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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
201 .......................... 212
__________________________
June 9th
—— 2006 ——
Paprika
—— animation ——
REWATCH
I don’t think I have ever seen a movie that felt so much like a muddled mess, but at the same time so skillfully well-measured, when it came to the creative imagination and magnification of a full fantasy world… This animated feature is filled to the brim with infinite imaginative ideas, enormously ambitious concepts, wild visual constructions and weirdly captivating incoherent storytelling. Already by first few minutes, I immediately felt drawn into this world of wonderful compact conceptual settings, all clarified by a colossal color range, which helped separate every little detail within this specified scenery. Almost every single scene boosted with colorful luminosity, slowly lurking your mind into this big beautiful chaos…
The storyline heads in many different directions throughout, which is all set in motion at once when this dangerous “dream device” is stolen, which is usually used for therapists to enter the dreams of their patients to get a clearer understanding of their problems. ‘Paprika’ is simultaneously a dimensional chase through dreamlike landscapes to capture the bandit behind all this, before he abuses the risky abilities of this device, but it is also a story about a man’s overcoming with fears and face-offs with the past. It may sound overwhelming, which it sometimes is, but the film succeeds in creating a beautiful balance between every aspect without disappearing into its own hallucinations.
But unfortunately, even considering how the film held up greatly on a second viewing, it still couldn’t continue to live on cloud nine for the entirety of its otherwise short 90-minute runtime... Once one of our main characters finally comes to peace with himself, we basically arrive naturally at a point for the story to slowly settle. I honestly thought the film would end here, since it quite literally says ‘The End’ on the screen, but instead we were all witnesses to what seemed to be en extra added epilogue to the film. Suddenly we are trapped inside this clumsy oversized climax, which desperately tries to conclude the concurrent story, which was left behind when the first one ended.
I would have preferred to see the two storylines collide into each other, with a sensational sense of impulsive unpredictability, instead of just ending it all abruptly at one point, only to continue energetically at another. These endings didn’t even interlock either, since the first one deals with inner emotions in an almost poetic kind of way, while the other is an overstuffed supercharged action-sequence, presented as over-bloated animated annihilation. Obviously, I understand the importance of a proper conclusion to the bigger picture, but they could have used half the effort and doubled their chances of a more satisfied audience.
There are probably people out there who appreciate the explosive ending to this film, but I wished for a more coexisting conclusion to both stories, or perhaps an ending that was more open to interpretation. Nevertheless, the animation is still beautiful to look at and the creative visuals are wonderful to live in. I may have disliked the finale of the film, but with that said, a tired third act won’t overcloud the fact that the first and second acts are absolutely sublime. The film as whole is one of the most imaginative and endlessly creative films I have ever seen, and I can definitely see myself rewatching it in the future!
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
201 .......................... 212
__________________________
June 9th
—— 2006 ——
Paprika
—— animation ——
REWATCH
I don’t think I have ever seen a movie that felt so much like a muddled mess, but at the same time so skillfully well-measured, when it came to the creative imagination and magnification of a full fantasy world… This animated feature is filled to the brim with infinite imaginative ideas, enormously ambitious concepts, wild visual constructions and weirdly captivating incoherent storytelling. Already by first few minutes, I immediately felt drawn into this world of wonderful compact conceptual settings, all clarified by a colossal color range, which helped separate every little detail within this specified scenery. Almost every single scene boosted with colorful luminosity, slowly lurking your mind into this big beautiful chaos…
The storyline heads in many different directions throughout, which is all set in motion at once when this dangerous “dream device” is stolen, which is usually used for therapists to enter the dreams of their patients to get a clearer understanding of their problems. ‘Paprika’ is simultaneously a dimensional chase through dreamlike landscapes to capture the bandit behind all this, before he abuses the risky abilities of this device, but it is also a story about a man’s overcoming with fears and face-offs with the past. It may sound overwhelming, which it sometimes is, but the film succeeds in creating a beautiful balance between every aspect without disappearing into its own hallucinations.
But unfortunately, even considering how the film held up greatly on a second viewing, it still couldn’t continue to live on cloud nine for the entirety of its otherwise short 90-minute runtime... Once one of our main characters finally comes to peace with himself, we basically arrive naturally at a point for the story to slowly settle. I honestly thought the film would end here, since it quite literally says ‘The End’ on the screen, but instead we were all witnesses to what seemed to be en extra added epilogue to the film. Suddenly we are trapped inside this clumsy oversized climax, which desperately tries to conclude the concurrent story, which was left behind when the first one ended.
I would have preferred to see the two storylines collide into each other, with a sensational sense of impulsive unpredictability, instead of just ending it all abruptly at one point, only to continue energetically at another. These endings didn’t even interlock either, since the first one deals with inner emotions in an almost poetic kind of way, while the other is an overstuffed supercharged action-sequence, presented as over-bloated animated annihilation. Obviously, I understand the importance of a proper conclusion to the bigger picture, but they could have used half the effort and doubled their chances of a more satisfied audience.
There are probably people out there who appreciate the explosive ending to this film, but I wished for a more coexisting conclusion to both stories, or perhaps an ending that was more open to interpretation. Nevertheless, the animation is still beautiful to look at and the creative visuals are wonderful to live in. I may have disliked the finale of the film, but with that said, a tired third act won’t overcloud the fact that the first and second acts are absolutely sublime. The film as whole is one of the most imaginative and endlessly creative films I have ever seen, and I can definitely see myself rewatching it in the future!
__________________________