Although the content may seem a little harsh to some viewers I found it to be quite amusing. The concept of your final reward being the same regardless of your actions on earth (or in that very after life) strikes me as a creepy kind of practical joke by the cosmos. Perhaps he was an evil person in life and was in hell from the very beginning. This is simply the fates way of adding insult to injury (or irony to eternity in this case.) I can think of nothing worse than an eternity of nothingness and confusion (except of course for having to sit through an eternity of academy awards shows.)
13 Reviews
I Got The Joke
Theo Robertson10 March 2014
This seems to have split the reviewers here straight down the middle . I just caught it and had to bare in mind that this was done away back in 2001 . Since then 3D animation has come forward in leaps and bounds to the point one might become blasé about the whole concept and the animation here would have seemed genuinely impressive back in the day of its production . I did like the story which is constructed in much the same way as " There was a Scotsman , Englishman and Irishman and they walk in to a pub and .. " with the entire story being built up to a punch line . I also think there's a subtext here that many people spend far too much time in front of a television , games console or laptop screen so I'm guessing it hits home to all us contributors who spend far too much time on the IMDb
Three nice minutes of your time
rbverhoef19 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
'Fifty Percent Grey' takes only three minutes of your time to watch and you might as well give it that. It shows a soldier waking up in a grey area, empty except for a television and a video recorder. He plays the tape which tells him he is dead and the place he is seeing is heaven. He decides to shoot himself waking up in the same place, although the television and video recorder have changed a little. I will leave the clue for you to discover.
This may not be a great animated short, it definitely works. There even seems a little hidden theme in the way the place looks like, especially when he wakes up two more times after he has shot himself. The animation is good, the Oscar nominated film itself quite entertaining.
This may not be a great animated short, it definitely works. There even seems a little hidden theme in the way the place looks like, especially when he wakes up two more times after he has shot himself. The animation is good, the Oscar nominated film itself quite entertaining.
Delicious irony
bagelvendorman10 May 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I had the good fortune to see this short in The Animation Show (both in the theatres and on my new DVD) and it was one of my favorites in the program.
A soldier wakes up in a endless plane of grey and white with a gaping hole in his stomach. Nearby he finds a brand new widescreen TV which informs him he is dead and in heaven. Not wanting to be stuck here for eternity, he promply blows his brains out.
This short is cleverly ironic in that the soldier starts a hero, turns into a coward and ultimately ends up a fool. A well animated short...well deserved of its Oscar nommination.
Grade: A
A soldier wakes up in a endless plane of grey and white with a gaping hole in his stomach. Nearby he finds a brand new widescreen TV which informs him he is dead and in heaven. Not wanting to be stuck here for eternity, he promply blows his brains out.
This short is cleverly ironic in that the soldier starts a hero, turns into a coward and ultimately ends up a fool. A well animated short...well deserved of its Oscar nommination.
Grade: A
The Anti-Pixar?
injury-6544722 May 2020
Heaven -> Purgatory -> Hell.
An interesting concept. Feels rather Matrix and video game inspired. Why is there no Horror Genre attached to this title, as I definitely think it fits the category?
A good little slice of existential despair, but overall it feels like a curiosity rather than a must-see short.
An interesting concept. Feels rather Matrix and video game inspired. Why is there no Horror Genre attached to this title, as I definitely think it fits the category?
A good little slice of existential despair, but overall it feels like a curiosity rather than a must-see short.
Somber irony
Rectangular_businessman26 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Imdb labels this as a "comedy", but I don't really see this as something humorous. Not even as a dark comedy, but as some sort of existentialist piece, portraying a rather bleak and nihilistic view of the afterlife. And maybe human existence as well.
On a rewatch, I actually found the plot way too somber to find any comical aspect from this, being borderline horror on its dark ending.
An interesting minimalist animation, but definately not a comedy. Morbidly ironic? Maybe. But it's the kind of irony that makes you feel depressed rather than laughing.
The type of irony Lovecraft was talking when he said "The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind".
On a rewatch, I actually found the plot way too somber to find any comical aspect from this, being borderline horror on its dark ending.
An interesting minimalist animation, but definately not a comedy. Morbidly ironic? Maybe. But it's the kind of irony that makes you feel depressed rather than laughing.
The type of irony Lovecraft was talking when he said "The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind".
90% Perfect
Frambrick8 April 2002
Though this film is more clever than impressive, its blending of styles and the texture of the movie in general should have beat out the God awful "For the Birds" for the Oscar. The animation is first rate and the gorestick is classy as hell. The movie would be like a cross between Chuck Jones and Sam Rami if only the soldier looked like Bruce Campbell.
