Review Category: Movie

I SEE YOU

I SEE YOU / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: ADAM RANDALL / SCREENPLAY: DEVON GRAYE / STARRING: HELEN HUNT, JON TENNEY, LIBE BARER, OWEN TEAGUE / RELEASE: DECEMBER 6TH (US), TBC (UK)

New thriller I See You is an ill-balanced mixture of three familiar tropes from the contemporary cinematic crime playbook: the deadly consequences of the collapse of trust inside a family unit; the hunt for a serial assailant who begins a new spree of attacks; and the terror of home invasion. Only the last of these themes is handled with any degree of accomplishment.

The Harper family is in meltdown, following the discovery that professional counsellor Jackie (Hunt) has been having an affair with an old school friend. Her husband Greg (Tenney), a detective with local law enforcement, is unable to forgive her; and their truculent teenage son Connor (Judah Lewis) seethes with resentment at his mother’s betrayal. Meanwhile, a spate of new child abductions leaves Greg’s partner Spitzky (Gregory Alan Williams) in the throes of self-doubt. He’s now unsure if he helped to convict the wrong suspect during an identical earlier case in the same area.

The problem is that the film makes almost no effort to establish the characters of the family, or to ground the backstory of the serial abductor. Family members shout at each other, and storm out of arguments, but not in a way that would encourage the audience to believe that these relationships are real, or to have any empathy with the state of dysfunction this trio are now stuck in. Hunt is a talented and versatile actor, but there’s precious little for her to do here, other than to look pained at the reactions of the angry and frustrated men in her life. The audience learns that Jackie is a counsellor only because Greg reminds her that she is. But the lives of all three are left just as sketchy. In a similar reversal of the ‘show, don’t tell’ cinematic mantra, all the viewer discovers about the earlier crime wave and conviction comes through a garbled verbal info dump from Spitzky (though that’s no fault of Williams).

It’s difficult to care about either the fate of the family, or the question mark over the guilt of an unseen individual sent to jail on the basis of undisclosed evidence. What salvages the movie’s plot is the film’s third element and, in particular, the way that it is seeded into the timeline of events. Without giving away too much, the arrival of unexpected visitors at one residence leads to a series of disturbing developments. The film’s most effective conceit is to reveal only gradually how the actions of these hidden squatters fit into the film’s wider narrative. Events are replayed from a different character’s point of view, their presence as an unseen voyeur only brought to light in these re-runs. This paves the way for some deftly delivered shocks, twists, and unexpected revelations.

As alienated and mischievous teens Mindy and Alec, both of whom are joyfully up to no good, Libe Barer and Owen Teague make good play of what are easily the best drawn and most charismatic characters in the film. Their complex and strained personal dynamic is certainly more interesting than the domestic travails of the Harpers. The realisation of these intruders’ actions, and the back-and-forth timeline, provides the film’s most creepy and unsettling moments. The final showdown replays many crime film drama favourites, whilst straining at the limits of credibility more forcefully than the script has earned the right to. The wrap-up is, though, nowhere near as disconcerting as the psychological mind games and near-misses of the home invasion that have preceded it.

THE APPEARANCE

THE APPEARANCE / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: KURT KNIGHT / STARRING: JAKE STORMOEN, KRISTIAN NAIRN, ADAM JOHNSON / RELEASE DATE: TBC

There have been some comparisons, but Kurt Knight’s The Appearance plays out like a supernatural interpretation of The Name of the Rose (1996). The latter is a strikingly bleak murder mystery set within the walls of an isolated abbey during paranoid times, a dark comment on religious fervour with suitably wrought performances from Sean Connery, Ron Perlman, and F. Murray Abraham among others; the former, well, it’s set within an abbey.

You see, there are good things at the heart of The Appearance – although the title does it no favours at all – but these are overwhelmed by the inherent boredom Knight instils into his film, as if surviving to the final scenes is a religious test for both the cast and the audience.

Summoned to the fateful abbey, Mateho the Inquisitor (Stormoen) immediately decides that the woman imprisoned by the monks is no more a witch than the Abbot himself, could not possibly be responsible for all this fuss and sets about proving that something more ‘Earthly’ is to be blame for the mounting deaths. Except that Mateho himself is suffering visions brought on by a suppressed memory and – and this is no spoiler – given that he grew up behind the grim walls in which he once again finds himself, should perhaps be a little more on the ball than he appears to be. That nobody recognises or remembers him from his time there is also strange, but not nearly as much as the truth once all is revealed.

