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143 reviews in total

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Very insightful and unique, 25 June 2004

Author: David (davidals@msn.com) from Chapel Hill, NC, USA

I was finally able to see AVALON, after a recommendation from an especially insightful friend, and I was glad that I did - I'm not usually a big sci-fi fan, but I found AVALON to be very imaginatively made, and full of food for thought. The overall story (well-summarized in other reviews here) is fairly lean, which for me wasn't a problem - the open symbolism of the film invites plenty of meditation upon themes of illusion, honor, faith and addiction, and how those themes surface in ways beyond the obvious in the everyday world we live in. Not necessarily original ideas, but they are well-handled here; the lonesomeness and technological obsessiveness of the characters is definitely cautionary, and definitely underscores the sweetness and value of simple, un-technological human contact.

I did find that AVALON, in its' structure, pleasantly reminded me of several other Japanese films I've liked in the recent past - like CURE, after life, SUICIDE CLUB and the pulp cinema of Seijun Suzuki (and the mind-bending fiction of Haruki Murakami), the rather open ending (not everything wraps up neatly) challenges an audience - in the most generous of ways - to draw conclusions of their own, rather than neatly serving up the directors' own opinions, and in this the meditative pacing (which also recalls some Russian film) is absolutely approriate. And like some of those other films, I'd suspect that it seems stronger with a second viewing.

All-in-all, highly inventive and thoughtful, and more complex than other reviewers have credited it for being.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Story is sparse, 16 May 2004
Author: cruikshankster from Vancouver, Canada

I cannot argue with the reviews that claim the cinematography is extraordinary. The visuals are beautiful. The story, however, is very very thin on the ground. I am not surprised that it never made it big in cinemas.

I'd be surprised if the dialogue took up more than 20 pages on a script.

That being said, it is a very unique film and one that I would recommend to the hardcore scifi/anime/pop-philosophy fans. Don't expect this movie to blow your mind though.

Things that would have made this film better: - Faster pacing - More dialogue - Better character development (I make a parallel to character development in Equilibrium - I consider this film similar but more successful in that the characters at some point gain some depth. This movie doesn't achieve that.)

I suspect that much of the hype surrounding this movie is carried on two points: - Reputation of director - Visual effects

I'm sorry, but in an age where visual effects is something that every film can master, little things like character development and dialogue are extremely important.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Unimaginative, boring and pretentious, 17 December 2003
Author: HarryWarden from United States

AVALON is a film that's nowhere deep as it thinks it is. It's one of those stories that spends it's entire time beating a single idea into your head that could've been conveyed in the space of 2 minutes.

Essentially, it's a movie where NOTHING happens. And I'm not just talking about action. Story, dialogue, character development...it's all about as active as a stillborn baby.

At about 1/5 of the way through the film, we're treated to a long montage showing every scene that has happened up to that point. Wow. Not since the 15 minute car ride sequence in Tarkovsky's 'Solaris' has an art film completely delved into such pretentious bullsh-...*ahem*...pardon me, "reflection."

Nope...Oshi is not "ahead of his time." He simply copies the style of other clueless arthouse filmmakers who think they're breaking the mold. Avoid this like the plague...and seek out something with some real imagination and intelligence.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Great movie!, 12 August 2003
Author: Wilpuri from Finland

Beautiful, peaceful and unique movie. This movie must be one of the best Sci-fi movies ever. People always complain, that this movie is "empty". This movie is supposed to be EMPTY!!!! It's intentional! The lives of the characters in this movie are empty. All they think or talk about is the game. This movie is about the effects of technology to social life of human beings...

Other people often compare this movie to The Matrix... It's really, really annoying. Okay... there's definitely some similarities, but they're not stolen from The Matrix. Actually The Matrix stole many elements from Mamoru Oshiis (director of this movie) Ghost in the Shell (but somewhy nobody's saying that The Matrix is ripping-off Ghost In The Shell). Avalon is calm and beautiful movie and The Matrix is fast paced actionmovie with John Woo/Johnnie To/Tsui Hark type fighting/shooting scenes, so don't try to compare these movies. They're both good movies, but DIFFERENT!

Watch this movie. Don't think about The Matrix while watching. Just WATCH the movie and ENJOY (And be blown away by the awesome musics by Kawai)!

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
One of those great films that no one has heard of..., 27 July 2003

Author: matthewmrussell from New York, New York

This is almost like a "Matrix meets Thirteenth Floor" of sorts, minus all the second-to- second fast pased action. If you like to be intregued by your movies (especially ones that are action-esque) then just watch this movie, you will surely like it... even more if you like computer games.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
A very different must-see movie, 25 July 2003

Author: lowweek from Paris, France

To start, I'll say that Avalon is one of my favorite movie, because it has quite no flaws in every aspect.

