Rockfish (2003) User Reviews

A fun ride!

[Flick_Montana · 8/10 · 2 March 2006]

In this nigh 9 minute short, a man and his pet "alien" turn the most boring beer-drinkingest "sport" in the world into a fun ride.

Blur is the capable 3D studio that churned out this little future fish tale. This story is about a nameless man and his pet whatever taking part in the only sport less sporty than golf, fishing. Yet somehow Blur manages to make it more than worth watching. Being a short as it is, there really isn't a deep story. Instead, Blur goes straight for the eye candy appeal.

If you put aside any preconceptions of depth, poltwise, and just enjoy the story for what it is, this short is quite entertaining. The visuals are top notch for 2003 and hold up well even 3 years later (something that is hard to do in the 3D field).

I'd recommend this short to anyone who likes pure unmussed action and visual glory. I can only sigh that they would make a longer version with Vin Diesel when there are real actors out there who would handle the job much better. But that is another story.

This future Finding Nemo gets 8/10 stars from me. Enjoy! ~Aaron

Rockfish has a plot

[tsjechie · 8/10 · 2 May 2007]

The story is not as much about a fisher as about a hunter. Set on a distant planet, a guy is fishing rockfish who roam underground. Only this time he met his nemesis, it's a HUGE one. And although he catches the rockfish, his gear doesn't survive the hunt. Some clues to the story behind this you see in the final Scene. A marker-stone in the dessert with "Miners beware" and some 7 successful catches marked. The guy then marks his catch onto the stone, only this one about 4 to 5 times as big.

A very nice animation in general (beautiful landscapes, machine and artifacts rendering), Some rough edges on character animation. Would be interesting to see how the remake (filming 2007) fills the other hour or so with sub-stories, sub-plots and character-development. (8 out of 10 for beautiful landscapes, wow-factor and pace)

Good animation, odd story

[Polaris_DiB · 7/10 · 5 November 2005]

A man in the future goes fishing with his dog(like creature), and in the process destroys his humongous futuristic car, millions of dollars of technology, and a lot of natural wonders. Fishing in the future must be a REAL sport.

As animation goes, it's fabulous. It's done in very state-of-the-art CG animation that puts some full-length features and Hollywood-produced works to shame.

In terms of story, it's not really that interesting, also considering the fact that all this stuff is destroyed, and for what? He doesn't claim the fish, or eat it, he's set alone in a desert with only his animal companion and nowhere to go... It lacks a lot of context, which makes it really strange and very difficult to relate to.

Still, it's very creative, what with all the futuristic technology and stuff. The guy strikes a pose as this fantastic action-adventure hero, the burly guy of our science fiction dreams, and he is, after all, doing the same thing a lot of men go out to do: fish with a dog and a beer.

It's interesting, I suppose, it's just that the action isn't that exciting when it doesn't really seem to have any context or point to it.

--PolarisDiB

A biting, insightful scifi satire... or a brainless action romp, you be the judge

[rooprect · 20 November 2014]

"Rockfish" was, in 2003, Blur Studio's most ambitious project which required the labors of computer graphics experts around the clock for 4 months. By today's standards, it's probably about as visually impressive as the latest video game. But in 2003 which is rapidly becoming ancient technological history, it was quite an achievement.

Reading the other reviews I see most people take this as a simple action/suspense/scifi short with no deep story or theme. That may be the case, and this may be simply a 2003 computer technology showcase. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there is a very subtle yet very powerful message here. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything...

The short begins with our hero Sirius Kirk arriving on a barren planet. By the way, we are never told his name and there is no dialogue. I just know his name from the comic strip this is based on. Sirius, a lantern jawed macho man, proceeds to use his giant ATV the size of Shea Stadium to drill a hole in the desert and drop a line. Joined by his dog-like creature, he lays back and starts to snooze. Suddenly he gets a bite. But it's no ordinary bite. The rest of the short takes us on a harrowing battle of man vs. beast, or hunter vs. prey.

In the first 2 minutes we see that this is the embellished story of a man who goes hunting with his dog. What you get from this animation depends on your opinion of hunting, particularly the hunting of rare & exotic creatures. The punchline, which I won't ruin, is very subtle but it tells me that the creators of this short are definitely hitting us with a dose of biting sarcasm. At least I hope they're being sarcastic, otherwise I would want to punch someone.

It reminds me of the excellent Veerhoven film "Starship Troopers" which, on the surface, is a straightforward heart-pounding scifi action flick about humans fighting the monsters. But the real point is that the definition of "monster" is arbitrary, and quite often the "monster" is the hero. Veerhoven is known for his ironic spins on things (like the great dark comedy action flick "Robocop"), but since I'm not familiar with Blur Studio's filmmakers, it's hard to be sure of their message. Also I'm from Canada, and Canadians don't get sarcasm (haha, that's a line from 30 Rock).

If you see this short, try to look beyond the action and see if you catch the same subtle irony I did. I hope that was the intent of the creators: to challenge us with a seemingly clearcut battle of good vs. evil that may not be what it seems. If I'm right, then this is a brilliant effort which really made me think hard about the human race. If I'm wrong, then it's just a mindless 9 minute animation with a lot of things whizzing by. Either way, give it a look.

Hooking The Big One

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 3 September 2008]

This is fishing in the 54th century, I guess, or "Tremors" on another planet, or some combination of the two.

It's very "sci-fi," very futuristic as we see a big, macho guy in his fancy rig on some desolate, rock-filled planet do his version of "fishing." He hooks the big one and it takes he and his pet dog-like creature on one wild ride along the rocky surface. When the "fish," finally emerges from the underground, you'll know what I mean about the reference to the film "Tremors."

There are no laughs in this animated short, but the graphics are excellent and it keeps you riveted to the screen for the full nine minutes. This is fishing like you've never seen it!

P.S. I didn't quite understand the ending but I don't think the story is going to capture most viewers, anyway, just the art and the action-packed sequences which will keep you wondering what exactly is beneath the earth that is so strong! Lovers of science fiction (and pets) should enjoy this.

Too sci-fi for my taste

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 11 January 2016]

"Rockfish" is an 8-minute animated short film from 13 years ago that managed an Annie Award nomination back then. It is the most known work by writer (co-wrote the script with 3 others) and director Tim Miller. This may change soon though as Miller directed "Deadpool", one of the most eagerly awaited works of 2016, which will come out in about a month from now. It'll be interesting how this one goes as Miller has not made a film since "Rockfish" in 2003, especially not in terms of live action. But back to "Rockfish". I did not enjoy the watch too much I have to say. For my taste, it was too much of science-fiction and special effects instead of an interesting and convincing story. The animation was decent, but did not blew me away either. This rock/sand planet certainly could have looked much more impressive. And the relationship between the two main characters left me rather unattached as well. Not recommended.