![]() However, the fact that this fade to black feels like a bit of a shock to the system is a testament to the strangely transfixing nature of everything that proceeded it.ĭespite its leisurely approach to scripting, Junk Head is an insanely accomplished, singular labor of love that is all but certain to be a cult classic should this version of the film be given a chance at wider release. Hori clearly sees this universe as an ongoing narrative, and perhaps the film ends too abruptly, at what feels like it should be the start point of a traditional third act. That said, there is a late period battle that has some of the best editing and character motion in the entire movie, with impressive acrobatics and weapons cut together in a way that some of the live action directors working today could take some lessons from. The only real flaw to be had is that perhaps the main narrative is a bit overly neglected for exploration, only being put back into the forefront in the film’s final half hour. This sort of technical achievement in stop motion would be impressive coming from a much larger animation studio, let alone a single extremely devoted self-taught man who is the only name on the majority of the listed credits. The movie is completely unafraid of committing to its own odd muse, and reads as an incredibly immersive complete thought. All of this mixing of aesthetics, tones and genres would usually be a bit too busy, but as Junk Head is Takahide Hori’s insanely laborious one man show, every detail was conceptualized as part of his larger vision of what this world was supposed to be. There’s wry comedy sprinkled everywhere amongst this cyberpunk rot, be it the obvious reverence some of the Marigans have for their newly discovered “God”, or a crisis narrowly averted by Junkers having the simple idea of fetching a worker a chair. This is not to say Junk Head is unduly dour or self serious in its existentialist themes. In his android misadventures with danger and death, Junkers learns more about the condition of being alive than he had in his countless human years above the surface. When later reconstructed as a more retrofuturist block style robot (after one of his many destructive near misses), he has no voice but reconnects with a more organically human empathy. In his initial vaguely humanoid incarnation, he has a voice, but no memories. Junk Head’s evolution as a character is reflected in his various rebuilds. Each still is a masterpiece of complex visual details, everything on screen carefully curated. Perhaps this isn’t the most dynamic or linear choice in terms of plot momentum, but the incredibly intricate set and creature design keep things from feeling too stagnant, as there is literally something new lurking around every corner, be it comedic or nightmarish. Want 200+ Horror Movies? CLICK HERE! Also See: Tin Can is a Phantasmagorical Treat for the Senses A village of miners toil at the whim of their imposing Amazonian wives, and adorable humanoid orphans are protected by Cenobite style monsters, all gangling limbs and sharp teeth. Giger designs with the odd, fleshy abominations that dot Hieronymus Bosch’s painted depictions of Hell. The surface hunters are cutely rotund in a way that wouldn’t be out of place in a big budget animated family adventure, but the beasts that stalk the endless dusty hallways and rusted scrap heaps are gory terrors that combine the spiny angularity of H.R. Junkers doesn’t remember much of his past, and has no intel regarding his current surroundings, so we as an audience join him on a post dystopian travelogue of the various levels of the underworld, and the creatures that live within them. Having established that basic framework, Junk Head puts a pause on the more linear narrative to do some gorgeously organic world building. The confusion caused by this lofty perception versus his rather pedestrian actions is one of the movie’s best running gags. Humans were technically the creators of Marigans, so the traveler is considered by some to be a deity from the old days, even if his general tendency toward confused haplessness doesn’t necessarily bear out that honorific. This is the birth of our protagonist, alternately referred to as Junk Head, Junkers, and God. ![]() The swap is a success, although he seems to be missing much more than flashes of his previous memories of life above ground. The doctor recognizes his subordinates’ find as a human, managing to connect the head’s consciousness with a scrap parts robotic body. His cybernetic head is discovered by a trio deceptively adorable, hazmat suited hunters, who bring their find to a mad scientist style doctor. A former tutor volunteers for the underground expedition, only to be almost immediately shot down by the protectors of the lower levels.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |