Renaissance (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Randy T

  
  An interesting script but the high contrast black & white animation is distracting and tiresome. Slightly above average graphic novel-ish sci-fi crime noir.

• Ross C

  
  A graphic novel in movie form that works really quite well in providing a cool, dark, film noir atmosphere. It helps having the new James Bond to provide the lead voice too. The sci-fi story is a fairly good one and quite appropriate to the style of the movie. However, the plot can… More
  A graphic novel in movie form that works really quite well in providing a cool, dark, film noir atmosphere. It helps having the new James Bond to provide the lead voice too. The sci-fi story is a fairly good one and quite appropriate to the style of the movie. However, the plot can drag a bit at times.

• Luke B

  
  The animation style may seem original as a film but it pretty much resembles the computer game XIII as well as the last Spider-Man animated series. Though the thick blacks and pure whites add a lot of style and atmosphere in some scenes it becomes hard to differentiate backgrounds… More
  The animation style may seem original as a film but it pretty much resembles the computer game XIII as well as the last Spider-Man animated series. Though the thick blacks and pure whites add a lot of style and atmosphere in some scenes it becomes hard to differentiate backgrounds from foregrounds. The story itself is quite interesting as mysteries go but is also reminiscent of just about any future mystery set-up where an evil corporation is out for something. The vocal talents are spot on for the majority of the film and the ending is excellent and shouldn't have ended any other way. It results in an overall satisfying film.

• Red L

  
  I tried, but I couldn't sit through it. I guess I have become too main-stream, but the black and white only cartoon-like images and the long time it took for any coherent story to develop made me seek another movie to watch on TV this evening. Twice I've tried to watch… More
  I tried, but I couldn't sit through it. I guess I have become too main-stream, but the black and white only cartoon-like images and the long time it took for any coherent story to develop made me seek another movie to watch on TV this evening. Twice I've tried to watch this movie. I lasted 30 minutes this time before escaping.

• Michael G

  
  Renaissance made me feel as if Sin City and A Scanner Darkly ravenously did IT with Blade Runner watching. In Europe. Renaissance is quite the visual feat--mind blowing animation that leaves you guessing what the hell else you're in store for. Unfortunately having to endure the… More
  Renaissance made me feel as if Sin City and A Scanner Darkly ravenously did IT with Blade Runner watching. In Europe. Renaissance is quite the visual feat--mind blowing animation that leaves you guessing what the hell else you're in store for. Unfortunately having to endure the sub-par, play-by-the-numbers plot with a foreseeable and uninteresting twist is the price you pay for such a visual treat. And the opening titles and closing credits made me want to murder whoever designed them.

• Curtis L

  
  Kinda cool, because the whole movie is in straight black and white, no other tones of gray or anything. To pull it off they made a lighting masterpiece, and the film itself wasn't terrible either.

• Arash X

  
  Stunning visuals, An unoriginal story and a great ending

• Bannan i

  
  Interesting as hell cinematography, the script's alrie and the story isn't amazing. Review TBA. But NIFTY black and white cinematography!!

• E.J. B

  
  No sci-fi film should be this much of a chore to sit through. Their ideas are not presented well enough and while the black and white animation looks splendid, it's also frustrating to see what's going on.

• Drew S

  
  Renaissance is like wading through a beautiful swamp. There's some appreciation to be garnered from it on a surface level, but it fades away pretty quickly when you realize you're mired waist-high in bilge. I felt similarly overwhelmed crawling through this dull,… More
  Renaissance is like wading through a beautiful swamp. There's some appreciation to be garnered from it on a surface level, but it fades away pretty quickly when you realize you're mired waist-high in bilge. I felt similarly overwhelmed crawling through this dull, poorly-written Photoshop trick of a movie; like the obviously similar Sin City, it constructs its narrative around the visuals. Unlike Sin City, however, it is not interesting looking enough to pull this off. It seems like a lot less artistic forethought went into the creation of Renaissance - IMDB tells me the movie was in development for six years but I am certainly not impressed. I think I had about five or six moments where I thought to myself "wow, that looks cool." The rest of the time I was being overwhelmed with God-awful dialogue, a generic plot ripped straight from Catwoman of all places, and the least interesting cast of characters ever. I will give it an ounce of credit for its unconventional ending, but that is all it deserves. The rest of Renaissance has been done before, and far better, in a bunch of other action movies. Look at some screenshots if you really must.

