*This is my first review, I'm trying a structured format, please do not hesitate to give me feedback by profile comment (or PM)*
After having watched Redline for the 3rd time, I've decided to write a review of it. To me it is unusual to rewatch something 3 times, and it wasn't out of pure love for it that I did an exception for this movie. I think you can blame it at least partly on my mindset watching it. Do not expect it to be complex yet do not "turn your brain off". My opinion of the movie changed between each watching, from mindless stylish
...
racing, to cheesy overdone rule of cool to simply a movie about aspirations and racing. This movie is highly regarded and I'll try to explain in detail why.
The story of Redline is located in this crazy scifi universe full of different people, from small aliens to anthropomorphic animals, among which evolve our two human-looking protagonists, JP and Sonoshee. Every 5 years, after enough racers are picked with preliminaries, is held on a random planet a grand race called Redline (wow it's the title). The movie is mainly about the desire to win, but also about the shared love for racing. This dream of winning is what made JP and his friend, Frisbee, invest themselves into this world of cars. Introduced as a small flashback, it starts it all, it sets our protagonist on his goal to become a racer as cool as the one he envisions: A stylish man with a nice car and chicks, all tainted in a golden light. The love for racing is maybe a bit harder to perceive, but the final sequence confirmed my doubts. More than being a movie about racers who want to reach an orgasmic win, it is a movie about people who hold true love for cars and their lust for triumph. It explores minorly some other themes and still is pretty weak as a whole but that's fine and all because it is just a feelsgood race movie. Still, better could have been done while keeping the same context, it is very forgettable storywise.
The narrative is fine and is able to give a certain legitimacy to this over-the-top movie. There are 3 subplot, the romance, the empire and the mafia. The middle chunk of the movie, by that I mean like literally between the Yellowline qualification (10 first minutes) and the Redline race (30 last minutes mixed with plotline) fucks up the pace of the movie, but has a goal: it gives good expectations of what is coming next and develops stakes. It makes the viewer wait and look forward to the climax of the movie. I personally was annoyed by it and the mini action bits during this middle chunk weren't very emphased giving them no value. The main plotline serves as a foil to all those subplots to be introduced and developped during this big chunk but keep it pretty straight-forward and easy to understand. The dialogue in this movie was actually pretty well written, having no padding but just a lot of smooth exposition to this crazy world in which JP lives, also progressing the narrative and giving background and characterization to the different figures preparing for the ultimate race. I think giving more attention to those on my 3rd watch permitted me to appreciate more the movie and to me it really is crazy how much detail is given through these dialogues without it being given through long boring exposition, keeping its extreme style.
All 3 subplots are pretty simple:
- The mafia already worked with Frisbee/JP and expects them to still fake the races, JP tells Frisbee he really wants to win the Redline and Frisbee finally joins his interest because "muh brotherhood" but they still have to deal with the mafia boss.
- The Empire hosts the Redline against their will, and tries to stop the racers enforcing their laws, lest their mass destruction weapon (that is against a war convention) is discovered and shown on broadcast to the whole world. During the preparations, the immigrant population that was taken by the kingdom tries to revolt against it leading to problems prior to the race. There are some ties between a racer and the army to add better background to the movie's world.
- The romance is the better subplot, having great chemistry between JP and Sonoshee and a nice follow-up, even though it is predictable. She is the one giving a reason for JP to race, yet she doesn't know it. Both characters have similar goals, but the fact that JP used to fake the races makes Sonoshee doubt. But no, love and passion still triumphs!
They are all pretty simple and easy to follow, and have puny depth, though there is rich attention to detail which gives Redline's setting an unexpected complexity. This whole movie seems like a glimpse into a still unexplored world (at least by the viewer's eye) and it feels enthralling to learn about it. The interspersed pieces of plot all lead to the race making you anticipate the event all the more, the Redline gives conclusion to all threads leading to it in a satisfying way altough I'd only qualify the romance subplot cathartic as the others are barely represented; they are barely memorable.
The visuals are probably what hooked us all to first watch this movie, and with reason. This movie took 7 years to make, and a 100 thousands frames. It has an over the top style that was achieved through 7 years of hard work and it really pays off. The movie does not reach Katsuhiro Otomo's level of detail on his Akira movie but it is very worth mentionning the animation is fluid, and every frame is full of little things giving enough life to this movie to totally immerse the viewer.The artstyle relies on flashy colors in a pretty vast range, contrasted by excessively used black shading. The movie is very pleasing to look at despite the weird/cool character designs. Like I already mentionned, a scifi world of new creatures is created, mixing cyborgs, fantasy creatures and animals to live in it. He designs feel very adequate and original, but I don't think there is much to say about them, I wouldn't consider myself qualified to talk charadesign anyway. Personally, the highest quality I can attribute this movie is its great presentation; it depicts exactly what I mean about its narrative structure. Redline switches between high adrenaline moments to calm moments in quick bursts instigating a thrilling sense in the viewer, leaving him wanting more. The action sequences are executed with a lot of panache, successing in a fast pace shots of character reactions/facial expressions, small movements, explosions/collisions but most importantly cars going fast. Hypothetically, I don't know if the cars are fast because they don't show the km/h of the cars, but here's the thing: when the cars are going at full speed, the screen starts shaking uncontrollably. You just feel the speed. Add with great sound editing and you have one of the most immersive anime out here if only from an audiovisual perspective.
