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Paprika
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Animation - 9.6 |
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Sound - 8.7 |
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Story - 7.0 |
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Character - 7.3 |
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Value - 7.7 |
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Enjoyment - 7.9 |
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Average - 7.8 |
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| If you were like me, and saw all the trailers for this movie, and waited ever so patiently for it's release hoping and praying for a local screening, just almost exploding with excitement because the previews just looked so damn cool, then you probably don't need to read this review because you likely would have seen Paprika by now ;)
Anyway, upon finally getting a high quality version to download it was almost like being a kid on christmas. I am not talking about being five or six and once you are awake all hell immediately breaks loose and nothing aside from twenty pairs of socks could dampen your day. I mean when you are maybe twelve or thirteen when you get to be the age that you can almost figure out what exactly it is that you got or didn't get, and you know for that one fleeting moment that it will be all over within minutes anyway. It is almost as if once you are sitting in front of that tree you almost want to wait a little bit to just to keep that feeling alive.
Paprika is Satoshi Kon's fourth movie and fifth piece of work if you include Paranoia Agent. And as I have gone through to watch all of his works starting with Paranoia, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Tokyo God Fathers, I have certainly gotten that christmas feeling more and more strongly as I watched in that order.
Paprika is a movie that I waited for for what seemed like forever, where as with his other movies I was able to watch them whenever I wanted at my own pace. However, after watching them, I feel like I really have to evaluate just how much they lived up to my wild expectations.
The premise in Paprika is basically dreams and trying to understand them using technology. I find this interesting because the movie itself feel kind of like a dream in the sense that when you are having a dream, and immediately after awakening from a dream you always feel like it was some life altering idea or story, or that it would make the most epic movie or book and that you must immediately write it down and some how share it with everyone else in the world. Then by the time you are brushing your teeth you are like "ah screw it" and just go about your life until you get another one of those crazy dreams.
Paprika almost feels like Kon did what none of us seem to get past breakfast, and that is share one of these dream induced epic adventures with us. Of course, there are going to be a select few out there that know what it's like to try and take the next step in transcribing dreams. It is only then that you realize how full of holes and illogical that they really are. Paprika is kind of the same way.
There isn't much of a social commentary in Paprika, only that we really shouldn't attempt to try and understand dreams and that dreams are sacred. The structure feels kind of awkward and the delivery may seem a little forced, but man, what a technical achievement this movie really is.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| 東京ゴッドファーザー、千年女優の今敏監督作品。
東京ゴッドファーザーおよび千年女優は、人生ドラマをアニメ化したもので、正直、これがアニメである必要があるのか？むしろ、実写ドラマ化した方がよかったのでは？と感じざるを得なかったのだが、本作はテーマが「夢」ということもあり、アニメという手法を最大限活用した作品だと思う。
内容的には、人の「夢」が誰かの手によって狂気に犯されて行く事件が発生し、その犯人を探ってゆくというものなのだが、精神に異常をきたし狂気に染まった、とりとめのない世界をアニメならではの表現でうまく表したと思う。このような世界感は下手に CG を使った実写化ではかえってうそ臭くなってしまったのではないか？
夢の世界を描いた作品ということから、この作品がファンタジーアニメであるかのように聞こえるかも知れないが、今までの今監督の作品と同様に、（割と）写実的なキャラクタデザインと相まって、人間ドラマもうまく描写されていると思う。惜しむらくは、登場する刑事の話が本編にあまり絡まなくて、描写が表面的になってしまった。
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andy |
(2008-01-30 01:54:14) 2008-01-30 01:53:41 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The general lack of cohesiveness in Paprika's story is usually enough to ruin most movies; make them disaffecting. The premise alone, a scientific breakthrough that threatens humanity in a practical and spiritual way is kind of tired. Who hasn't seen terminator or the matrix? The disappointingly nonsensical climax and the general lack of inspiration in the plot, evidenced by its contrived and predictable plot twist, doesn't help its case.
While a satisfying and engrossing story is usually what makes a film memorable, in Paprika's case, it doesn't need to be more than the sum of its parts. Paprika is filled with several memorable scenes that evoke a wide range of emotions. Paprika's travels through the dreams of others is filled with innocent and whimsical charm. The childlike imagination pervades the whole movie, but while its cute in some instances, the same themes and images can be chilling in others. Even the warm and fuzzy of romance manages to sneak up on you.
Paprika makes a few social observations, but it's not sharp or thought provoking. There are a couple of nods to the ills of society, from shut ins to greedy politicians. There are a couple of one liners that hypothesize about the nature of dreams, all of which are easily dismissed with a wiki search on the subject or psych 101. To be fair, the social commentary is a small part of the movie, and you're never bogged down with long, faux-science/philosophy discussions on dreams or the flaws of humanity.
The soundtrack sounds a little bit hectic. The main theme that you hear as the opening credits roll is a bit like techno, but at all times, there are are all kinds of strange sounds and chants in the background. Many other tracks are reminiscent of circus music, equally hectic. Every piece of music is vibrant and attention grabbing. It's a good match for the vibrant visuals and wacky designs and it elevates every scene it's in.
Paprika is one of few movies that convey such a wide spectrum of emotions. The imaginativeness you would expect from the premise of dream exploration is in every scene. The central plot that is uninspired hurts the movie, but the individual scenes that are anything but make Paprika ultimately enjoyable, even memorable.
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| I'll make a claim that I haven't seen a lot of works by S. Kon. Those that I have seen, however, have been so mind-bending, so keen to the imagination that they're entertaining works of art to watch unfold, and employ a bit of subtle humor for recognition of human tendencies, psychology, and even in reference to his other works.
Paprika is one such movie, which tends to find itself diving into the realm of human conciousness and engages on a rather interesting subject: what if technology advanced so much that you could see within a person's dreams? S Kon explores this ideal in a distant future with the invention of the D.C. Mini, a device worn by its users in the employment of exploring the human conciousness in order to further comprehend its functions. Yet, should this device fall into the wrong hands? Well, the movie revolves around this central conflict when one of the prototypes of the DC Mini is stolen. The research team responsible for the device's invention calls upon a rather interesting individual: Dr. Atsuko Chiba, a.k.a. codename agent "Paprika".
I wouldn't say Paprika's sense of uniqueness lies in its overall story, which seems too short to expand on the characters or notions in more expanded detail and contains notable flaws-whether in linearity or simply that of lack of expansion-, but rather the leading character herself, who exists as a dual identity. She's a cheerful heroine, diving into dreams that know few boundaries and taking on a number of different characters, yet trying to get to the heart of each conciousness. It's hard not to like her. She is, as the film surmises, a "dream movie star", and indeed, this series pulls from a number of different references which make it even more entertaining (anyone else recognize the reference from Hepburn's "Roman Holiday"?)
Animation in this movie is excellent, fluid, and among the best I've seen in adaptation in any of the works by S Kon I've seen to date. Music isn't half bad either, though I find it suits more of the movie schematic than externally. Voice acting, in the Japanese perspective, is very well done, Paprika's VA is one I recognize from a mile away (Megumi Hayashibara), and she suits it well. I think each character is well represented in terms of emotion and even for humor.
Paprika is easy to follow despite a series of dynamically seamless scenes that keep truth to the phrase "Things are not always what they seem"-something true of a lot of S Kon works. I can think of one scene where Dr. Chiba was chasing the villain it seemed and she almost ended up going over a balcony, which goes to show you that the merging of reality and dreamscapes are quite fleshed. And while you never fully get in the coat of all the characters in this movie, you're more or less watching them in their overall dynamic and interaction with events, even if its within the twisted realms of a dream-elements of mystery, suspense, and fantasy all intertwined within. It's fun, but at the same time, it doesn't really expand on that in even further developments, nor really play with more than the scope of a few concious natures.
