Ultimately, this movie fails because it is so dreadfully slow. It fascinates with its animation, which seems based on real film distorted in an interesting way, producing anime like faces and Astro Boy like movements (the original; haven’t seen the remakes). It looks like a descendant of Peter Gabriel’s Big Time: newer, slicker, not as much fun. It is a dystopian tale of a corporate takeover of Europe and may be too European, if not too dystopian. I’m not sorry I saw it, but I recommend so many 5-star movies before this one: Ink, the Caveman’s Valentine, Jade Warrior, or Franklyn.

Curiously, Stig Larsson was one of the screenwriters.