Good things are present. There are several convincing performances, although loveable giant Johnny seems entirely unnecessary, something Kristian Nairn who plays him seems to be in agreement with. The initially oppressive atmosphere is mildly unsettling, and the always intriguing subject matter is lost amidst aimless wanderings down dark corridors and a narrative repetition that leaves you as resigned to your tedious fate as the monks themselves. And the final act is an experiment in throwing as much plot at the screen as possible when following one clear explanation would have served much better.

No, there was a decent film here, a steady idea that could and should have worked but the end result is a clichéd example of why less-is-more, when stretching your basic story out through laboriously dull scenes – both in lighting and nature – add little of the tension being strived for and simply turn the audience off.

LYST

CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: SEVERIN ESKELAND / SCREENPLAY: SEVERIN ESKELAND / STARRING: MAGDALENA FROM DELIS, SONDRE KROGTOFT LARSEN, DAMIAN GALLAGHER / RELEASE DATE: TBC

After a famous crime writer is sexually assaulted, her life is dramatically altered and, during recovery, she begins to suspect that those around her who are offering support may have sinister intentions in the bloodsoaked Norweigian thriller, Lyst.

Revenge films can be a mixed bag as filmmakers must find a harmonious balance between giving the protagonist a deep character profile and also respecting real-world victims. In the case of Lyst, that balance is accomplished to great effect. However, after a strong start, the film, unfortunately, falls into disarray with the pacing faltering creating a jumbled narrative and a handful of scenes and story beats being recycled repeatedly which leaves the audience confused. Topped off with an incredibly over-ambiguous ending which abandons a solid relationship between film and viewer that has developed for the sake of shock value – you will be left with more questions than answers which just makes you feel angry rather than clever.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is a handful of things that Lyst does right. For a start, newcomer Magdalena From Delis is fantastic in the lead role. Her realistic performance enhances the subject material and truly brings the audience on board and involved from the outset. The scenes in which she is breaking down are hard-hitting, uncomfortable and emotional. Also done right is the gore. When shit hits the fan, Director Severin Eskeland clearly had a great time with the tools at his disposal. It’s bloody, messy and shocking – a perfect combination for a revenge film that encapsulates how much your life can change when something like this happens.

Lyst truly feels like a film of two halves – a superb start that invests the audience held great promise before it becomes clear that the filmmakers were over-ambitious when it came to deciding on how to end the story. That being said, the ideas were certainly inventive, the gore was solid and the film has given birth to a great new Scandinavian talent in From Delis.

PROM NIGHT (1980)

CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: PAUL LYNCH / SCREENPLAY: WILLIAM GRAY / STARRING: JAMIE LEE CURTIS, LESLIE NIELSEN, CASEY STEVENS, ANNE-MARIE MARTIN, MICHAEL TOUGH / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 2ND

A group of high school students, who are all connected by a tragic event that happened years prior, are stalked and picked off one by one in brutal fashion by a masked killer in Paul Lynch’s 1980 cult film, Prom Night.

The 1980s – a time when the slasher genre was in full swing and every man and his dog wanted a slice of that sweet money pie, and one of those at the front of the queue was flawed but interesting title. Led by the hottest commodity in the Horror world at the time, the scream queen herself Jamie Lee Curtis, the film’s familiar plot stumbles through to its predictable conclusion but is elevated by solid performances, exciting practical effects and chilling score.

The plot from the offset is extremely reminiscent of a mix of the original Black Christmas and Halloween from the creepy phone calls to the first-person perspective – the only interesting aspect was the senior prom setting which allowed the film to end with an exciting set-piece between our killer and our lead survivor. Also, for a film, that boasts an 18 age rating, some of the kills are disappointing lacklustre with a selection taking place off-screen due to budgetary reasons which take the punch out of the punchline.

This new transfer onto Blu-Ray by 101 Films is a mixed bag – many of the scenes look terrific with colour popping and crisp and clear visuals but on the other end of the spectrum, many of the darker moments including when the killer is on the prowl are distorted and difficult to see.

However, with all the negatives aside, the admirable pacing enhances the run-of-the-mill narrative to create a solid slasher with a handful of interesting moments from creative camerawork to the icing-on-the-cake subtle score that intensifies the moment it accompanies.

The special features on this new Blu-Ray release of Prom Night are an interesting selection from behind-the-scenes to a full-blown documentary on the production of the film and are an essential purchase for hardcore fans of this cult classic.

