Reader Recommendation: Avalon (2001)

A friend of mine insisted that I watch Avalon. It's directed by Mamoru Oshii, the same man who is the mastermind behind all the Ghost in the Shell anime. The influences are pretty obvious to anyone who has seen them. Even though it's a Japanese team that made the movie, it's set in Europe and the whole film is in Polish. The key bit of information I was given about this movie from my friend was that the ending would make me do a double-take. So today I made good on my promise and I sat down to watch Avalon. More of my thoughts after the jump.


The first problem I ran into with Avalon was the story. It's set in a strange complex futuristic world with its own rules and beyond a couple quick paragraphs at the start, you don't get much explanation on what's going on and are just dropped in. Basically videogames have evolved to the point of advanced virtual reality, sort of like a poor man's Matrix. Not only can you play for money, but they've become quite addictive as well. Oh, did I mention losing the game can cause you real harm as well? Sound like a game you want to play?

The pacing of the movie was just really bad. There is a strong feeling that the movie is trying to go for that art film feeling, but in actuality you just have shots where the people just stop and stare off into space for nearly a full minute for no reason. It was just so slow, and it had hardly any music save for one opera, which they play in full... twice. The first time, it's as if they ran out of things to show and we're left with the view of an empty hallway while the last few minutes of singing finishes.

I was just as bored as that dog for the vast majority of the movie

The next problem I had with it was the look of the film. Most of the movie is in all sepia tones and just looks terrible. While in the game, the effects they used to rub in your fact "this is a game" was just annoying. I could tell they were trying for a more abstract or artistic look, but it ended up coming across to me as really heavy handed. The computer graphics on the big futuristic vehicles in the film were really dated, but since they're "in the game" you could still let it slide, but that's doesn't mean it looked good.

Oddly, the lame special effect used on soldiers that died in the game suddenly changes in the last half of the movie and becomes really kinda cool. It's similar, but just a little more creative and just looked far better. It makes me wonder if they just came up with that idea halfway through the production of the film and didn't bother to go back. I really doesn't make any sense to me why it changed they way it did, when it did.

I just wish the movie was as cool as this picture made it look, but it's surprisingly sleep inducing

Now, to its credit, the film does take an sudden and much more interesting turn right near the end. The boring dull terrible world it has spent so long shoving down your throat suddenly seems to have a purpose. The problem is that this slightly interesting twist doesn't make up for the tedious monotony of the rest of the movie. And even the obvious philosophical question it could have left you with is quickly taken away as they answer it for you. They could have made it so much more interesting if they had just left it hanging!

It's not everyday you watch a movie which upon its conclusion makes you pause and say "What the f**k was that?" The term "poor man's Matrix" really is exactly what you have here. Questions on what is real or not, a virtual world you enter by laying in a janky high-tech chair, and coloured filters over the whole of the film is a description that could work for both movies. Unfortunately Avalon ends up being a total waste of time that nearly put me to sleep several times. I would say not to bother with this film at all, but sepia to some people is really cool and maybe its art film leanings will work for others, but it certainly didn't for me.