Despite not coming to more heart, this movie was rather engaging and kept my attention throughout, even making me laugh at some of Paprika's quirks and some of the research doctors as well (the inventor of the DC mini is quite funny as well, particularly with his exchanges with Atsuko.)
I would definitely recommend Paprika to those familiar with S Kon's works, and even those who want to see an imaginative work of art unfold across the screen. It does have a bit of suggestive scenes and nudity (which seemed a little...extraneous, but I could see how it worked in symbolic natures), so that's a precursor warning as to the audience of the film.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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petran79 |
(2008-01-14 19:59:07) 2007-08-04 05:30:26 |
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| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
0 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
0 |
| Character |
0 |
| Value |
0 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Of all the works of S.Kon Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress were my favorites. Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent, two works were things turn a little messy and thriller elements are thrown in, didn't impress me that much.
Now "Paprika" seems like a mix of all his works. For me this looks like a refined and corrected version of Perfect Blue and this is the main reason I liked the movie regarding the plot at least.
Since this movie was made for international release the producers werent limited to things only a Japanese audience would grasp. References to Western pop culture are affluent. Hence the movie is much easier to follow.
Regarding the technical and animation aspects the movie is flawless. One of the best movies I've seen. Had I seen on cinema it would be an even better experience.
Problem is there are some deficiencies as far as the script goes, that viewers that are new to S.Kon work will feel peculiar.
But as a work of art intent on showing us how internet, movies and dreams are interconnected in the subconscious I think the movie succeeds.
Since like Perfect Blue it is based on a novel, I assume the novel includes more details, though as S.Kon said, he doesnt in anyway stay close to the novel but the novel works as an inspiration. Also probably because the film was for international release.
A must see movie for 2006. Even if for some this movie except the graphics department hasnt something better in the plot, for me Paprika is one the good movies, though it could have been much better had it lasted two hours.
But for that there is the novel.
Watch it on cinema if you can.
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0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Another anime from MADHOUSE (makers of tokyo godfathers, chobits, perfect blue etc) which actually is quite good to me. Its a dream<>reality movie which really shows there are no limit to the drams which can happen. This is a nice movie. Animation, sound is on par or if not better than tokyo godfathers. The production crew maybe was high when thinking of this movie as it defies a lot of things.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| First of all, it should be stated that this review will be biased. Biased in favor of Satoshi Kon's latest, Paprika.
I'm a huge fan of Satoshi Kon's work. First captivated by the mystery/thriller Perfect Blue. Millennium Actress has become one of my favorite movies of all time, Tokyo Godfathers was good, and Paranoia Agent is currently one of my favorite series. Needless to say, I had high expectations for this movie, which has been a downfall of many decent movies I've watched in the past.
However, Paprika exceeded my expectations. It should first be noted that the visuals are stunning, as has been the case in most of Satoshi Kon's work.
Something else that I loved about the film were the electic pop ballads written by none other than Susumu Hirasawa, who has worked with Kon on former projects such as Millennium Actress and Paranoia Agent. The music highlights and compliments several important scenes in the film.
When I saw the trailer for this film, I had doubts. I thought to myself, "how on earth can this man write and direct any more anime films/series about the interconnections of dreams and reality?" My concern was whether or not Satoshi Kon would be able to put a fresh spin on the subject matter, and in my opinion, he succeeded.
The characters, although not as complex and lovable as his other works, are still likeable and fun to watch.
I loved this movie. It is definitely worth watching. If you don't like Satoshi Kon, or you haven't seen any of his work, you should give this one a try.
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currywu |
(2007-06-15 22:16:37) 2007-06-15 22:14:01 |
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| Average |
6.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Satoshi Kon's work has always attempted to sever the divide between illusion & reality. In Paprika (his 4th cinematic effort), Kon tackles the whimsical, often incomprehensible world of dreams. Given how adept he is at mindf***ery, this should seem like familiar terroritory. By showcasing some wildly inventive dreamscapes, Kon dispenses with any attempt at coherent narrative, resulting in a film that is visually saturated but thematically soulless.
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