DVD Review of Renaissance

Renaissance is an animated feature featuring the voice-talents of Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Ian Holm, and Catherine McCormack. Set in 2054 in Paris, this noir detective story takes the etymology of its name seriously; the computer-generated images limit themselves to black, white, and gray to color this dark, disturbing future. Originally released in France in 2006, Christian Volckman directed the movie, while Jean-Bernard Pouy and Patrick Raynal handled the English adaptation. Unfortunately, the English language version features actors with British accents, which can be disconcerting considering that the movie is supposed to take place in France.

Typical Noir Hero

The story centers around a detective named Karas; he’s the typical noir hero, complete with a bad attitude, a tendency to break the rules, and an unencumbered sense of justice. Typical of noir heroes, the first time Karasis is introduced, he is breaking direct orders and saving lives at the same time. Though the world we are given a view of is only scene monochromatically, the characters don't deal with their moral dilemmas with black or white reasoning. After Karas is given the assignment of recovering Ilona Tasuiev, a brilliant, young researcher for the company Avalon, Kara finds himself in the middle of conspiracy, leading to more and more dead bodies as he searches for the missing researcher.

Epileptics Be Warned

The black and white film creates some striking images, though during the action sequences it becomes difficult to discern what is happening to whom. Perhaps the movie should come with a warning for epileptics; it can get pretty wild at times. The movie ends up looking like a Frank Miller graphic novel in motion, which Sin City achieved a few years ago with real actors and computer-generated backgrounds. It’s animated, but the sex, violence, and language make it anything but for kids.

Visuals First, Plot Second

Though the movie attempts to achieve something distinctive in the art direction, there is really nothing new or surprising as far as plot goes. Hidden motives, characters with shady pasts, and plot twists are typical noir fare, and Renaissance play it straight. Once the plot reveals itself, the flashy visuals leave you feeling that the makers of the film came up with the interesting images first, and then they decided that the visuals would carry the film themselves as opposed to attempting to break anymore boundaries. Overall, the movie is worth seeing, but it might be difficult to shake the feeling that the makers of the film could have done a bit more with it.

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