With its halfhearted script, stiff performances and overlong running time, this is the kind of movie that's simultaneously dazzling to look at, and increasingly tough to sit through.
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09/22/06
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Renaissance (2006)
44
%
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Reviews Counted:66
Fresh:29
Rotten:37
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Renaissance attempts to blend sci-fi wonder with stark noir animation, but is often more fun to look at than to watch.
Theatrical Release:Sep 22, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: In the near future in a Paris, France, made of Plexiglas, aerodynamic steel beams, and rainslicked surfaces, a sinister plot unfolds: it's one honest cop (voiced by Daniel Craig) against an evil... [More]
Starring: Daniel Craig, Patrick Floersheim, Catherine McCormack, Romola Garai
Director: Christian Volckman
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Reviews for Renaissance
Renaissance is a dark joy to inhabit once you jettison the idea of a satisfying narrative.
09/22/06
Artistic as it undeniably is, the two-tone effect grows tedious fast. And since it's coupled with a mystery story that's humdrum from the start, boredom multiplies.
09/22/06
Set in Paris circa 2054, the animated Renaissance deliberately meshes science fiction and film noir. Unfortunately, all it does with that provocative combination is remind the viewer that there have been better films made in both genres.
09/22/06
Renaissance's failures as a boffo genre exercise pale next to its achievements as a piece of moving pop art.
09/22/06
The picture's most fascinating aspect is its startling graphic detail. Despite their severely limited tonal palette, the filmmakers pull off some remarkably delicate effects. ... It's a full, living world.
09/22/06
The voicework and the story try hard enough to get by, but Renaissance is really about its look. That part of the film is simply marvelous.
09/21/06
As awe-inspiring as director Christian Volckman's futuristic imaginings can be, Renaissance squanders them on a story of exasperating banality.
09/21/06
a palette of extremes, rich black and shockingly bare white, making both a visual statement and a narrative one
09/21/06
You can marvel at how it was made, but at the end you'll wonder why.
09/21/06
...one of a very few movies that I'm inclined to say is one of the year's best based on style alone.
09/21/06
The grim, dystopian world in this animated French film is the product of a computer technique that evokes the sharp, linear style of a graphic novel.
09/21/06
Top Critic[Director] Volckman's vision, however unrelentingly monochromatic, does just enough with 'motion capture' to persuade you that it could tell substantive, even provocative grown-up stories.
09/21/06
Top CriticNo one will be talking about the movie's banal plot, the trite dialogue, or any of the indistinguishable characters who offer a bleak futuristic vision of cinema that's all style, no soul.
09/20/06
Top CriticA gorgeous film ... but the complex story lacks originality and the writing lacks the punch to really make it stand out.
09/20/06
It might be hyperbole to call Renaissance unique, but it is very different from most films that open in theaters, and it's worth going a few extra miles to seek out, especially if this is a genre that holds appeal.
09/19/06
Top CriticIt's film noir, with too much noir for its own good.
09/19/06
Top CriticCertainly one of the year’s more luscious releases, offering not just the sleekest car chase but the most romantic of rainstorms.
09/18/06
The rotoscope animation is visually stunning but the story is just a straightforward sci-fi thriller with good guys, bad guys...and a corporate-controlled world.
09/16/06
The superfluous story is so muddled that it becomes a pesky distraction from the proceedings' graphical virtuosity.
09/15/06
Latest News for Renaissance
September 25, 2006:
Box Office Wrapup: "Jackass" #1, "Little Miss Sunshine" Crosses $50M
Young men returned to theaters in droves and powered the crude new stunts sequel Jackass: Number Two to the number one spot with the biggest opening weekend of any film in the... More...
September 22, 2006:
RT Talks to the "Renaissance" Man
RT's own Jen Yamato sat down with "Renaissance" director Christian Volckman, who discussed laying the groundwork for his innovative project, including the painstaking... More...
September 21, 2006:
Box Office Guru Preview: Jackass Crashes into Theaters
Four new films open wide, but they may not be enough to stop the North American box office from suffering its third consecutive down weekend. More...
September 21, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Jackass" Kicks; "King" Is Dethroned; "Fearless" Is Action-Packed; "Flyboys" Is Grounded
This week at the movies, we've got antisocial behavior ("Jackass: Number Two," with Johnny Knoxville and the gang), hell-raising politicos ("All The King's... More...
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