Special Features:

Chasing the Final Girl [20:37] – A look at the Slasher genre with a host of filmmakers.
Interview with Paul Lynch [15:43] – An Interview with the Director of Prom Night (1980).
Commentary with Paul McEvoy and Jake West [1:32:58] – A feature-length commentary of the film from FrightFest founder Paul McEvoy and filmmaker Jake West.
Commentary with Director Paul Lynch and Screenwriter William Gray [1:32:58]
The Horrors of Hamilton High [41:04] – A “making of” film discussing the production of Prom Night (1980).
Additional Scenes added for Television Broadcast [11:11] – A host of additional scenes that had to be added and changed for the TV Version of Prom Night (1980) as discussed by the editor.
Outtakes [23:15] – A selection of outtakes.
Motion Still Gallery [6:20] – A selection of stills from the film and production accompanied by the music from the film.
Original Radio Spots [1:06]
Original Theatrical Trailer [1:45]
Television Spots [3:17]

FROZEN II

FROZEN II / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: CHRIS BUCK, JENNIFER LEE / SCREENPLAY: JENNIFER LEE / STARRING: KRISTEN BELL, IDINA MENZEL, JOSH GAD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Do you want to keep building snowmen? After the resounding critical and financial success of their 2013 smash hit, Disney hope so. Frozen ended on the perfect note of resolution with sisters Anna and Elsa reconciled, the latter finally having come to terms with her own powers and the commitments of royalty. But the film was too much of a pop culture behemoth for the powers that be to leave it at that, and so the (snow)ball must keep rolling. Did you really think that Disney were just going to let it go?

The gang are all back for this sequel, which initially finds Anna and Elsa in a much happier, more contented place than the opening of Frozen. Arendelle is prospering, Kristoff is planning a big proposal and Olaf is… Josh Gad, again, being Josh Gad. But a mysterious siren song calls to Elsa from the wilderness, and the Snow Queen can’t resist. So… into the unknown! For the characters, that is. Frozen II was never going to stray too far from the formula with which it struck gold.

To the film’s credit, writer Jennifer Lee makes the sisters’ return to adventure feel plausible and organic, building on from the end of the first and giving both women a distinct and compelling arc. Elsa may have learned to accept and control her powers, but now she’ll go deeper than ever before in discovering precisely who and what she is.

With a much less clunky story and quicker pace, Frozen II flows better than its predecessor. It’s more consistently enjoyable, if less instantly iconic. The songs too are roundly a better bunch, although one doubts that they’ll ever reach the heights of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” or “Let it Go.” But what could? “Into the Unknown” is Frozen II’s attempt at recapturing that magic and it is an absolute belter, with Idina Menzel giving it her all. Jonathan Groff is allowed to properly sing this time, and his 80s-style number “Lost in the Woods” might be the funniest sequence in the entire film. Where Frozen kind of forgot about the music by the end, this one is never far from an emotional, heart-rending ballad or uplifting ditty.

As is to be expected by now, the animation is gorgeous, and the autumnal setting ensures that this isn’t a visual rehash of the original. Great pains have been made to make Frozen II feel like its own beast, and this will be appreciated by fans and the mums and dads dragged along for the ride.

This is a well-considered, beautifully made – if not particularly brave or adventurous – sequel which carries both emotional heft and an intriguing mystery at its heart. Its core fans should love it, ensuring that Anna, Elsa, Olaf and the gang remain cemented (with ice) in the public consciousness for decades to come.

CHARLIE’S ANGELS

DIRECTOR: ELIZABETH BANKS | SCREENPLAY: ELIZABETH BANKS, EVAN SPILIOTOPOULOS| STARRING: KRISTEN STEWART, NAOMI SCOTT, ELLA BALINSKA | RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 29TH

Be it the 1976 TV show, the early-noughties movies, or one of the other various franchise spin-offs, Charlie’s Angels has always worked as an encapsulation of the feminist ideals of the day. Released in the year 2000, the first film spin-off marked the feature-debut of McG, now probably best known for directing that leaked audio clip where Christian Bale spends four minutes berating a cinematographer without breathing. Say what you will about the director of the music video for Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’, but McG’s filmic vision was unflinching in its weirdness and it certainly never came close to being boring.

The same was less true of its 2003 follow-up, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, a film that concurrently confused adrenaline-fuelled whimsy with hacky over-editing, and Justin Theroux with someone capable of doing an Irish accent. The negative reception towards that film put the movie-franchise on hiatus for a while, setting the stage for 2019’s Charlie’s Angels, a soft-reboot, covertly operating within the continuity of the two previous movies and the television series before them.