The sound effects in Redline shine in racing scenes because of their overdose-inducing use, yet all of them feel so abrupt. They are filled with cars going at full speed, motors rumbling, wheels skidding, vehicles crashing, weapons shooting, competitors grunting and the roaring sound of fire explosions. Those overdose are shortly lived, as the movie likes to switch to almost silent moments usually only having characters talking with background music/noises. Again, there is an important contrast between hype moments and calmer moments (exposition/plot progression). Musicwise, it isn't very outstanding, the pechugonas' theme song is pretty catchy and the only character theme song I remember. The only track that distincts itself from the rest is "Yellow Line", a high octane rythm played during races. A total banger, its cadence doesn't even need the movie to get you hyped up. I'd like to highlight it uses a lot of instruments to mix things up and easily incorporates itself in the movie, always changing depending on the situation our competitors are in. For the sake of this review, I have watched Redline english dubbed, and, even though usually not being a big fan of those, I think the dub did a good job. I'd still give an edge over to the original version, both are able to express character in a light and calm mood very well, which surprisingly includes most of the movie, but the more emotional moments of the movie are better expressed by the japanese voices.
The least defining aspect of Redline is definitively its figures, far from being a character study, Redline has a big cast all defined by very simple archetypic traits and excentric mannerisms. They all look weird, act wacky and generally ooze cool. Very superficial, yet entertaining. Weak details of every racer are given, which I think is a positive, as during the final race, everyone was someone you could root for and appreciate when they were put on the spotlight. They are pretty shallow, is the point I'm trying to get across, but there is merit to their presence alone as they each have a role in their world which we don't see the big picture of, but get a better glimpse at thanks to their incorporation. The little scenes concerning the supporting cast make the Redline world whole. The main cast is given a clearer purpose, in that both JP and Sonoshee have an objective (winning the race) and they are the one we follow. Well of course, they are the main characters. Some little elements of personal drama are included so this alliance they share is more genuine and the catharsis they experience together is more impactful. Actually, I'd say it is primordial. To see 2 nobodies win the race, with the cool JP getting to kiss the cute Sonoshee, that would be forgettable as hell. And maybe you'll still find it forgettable, but this romanticized goal they both have, they both achieve together feels so satisfying. It is a movie that leaves you with a grin.
Overall it was a good movie. At first, I thought it was just a cool racers doing cool races (CRDCR, here you go anime make a genre with this) anime in an over the top fashion, but it has some other strong points which makes this very worth watching. Redline relies heavily on its presentation, which usually shouldn't be a good thing, content is importanter, but the lack of it also stops it from being flawed at its gist + they went all in on the spectacle so really, they knew what they were doing. If you aren't convinced by this review to watch it I'd recommend you to at least give its opening sequence a shot (findable on YT), it's a great showcase of the movie's style. Redline's rewatch value is mediocre though, the 1st race still feels very intense and the middle part stays decently engaging, but can be redundant as it is a build-up to a race you've already seen; The stakes do not serve any purpose anymore. That's how I felt the 3rd time watching it which made the Redline and the whole middle segment less fun to watch.
Some other anime that I'd recommend watching if you liked Redline are:
Sword of the Stranger, both it and Redline have amazingly animated action scenes. Redline has racing while Sword of the Stranger has swordfighting. Both movies have very different moods, yet it really made me think about Redline in its sheer "coolness". Both have an epic ending altough I personally wasn't very invested in SotS.
Gurren Lagann, another over the top action show that has a hyper soundtrack than Redline and a lot of shiny colors too. Again, greatly animated action and a story I would consider way more meaningful, touching minorly some similar themes.
Trava: Fist Planet, It came out in 2002 as an appetizer to the up and coming Redline movie. A witty comical adventure that sets itself in the same universe and borrows 2 of its characters, Trava & Shinkai. A little bonus if you like Redline's scifi world. A 2nd entry was in production but it seems to have been cancelled. A last note, Trava: FP and Redline are different in content but similar in style.
I already mentionned it, but Redline took 7 years to make and a 100 000 frames. The movie almost made Madhouse go bankrupt and Takeshi Koike got fired, I ambiguously quote what he said when he was asked about the time it took to make the movie: "Worth it." and it honestly was, this isn't the best movie out there but it is a fun ride and a memorable experience.
Thanks for reading :) !
All (21)FriendsAlso Available atRSS Feeds |
Sep 10, 2020
*This is my first review, I'm trying a structured format, please do not hesitate to give me feedback by profile comment (or PM)*
After having watched Redline for the 3rd time, I've decided to write a review of it. To me it is unusual to rewatch something 3 times, and it wasn't out of pure love for it that I did an exception for this movie. I think you can blame it at least partly on my mindset watching it. Do not expect it to be complex yet do not "turn your brain off". My opinion of the movie changed between each watching, from mindless stylish ... |
