Review of Emesis Blue

Emesis Blue (2023)
10/10
A historic achievement of SFM storytelling
11 March 2023
I wasn't sure what to expect going into Emesis Blue, but I have to say, it's beyond incredible. In the past, I've considered Spy's Disguise to be my favorite SFM movie and a standout in quality and production value, yet this blows it out of the water.

The animation is realistic, with characters having a real depth to them. Ludwig and Doe are excellent protagonists, with badass moments and moments of human vulnerability. Even the side characters have hints at their own stories, with their distinct models and personalities helping them stand out in their own right. While the movie clearly has its basis in canon Team Fortress 2 lore, it also has plenty of its own twists and additions, with cool and memorable characters that you won't forget.

As a surreal horror/mystery thriller, Emesis Blue performs extremely well. The imagery is haunting, in no small part thanks to the cinematic look and feel of the whole movie. Every frame's a poster (in fact, Fortress Films did actually release hundreds of 4K posters on their Patreon). The voice acting is superb, much better than you'd expect from a fan project like this (calling it that feels like a disservice at this point).

I'm able to follow the main gist of the story, yet there's still a great deal left to interpretation. Some people feel that the story is too confusing - I'd say that you're really not supposed to understand everything on your first watch. That would defeat the point of the mystery, no? What's important is that you understand the premise, and you can follow the basic plot as it progresses. You don't need a Ph. D. to tell that some messed up stuff is happening in the Slaughterhouse.

This movie is free to watch on YouTube, but if I had to buy an actual ticket to watch it at a theatre, I would've done it in a heartbeat.
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