But this is 2019 and in a post-#MeToo world, feminism directed by a cis-gendered white man just isn’t going to cut it. Enter new director Elizabeth Banks, who also rounds out our new cast of secret agents. This time, the angels consist of newcomer, Ella Balinska, who more or less holds her own opposite Kristen Stewart, who delights in chewing the scenery, and Naomi Scott, who, following this year’s Aladdin, seems to be carving out a career exclusively being the best thing in otherwise mediocre movies.

The supporting actors are also largely doing good work, but so much of the entertainment value of the first two films stemmed from the truly star-studded and, frankly, downright bizarre casting decisions that were being made. The likes of Patrick Stewart, Nat Faxon, and Laverne Cox are all very welcome and do good work, but they’re undeniably less interesting than the credit-listings for the previous two films which, let’s remember, featured everything from a not-yet-famous Melissa McCarthy to the two Wilson brothers who aren’t Owen, to Bruce Willis with hair.

Ultimately, 2019’s Charlie’s Angels is a very conventional, light-hearted espionage thriller, but one that – as the third entry in this series – has traded a care-free attitude of swinging and missing for one of not swinging at all. Playing things safely doesn’t leave us with a bad film by any means – the new Charlie’s Angels is arguably the most competently put-together entry in the franchise to date – but it’s all at the expense of making something truly memorable. It’s a relatively entertaining watch, but once it’s over, much like its secret-agent protagonists, the film barely leaves a trace.

INVASION PLANET EARTH

INVASION PLANET EARTH / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: SIMON COX / SCREENPLAY: SIMON COX, SIMON BOVEY, GIL BRAILEY / STARRING: SIMON HAYCOCK, ROXI DRIVE, JULIE HOULT, SOPHIE ANDERSON, DANNY STEEL, TOYAH WILLCOX / RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 5TH (LIMITED CINEMA), DECEMBER 30TH (DVD)

Run! The bug-like alien spaceships are raining down on Earth zapping anyone and everyone. What in the name of all that is holy is going on? Yes, we assume it is an alien invasion to suppress humanity and turn us into their slaves. It is the kind of thing we have done for centuries to our own Earthly neighbours.

Well, this time the alien invaders have other motives, but before we get to them or the zippy zapping spaceships, this film introduces us to Tom and Mandy Dunn (played by Haycock and Drive). Mandy is a primary school teacher who discovers she is pregnant and Tom is a doctor who works at a care home that is about to be closed down. Times are certainly about to change for them and in many more ways than they expect.

The film slowly builds up to the moment when the aliens bombard our planet with an apocalyptic vision, and it is not long before Tom along with three of his care home residents find themselves abducted to a strange new planet.

The four of them have flashbacks and visions that are like nightmares that mix their own experiences with films. This process seems to resolve their problems and clears their minds. Tom, echoing the adventures of his childhood, saves the group and then humanity from immediate oblivion.

For a low budget film the special effects of the alien craft and battle scenes are well executed, and the wonderful opening mock TV version of The Six Million Dollar Man; the half robot, half man ‘Kaleidoscope Man’ that fires Tom’s imagination sets the agenda for the whole film. The TV features in other scenes,with news bulletins and we get a brief glimpse of a funny kid’s TV programme.

Toyah Willcox makes a cameo appearance as an enigmatic character who might be an angel, and at Mandy’s school she teaches about Noah’s Ark that in the past saved us from being wiped out by devastating floods.

The alien invasion puts the life of Tom into the much wider context of what life means, and can we only appreciate it when it is taken away from us? The death of the Dunn’s daughter, Rebecca, a few years earlier is a very personal loss but their forthcoming new arrival gives them renewed hope, much in the way the death of our planet might pave the way for humanity to start again.

Invasion Planet Earth warns us about our self-destructive power and greed, we have to be saved from ourselves or risk oblivion. It is an entertaining twist on the invasion theme that injects some thought about our home planet and how we have messed it up. A science fiction film for our Extinction Rebellion era.

JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT

JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: KEVIN SMITH / STARRING: JASON MEWES, KEVIN SMITH, HARLEY QUINN SMITH, TRESHELLE EDMOND, APARNA BRIELLE, ALICE WEN / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 29TH

It’s strange to think it’s been six years since audiences lest ventured into Kevin Smith’s famed View Askewniverse with 2013’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie!, and a whopping thirteen years since we last saw a live-action outing for this world back in 2006’s Clerks II. But now, good ol’ Kev Smith has decided to finally delve back into this realm with a Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) offering that fans have been eagerly waiting to check out. Has the wait been worth it, though, or has the bong bubble burst on this pair of affable stoners by this point?

In Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, it doesn’t take long before the titular duo finds themselves tangled up in a mission to head to Hollywood (again!). This time out, Jay and Silly Bob’s actual names are at stake after said monikers have been snaffled up by Saban Films, who are behind a big-screen reboot of the Bluntman and Chronic film that was at the crux of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Desperate to get their names back, it’s off to Hollywood to put a halt to this picture. Throwing a game-changing spanner into the works, however, is that fact that Jay’s decision to pop in and see old flame Justice (Shannon Elizabeth) along the way sees it revealed that he has a daughter with his one-time Boo-Boo Kitty-Fuck. Not only that, but daughter Milly (Harley Quinn Smith) and her pals end up tagging along on their own personal mission to Hollywood.

From the outset, it may be easy to label Jay and Silent Bob Reboot as simply rehashing Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back or looking to play things out as a greatest hits of sorts. And while there are elements of Reboot that indeed serve as a greatest hits of the View Askewniverse of movies – after all, this is openly a film made for fans of Kevin Smith and the world of characters he’s created – there’s still so, so much more on offer in this picture. Sure, there are dick ‘n’ fart jokes, nods ‘n’ references, and even answers to long-pondered View Askewniverse questions, but deep down Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a heartfelt, emotional tale about parenthood and how having a child causes your own personal story to become recalibrated and redirected in a way that you maybe weren’t expecting.

In terms of performances, Messrs Mewes and Smith anchor the film in their usual charismatic and charming way, and the various cameos and supporting performances from plentiful familiar faces are so rewarding for Smith fans, but it’s young Harley Quinn Smith – who famously played baby Silent Bob in 2001’s Strike Back – who often steals the movie. As Milly, Harley is initially a bullish badass who always has a quip at hand, yet the actress also brings a brilliant sense of versatility to some of the more sombre, emotional beats of the picture. And trust us, while there are chuckles aplenty littered throughout Reboot, this is a film that will have View Askewniverse fans welling up at various points throughout. Not least in one perfectly poignant final act scene featuring the return of a fan favourite character who serves up some wise words while also updating us on their own particular story.

Featuring some of Kevin Smith’s most heartfelt moments, some of his very best jokes, and almost serving as a reward to those fans who’ve stuck with him for the past 25 years, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is everything you hoped for and more.

Oh, and trust us. Make sure you stick around all the way through the credits.

JUDY & PUNCH

JUDY & PUNCH / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: MIRRAH FOULKES / STARRING: MIA WASIKOWSKA, DAMON HERRIMAN, BENEDICT HARDIE / RELEASE DATE: 22ND NOVEMBER

This dark, comic cinematic distorting of ye olde “English” puppet show is an intriguing subversion of the play’s central concept, which was irrefutably ripe for renovation. Thanks to actor turned writer / director Mirrah Foulkes, Punch and Judy have been granted film life in a grubby, provocative and vivacious escapade, entrenched in a realism that enriches the original show’s gaudy theatrics while twisting our perspectives of its controversial origin.

Dating back to 17th century Italy (with roots in the 16th century commedia dell’arte), the solo operated Punch and Judy puppet show became a UK tradition during Victorian Britain before blossoming into a cultural phenomenon throughout the next century. Shows were staged on UK seafronts and, once upon a time, in London’s Covent Garden by Italian puppeteers, yet are presently more often found at carnivals and fun fairs.

Now, finally, the squawking marionettes make their live action debut (kind of). Mirrah Foulkes has twisted the classic tale, title and characters into a more Judy-led outing that sees the tables turned on her abusive, titular counterpart in this raucous, metaphorical feminist fable.

The 17th century story’s set in the English town of Seaside (which is “nowhere near the sea”), where business partners wife Judy (Mia Wasikowska) and husband Punch (Damon Herriman) stage a pub-based puppet show for pissed-up locals. After relaying dreams of expanding their “art” for a wider audience, a family tragedy suddenly turns the couple against each other. Judy is injured and forced into hiding then taken in by a furtive, forest-dwelling community where she recovers while plotting her return to Seaside and retaliation against the town that turned her back on her, while also quietly scheming revenge against Punch, who lied, attacked Judy and then left her for dead.