Now, let's develop ! First, I'll say that this movie has nothing to be compared to Matrix. The universes are really different and the plot also : Avalon is supposed to be a game and not the fake reality that machines built for us. To my opinion, if there is one movie to be compared to Avalon, it is "La Jetée" (The Pier) by Chris Marker.

The colors are superb and the large amount of visual FX are innovative and very story-driven : they are not here to distract you from a poor script like in many FX-driven movies. The story is very complete, and what a marvelous idea to locate the movie in Poland. It adds a unique atmosphere to the whole film : sets, music, actors,... So many good details (the dog, the fixed people, the starving gamer, the arthurian symbols...). This scenario is an example of creativity and story-telling.

Next, the actors : they are very well chosen, the character of Ash being more and more interesting with its "fire and ice" aspect : strong in the game, broken in life. Again, the choice of Polish actors is a great idea as they don't "overact" in front of the cam, unlike many American actors do (sorry!).

Next, the music. I was fan of Kenji Kawai's previous works, but there, I've been stunned : Avalon is probably one of the best original soundtrack. So various, so well arranged and recorded. This alone justifies the fact that if you love independent, creative movies, Avalon is a must-see.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Surprisingly good, 31 March 2003
Author: arluijen (arluijen@dolfijn.nl) from Deventer, Netherlands

This is one of those movies from which you would expect it to be disappointing. It is supposed to be a good sci-fi but as soon as you start watching, most of the time it turns out to be a rude copy of an original golden oldie or something which, with the budget of george lucas, might have been something worth watching. This one is neither. Although it shows that it has been made without the special FX techniques, it is a surprisingly good movie. The atmosphere it creates is pretty unique and the fact that you don't really know what is real, where the game stops and when reality kicks in, is something I have only experienced in The Matrix or Existenz. Therefore, if you like a sci fi that puzzles you and you don't mind listening to Polish while reading subtitles, this is quite a good movie.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
This is what real-life manga should be about, 17 March 2003

Author: deathtostefan from Netherlands

This film is a must-see for everyone who enjoys manga or anime. Most of the times real-life mangas end up as corny hollywood productions which should be avoided at all costs (I'm referring to movies such as Mortal Combat or Streetfighter, if you liked these, please skip Avalon because you won't get it, and probably will only be able to complain). This movie, on the other hand, bears all the characteristics of Mamoru Oshii's previous animated features: the slow pace, the settings, the use of color and especially shadows, the camera angles, which make this movie a stunning, visual experience. The beautiful music and the use of sound (or the lack of it at times) efficiently enhance the atmosphere. What I also found to be quite funny was the use of Polish actors, and hence the Polish language, throughout a film that is so typically Japanese. Well, maybe that's just me. :-) All in all I loved it, and I have bought the DVD (with four-and-a-half hours of bonus material, mind that), so I can watch Avalon another couple of times to get to all the depths of this film and its storyline, because I now know one thing for sure, it's going to be worth the effort.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
One Of Those "Ahead Of Its Time" Movies., 10 February 2003

Author: Jordan-M (jammastajordan@aol.com) from Sunny, Southern California

Avalon is one of the most different films I've ever seen. This is a good thing! Very rarely does a film like this come along, a film that makes one question the way other films are made.

Of course, Avalon isn't so much a cinematic experience as much as it is a visual work of art. It was daring how they decided to present everything in a sepia tone - a throwback to silent films, which resulted in some striking visuals. Even a virtual war-torn world managed to look gorgeous.

The story, contrary to popular belief, isn't as complicated or confusing as many have said it is. It's rather simple - the main characters' struggle with reality and unreality - and trying to find the difference between the two.

As for the pace, yes it's slow. Of course, if you have this thing called an "attention span" you shouldn't mind. Because even though there aren't explosions every five minutes, there is conversation. When there isn't conversation, there's atmosphere. Try taking some of it in while watching! The music, as most have said, is simply astounding.

In conclusion, "Avalon" is probably one of those titles that will never be fully appreciated, and will find its place with a small cult following. It's unfortunate, really, because the film deserves better.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
A film is a film, not a book., 13 November 2002
Author: ZebraCobaltis from London

I was so looking forward to this movie, and I so wanted to like it. After Hayao Miyazaki, Mamoru Oshii is probably my favourite anime director. I loved Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell. That's why I was monumentally disappointed with Avalon. Maybe it was too much to expect that the transition to live action would be smooth or seamless for Oshii. The movie plays as though it was conceived and shot as an animation. There's plenty of dark, moody ambiance and soul-searching facial close-ups but most of the story comes from the dialogue. The other problem is that the plot seems to be abandoned occasionally and the film then becomes a kind of promo for Kenji Kawai's not-unpleasant music score. It all adds up to something that feels laboured and directionless for much of the time. The opening scene is fantastic but once that's over the film struggles to maintain interest and pace. When I got the gist of the story I found myself hoping that the overall ropy-ness was somehow intentional but alas no. Very poor.

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