Disturbing
Hitchcoc2 November 2021
A soldier awakens, probably from battle, and faces a television screen. It says he is to be congratulated and that he is dead and welcome to hell. What follows is bloody and violent as he tries to off himself. He is a striking figure who is damned for eternity.
Short and Sweet
Polaris_DiB26 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This short film functions like a good joke with one of those punchlines that keeps you thinking and laughing about it for long afterward. A soldier awakes in a place that's fifty percent white, fifty percent gray, with only a television to denote landscape. Imagine that scene in the Matrix where Morpheus teaches Neo what exactly the Matrix is. The soldier turns on the television and learns that he's dead...
...and the rest would be ruining the joke. Just take my word for it that it's very bitter, very funny, and very worth it.
The animation's pretty good. I think one of the best parts about it is the timing and editing, considering the humor aspect of it. It's not the completely beautiful fully developed animation that we're slowly getting used to and beginning to expect, but it serves its purpose effectively here, and that's what matters the most.
--PolarisDiB
...and the rest would be ruining the joke. Just take my word for it that it's very bitter, very funny, and very worth it.
The animation's pretty good. I think one of the best parts about it is the timing and editing, considering the humor aspect of it. It's not the completely beautiful fully developed animation that we're slowly getting used to and beginning to expect, but it serves its purpose effectively here, and that's what matters the most.
--PolarisDiB
Glad 'For The Birds' Beat This Out
ccthemovieman-125 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I agree totally with another of the reviewers here who was pleased "For The Birds" won the Oscar in 2002 for "Best Animated Short," not this sick material, which is pretentious at best and appealing to anyone, of course, who has no belief in heaven or hell.
The animation was good, but so are a lot of animated shorts. And, by the way, I love dark humor but this just was unappealing from the start.
As for the story here: a guy walking around and surrounded by nothing but grey (symbolism here) is told by a TV set (which appears every few hundred yards away) that he is in either heaven, hell, or purgatory. Each time he puts a gun to his head and shoots himself after hearing the news. I guess that would be funny in two of the three instances.
The animation was good, but so are a lot of animated shorts. And, by the way, I love dark humor but this just was unappealing from the start.
As for the story here: a guy walking around and surrounded by nothing but grey (symbolism here) is told by a TV set (which appears every few hundred yards away) that he is in either heaven, hell, or purgatory. Each time he puts a gun to his head and shoots himself after hearing the news. I guess that would be funny in two of the three instances.
Nice graphics, but amazingly depressing and unsatisfying
planktonrules8 February 2008
This film was a nominee for the Oscar for Best Animated Short for 2002. The film that won that year was FOR THE BIRDS--a film I enjoyed much more than FIFTY PERCENT GREY. While FIFTY was a nice film to look at graphically, the story didn't catch my attention. Plus, it was awfully depressing and unsatisfying. Now I am NOT saying that films or short films must be funny and sweet like FOR THE BIRDS (heck, I like a dark film as much as the next person), but here it just didn't catch my attention and the film didn't seem particularly noteworthy. Perhaps it was a slow year for the Oscars or perhaps I just don't see it the way others do (and this is very, very possible). It's just that the final punchline didn't seem all that funny or interesting. Sorry.
Great animation in search of a story
MovieAlien21 February 2002
There were few or no technical flaws in this short, which in 3 minutes follows a lone soldier in eternity (a completely white horizon with TVs and VCRs that tell him where he is). He tries multiple rounds of suicide, but he wakes up at every instance, and he's in a different part of the same place (according to the TV).
Who is this guy? How did he get there? I think if this film were more developed it has potential of being something very groundbreaking. However, you can't fault the sound, which is extremely tight.
Who is this guy? How did he get there? I think if this film were more developed it has potential of being something very groundbreaking. However, you can't fault the sound, which is extremely tight.
Okay premise, not so good elaboration
Horst_In_Translation14 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Fifty Percent Grey" is a bit of a confusing title for this 3-minute short film by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson. Apparently a man is dead, at least that is what he hears in a television running. Then he suddenly has a gun in his hand and this scenario repeats itself a couple times. A very short animated movie and I wonder what the Academy saw in it exactly to nominate it for an Oscar, because I do not see it. At least they gave the win to the superior Pixar entry. It is not a bad film by any means and the animation is pretty solid for example, but to me there is nothing memorable about it at all, which makes me a bit baffled about its success. I do not recommend it, but if you want to decide on your own, you can go for it. It is only 3 minutes long like I said, so no time is wasted. or almost none. Still a thumbs-down from me.
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