< BACK
The human-looking pets
in FANTASTIC PLANET, a science-fiction allegory, are about the
size of mice. And like mice, they are cute as domestic pets,
but those found in the wild are dirty creatures that are to be
killed without question.
Winner of the 1973 Grand Jury
Prize at Cannes and released at the time to critical acclaim
in the United States, the film has a gorgeous new
35-millimeter print and is currently being re-released for its
25th anniversary.
After years of reviewing movies, one
begins to establish certain parameters for a movie in one's
mind. Films may push various envelopes, but they are all
constructed within certain bounds of the motion picture
medium. FANTASTIC PLANET (LA PLANETE SAUVAGE), on the other
hand, has a handsome look and a mesmerizing feeling that seems
to belong to some species other than traditional motion
pictures.
The French-Czechoslovakian animated movie is
constructed of richly elaborate but frequently static images.
Certainly not a kids' movie, the Orwellian story is packed
with intricate messages within a deceptively, simple
structure.
Set on the Planet
Ygam, the movie creates a
world led by an intellectual race known as the Draggs. These
luxurious, blue creatures with blood-red eyes wile away their
time meditating and increasing their knowledge. These ultimate
intellectuals keep Oms as pets, Oms being the aforementioned
human-like animals.
Director Rene Laloux uses the
film's striking but unusual visual style to entrance the
viewer, while the terse story, based on Stefan Wul's novel,
"Oms en Serie," is full of complex meanings.
The story
concerns an Om named Terr, who is adopted as a pet when only a
baby by Tiwa, a daughter of one of the Dragg elites. Told from
Terr's perspective, the movie has little Terr growing up and
accidentally learning the knowledge kept only for the Draggs.
Late in the story, when the Draggs decide the Oms have grown
too numerous, they embark on an Om extermination process
called de-Oming.
I'll admit that I read the film's
description before the press screening and almost decided to
skip it. If I had followed with my instincts, I would have
missed something unforgettable and unique. If there ever was a
film that needed to be experienced in order to be appreciated,
this is it. Reading critics' words about it just does not do
it justice.
FANTASTIC PLANET runs 1:12. It is rated PG
and contains full-frontal nudity, violence and mature themes.
The film would be fine for teenagers.
From www.allmovieportal.com
<
BACK