Foulkes extrapolates the show’s original facets (violence, bawdy humour, babies, crocodiles, sausages and hangmen) to present them at the forefront, out of “puppet show” context. Most of the components are now incredibly controversial. Their once cultural commonplace is highlighted by the fact that they formed the content of and basis for a family event, making Foulkes’ film all the more pertinent. Foulkes doesn’t sugar-coat the show’s original tropes which, through the “limitations of” their medium, were already totally sanitised. Instead she subverts them into style-defining facets. Making the story more thought provoking and apt for modern audiences, Judy & Punch features domestic violence, alcoholism, social subjugation and misogyny in bleak, day-lit repugnance.

The comedy is interesting but also massively off-kilter as it’s hard to map laughter and realism into scenes featuring domestic abuse, public execution, torture, killing and witchcraft (without going down the Dan Mazer route). Yet, while keeping with tradition, Foulkes compartmentalises: placing (next to the aforementioned) wry slapstick and detrimental dialogue delivered with a gnawed to a near-severed tongue, dislodged flaccidly in the cheek, like a muscular slug OD’ing on steroids. A stoning scene threatens to curtail J&P into permanent Python territory, while quaint supporting characters, including a doe-eyed copper and an old couple wrongly accused of murder, make Foulkes’ debut both endearing and weird.

Punch is portrayed to petrifying perfection as a philandering, rage-fired boor while Judy is the anguished but tenacious heroine who battles societal and matrimonial hardships in attempt to challenge the system that shaped them. Wasikowska and Herriman are incredible in the leads and Foulkes makes for a fascinating director. While Judy & Punch has a slightly slack structure and lacks a commanding genre / identity, its imperfections and refusal to adhere also make it interesting.

Foulkes has crafted an audacious, rowdy and thought-provoking rollick that derails after bobbing due to its off-balance melding of surreal, misplaced slapstick humour with distressing drama, mystery, horror and defiant violence. It’s also an exciting, visceral parable about a marriage maintained by profession, tradition and ragged marionettes, which forces us to re-evaluate our cultural heritage.

PROMARE

DIRECTOR: HIROYUKI IMAISHI / SCREENPLAY: KAZUKI NAKASHIMA / STARRING: KENICHI MATSUYAMA, TAICHI SAOTOME, MASATO SAKAI, AYANE SAKURA, HIROYUKI YOSHINO / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 26TH 2019 (SUBBED), NOVEMBER 28TH 2019 (DUBBED)

In the near future, a mysterious incident has caused humans to spontaneously combust and wield devasting fire abilities. After the 40 year-long Great Fire War, rookie firefighter Galo Thymos and his fellow Burning Rescue teammates are trusted with saving civilians whenever the “Burnish” attack – but when Galo comes face to face with Mad Burnish leader Lio Fotia, he soon begins to doubt who the real enemy is.

Promare is the first feature-length anime film from Studio TRIGGER (Gurren Lagann, Kill La Kill) and is easily their best work to date. Director Hiroyuki Imaishi and his team have always been known for creating anime that balances realistic scenarios and themes with absolutely bonkers ideas to devastatingly entertaining effect – and Promare is no different.

From the opening frame, the world of Promare comes alive in a vibrant burst of colour and sound. The first scene which features Burning Rescue called to a blazing office building is ferociously energetic with wild fights between the team and the Mad Burnish accompanied by the sublime score by Hiroyuki Sawano which hooks the audience in. From there onwards, not a single frame is wasted for the entire runtime of almost two hours.

Although the story beats do make you reminisce about anime that has come before it, it still remains engaging with all of its colourful characters and twists and turns (no matter how ridiculous they are) – however, the rather large exposition dump around two thirds in does slightly lessen the overall shine of the film. Even with that said, Promare never lets go of the gas peddle and never bores you.

The performances by the voice cast led by Kenichi Matsuyama (Galo Thymos) is most certainly in the same spirit as what is transpiring on screen whilst also perfectly presented the emotional story beats when the time comes. The chemistry between the characters oozes brilliance and makes you hope that there is more to explore within this world.

With all that said, Promare possesses a special equilibrium between realism, emotion and an utterly insane concept that creates a truly unique anime experience and shows that Studio TRIGGER and Imaishi-san have an undeniable burning passion for this wonderful art form. Everything falls neatly into place from start to finish and it’s up there as one of the best cinema experiences of 2019 for anime fans new and old alike.