home, feeding her dog, no messages. Her past comes back to haunt her in the form of an old team-mate, who rehashes old war stories. He updates her on the former leader of their party, who went solo as she did, but never returned. Can a solo soldier succeed where entire parties have failed? Rent and find out..10/10!

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
which reality are you in?, 5 January 2004

Author: TanjBennett from Seattle

An interesting ambiguous story which is smart and subtle enough for you to still be thinking about at the end and might want to watch a second time - though, it is not tautly enough paced for that, instead it has pauses for you to think things through twice as you go along. If you are used to watching Japanese drama you will realize this is actually a compromise, somewhat faster than usual. Probably that is because the actors are Polish, and so the director just could not get them to work at the glacial emotion-nuanced Japanese pace. Net result, just relax, use the time to think things over, and most western viewers can get into it.

Some folks complain about the repetition in places. I don't want to spoil the story, but they've failed to understand something important. Think about what is repeated, and what is not. Oshii's normal genre is detective mysteries and you should not be surprised that he uses every aspect of the film to supply cues and clues.

And no it is neither the stupendous eye candy of Matrix nor, thankfully, the grandiose and stupid premise and dialogue of the Matrix. They are both stories about metareality but Avalon is more of a puzzle, less of a "blockbuster". The special effects are on a modest budget, competent and quite adequate to carry the story. Other than the interest in metarealities, there are no similarities.

The actors do a fine job. Only Ash has much script to work with, the other characters are pretty much ciphers.

The DVD is anamorphic, of good quality - especially when you reach the S-A scenes you can see the pictures are wonderful. So, don't adjust your set earlier on, the picture qualities you see are quite deliberate and part of the story. The dialog in Polish is clearly somewhat different from the English subtitles but the fragments I could understand matched up in essence, so it all works ok. The music track is rather muted. Some folks rave about the music but it is kept distant, unreachable - I suppose that is deliberate too.

There are two extras. A moderately interesting and mercifully brief description of the special effects techniques. And an almost disturbing interview with Oshii who seems not to be in the same reality as us - or at least me - already. The translation is loosely synched with his rambling japanese but the meaning is correctly carried over.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Somekind of masterpiece...., 2 January 2004
Author: human movie database from Cuijk, The Netherlands

Dear viewers,

I heard a lot about this movie, and when I saw it down at the shop. I just HAD to buy it. It's a wonderful film, TimeOut Filmguide described it as 'Somekind of masterpiece' and they're right. People who think they are going to see 'The Matrix' come out cheated just as some people did who gave comments. And they are right too. Oshii loves long shots where nothing happens, but it gives you an insight in what kind of person 'ASH' is. The person who wrote 'Huge dissapointent' said that Oshii repeats a whole piece of the movie but that falls into place in the end when she finds something out about 'Class Real'.

I think it is a masterpiece, I love the movie. And if you open your eyes and you let yourself be taken into that strange 'Avalon'-world. You will come out a different person!

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