• Craig S

  
  <b><u>Directed by:</u> Christian Volckman.</b> <b><u>Starring:</u> Daniel Craig, Patrick Floersheim, Catherine McCormack.</b> People who compare this to Sin City have no idea what-so-ever, just because they have a similar idea to make… More
  <b><u>Directed by:</u> Christian Volckman.</b> <b><u>Starring:</u> Daniel Craig, Patrick Floersheim, Catherine McCormack.</b> People who compare this to Sin City have no idea what-so-ever, just because they have a similar idea to make the film visually unique, doesn't mean they are the same. Where Sin City had brilliant, sharp, witty dialogue and intriguing characters and plot, Renaissance is the complete opposite. The story is set in Paris, 2054, where the city has become a labyrinth, everything is monitored and recorded. When a kidnapping of a young scientist occurs, a policeman investigates and finds more than he bargained for. The highpoint of this film is certainly visually, there are moments where the white is overused and it strains your eyes, but a majority of the film is so incredibly detailed and visually stunning, its certainly a step forward in technology...and the beautiful use of cinematography and lighting is superb, it really adds detail. Director Christian Volckman has his moments, he shows potential with trying new angles and styles and it works some of the time.....but thats where it stops. Not only does he not seem to be having much fun with the film, he never really had a chance with the terribly bland script. The plot attempts to go more indepth and twist a little but the problem here is that you lose your attention earlier in the film, the characters are one-dimension and dull, nothing jumps out at you from the script that can be seen as captivating or interesting, it slowly shits on itself that by the time they want to go somewhere, we just don't care. The voice acting (or the redo, seeing as the film is originally french) is poor for the most part, Daniel Craig does do well with what he has and he comes across as the stronger one but everyone else fails to make there characters shabby dialogue believable. Another typical example of style over substance, but this time, it can't even keep your attention with its bland script. If you can sit through this (I just managed to), only watch it for the amazingly detailed visuals.

• Steve K

  
  Boldly stylish film can be difficult to follow due to the visuals, but is so unique its worth the effort. The plot, while good, isn't as innovative as the look of the film. Recommended for people looking for something new.

• A.D. V

  
  Very interesting visuals for a fairly run-of-the-mill greedy corperation vs renegade cop scenario set in a futuristic Paris . It's shot in stark black and white and strongly resembles Sin City; not the movie, the graphic novels. Other than it's a little slow, my only… More
  Very interesting visuals for a fairly run-of-the-mill greedy corperation vs renegade cop scenario set in a futuristic Paris . It's shot in stark black and white and strongly resembles Sin City; not the movie, the graphic novels. Other than it's a little slow, my only complaint is it takes awhile to get used to who is who since alot of the guys look the same.

• Aaron N

  
  Karas: I don't know anything about saints, but I have an uncanny instinct for sniffing out a son of a bitch. There is so much style in this movie that it is a shame that the plot is so weak. This is an animated sci fi noir, set in Paris, year 2054. It was done using motion… More
  Karas: I don't know anything about saints, but I have an uncanny instinct for sniffing out a son of a bitch. There is so much style in this movie that it is a shame that the plot is so weak. This is an animated sci fi noir, set in Paris, year 2054. It was done using motion capture devices on people, then actors done later. It took six years to make. It looks really cool, done entirely in black and white, making full use of shadows, but it doesn't take it anywhere great. It has some imagination in some of it's technology, and of course the action scenes look great, but the plot is so standard. A hard boiled cop, who follows his own rules, has to find a missing girl, with twists along the way. The cop is such a boring character, that I've seen countless other times. There was a point where he was suspended and had to "hand in his gun and badge" and I almost laughed out loud. The movie gets a lot of comparison to being in the style of Sin City, but the difference is that Sin City had larger than life characters, and had fun with it's gratuitous and over-the-top nature. Here all the characters mostly fall flat. It can also be compared to movies like Blade Runner, Minority Report, I, Robot but these movies had a more entertaining or intriguing factor to them. If the style of this film is used again, hopefully it can be put with a better story.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Renaissance" takes place in Paris in the near future where Captain Karas is assigned the case of Ilona Tasuiev, a researcher for pharmaceutical giant Avalon Corporation, who has gone missing. Along with her full time work, she is also working on a… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Renaissance" takes place in Paris in the near future where Captain Karas is assigned the case of Ilona Tasuiev, a researcher for pharmaceutical giant Avalon Corporation, who has gone missing. Along with her full time work, she is also working on a doctoral thesis on progeria and volunteers at the clinic run by Dr. Muller. Considering all of these signs of a nonexistent social life, it might come as a surprise that the last place Ilona is seen is a nightclub by her older sister, Bislane...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Renaissance" is a starkly animated movie in black and white(Making "Code Black" an interesting experience...) with a few rare infusions of color showing off a Paris that is not that far removed from the present day. There are a few advancements, but nothing totally unrecognizable. Imaginative as the film's design may be, the story and the characters are somewhat lacking by comparison, even with a couple of neat action set pieces thrown in.(That's not counting the half-baked philosophy.) And it is a nice touch that Karas is a Muslim but what does the film's conclusion truly say about him?(It does not help that a key incident from his past is straight out of "Angels with Dirty Faces.") It is also an ending that does not really work; surely there could have been a better way.[/font]

• Fascade F

  
  A dark de-lightful joy. All sci-fi enthusiasts must see this for an all new way of watching this detective film noir. I loved it.

• Yinalí R

  
  very well done. Loved the animation; would have been better if it looked a lot more real.

• Nay Nay B

  
  the art direction and noir feel is cool but oh so forgettable and boring for daniel craig.

• James B

  
  Gritty, beautifully created detective story set in the future. The tale itself isn't nearly as revolutionary as its animation, but it's still a fun ride.

• Stefan P

  
  Nicely animated but sometimes you want to see things in colour too. I first thought that this movie would be more philosophical so I am a little disappointed. Although, the story is original and interesting.

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