Review for Redline (Review)

Page 1 Page 2

Introduction
Could an anime title be any more hyped than Redline? For the last eighteen months and more, it's a movie that has toured the festival circuits, been previewed, reviewed and raved about in all corners of anime fandom, and it's a title that comes so preloaded with hype, that I may as well not review it. Of course now that the disc is here, I feel my compulsion to opine take over, and the fingers start typing regardless of how futile an exercise my intellect knows it to be. You're going to buy Redline regardless of my opinion, simply because it's an audio-visual supernova of imagination and brilliance that needs to be experienced by all fans of animation in general. And you'll be right to do so. Director Takeshi Koike (The Animatrix) has created an adrenaline rush of a movie, pop art collides with 2000AD and Aeon Flux, a cross between Wacky Races and Death Race 2000, the dark side of Star Wars Pod Racing in a distant future where the Redline is the ultimate in race formulae.

It's the distant future, where antigravity engines are the latest thing, and everyone flies around in aircars, which let's face it is supremely dull. Have you ever seen those Red Bull air races? Fortunately, there are still fools out there who like their racing close to the ground, that still believe in archaic technologies like internal combustion engines, in wheels, and in beating the other guys at any cost. For them, Redline is the ultimate race, where the best, the bravest, the craziest drivers compete to be the best in the universe. And that is where 'Sweet' JP wants to be, racing his modified and converted classic Trans-am against the wildest and weirdest machines that the galaxy can throw up. Unfortunately, he and his team are deep in the pockets of the mob, meaning his races usually consist of wild surges to the front of the pack, and once betting has swung the appropriate way a sudden, and not always voluntary explosive exit.

That's how he finished the Yellowline race, and how he expected his career to end. But when two of the racers pull out of the prestigious Redline, he gets a wild card entry. This time he'll win, this time he won't be throwing in the towel, this time he will make his dreams come true. But then again there is that reason why people aren't so keen on racing in the Redline. The venues for the Redline are picked at random, usually without the consent of the local governments. This time the Redline will be held on Roboworld, and the government of Roboworld has declared war on the Redline. This time, it won't just be his opponents' missiles he'll be dodging.

Picture
Redline gets a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer on this Blu-ray disc. Actually the film's logos get the 1.85:1 ratio, the actual film has thin black bars left and right, which give it a very slight windowboxed look. It doesn't matter, as what's in the windowbox is downright gorgeous. The image is clear and sharp throughout; the colour palette is amazing electric pop art vivid, the animation is brilliantly presented, fluid, clear and energising. Redline has to be one of the most astounding animated feature films I have seen in a long time. The character designs are fantastic, imaginative and stunningly realised, the world and prop designs equally so. The various vehicles all have their own style and personality to match their drivers, while the plethora of alien characters and worlds grab the attention and just don't let go. If ever there were an argument for visual excess in entertainment, Redline would win hands down.

The images in this review are sourced from the press release, and aren't necessarily representative of the final retail disc.

Sound
The Blu-ray presents the film with the option of Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English and Japanese surround tracks, as well as lossy DD 2.0 English and Japanese for those who aren't yet HD audio capable. You also get the option of translated subtitles and a signs only track to accompany the English audio. I went with the original Japanese audio, and while the levels were a little low, once I punched the volume up, I found an audio track to put a big grin on my face, as it certainly has the chops to make you feel the various action sequences in the pit of your stomach, as well as rattling your eardrums. It's an action movie, and it gets the full-throated action movie soundtrack it deserves. Not only that, but Redline's music soundtrack drives the bass-thumping action to perfection, and it will have you seeking out the movie's soundtrack CD as soon as the end credits have finished rolling. I gave the English dub a test drive, and found it to be up to the standards of the Japanese track, and if you don't want to be distracted by subtitles during a certain scene with Sonoshee in, you'll definitely appreciate its presence. As for those subtitles, they are legible, and timed well.

Next Page Add Your Own Comment