I went to see Avalon last week. It’s taken 4 days before I’ve had the time in front of a PC to actually get some thoughts down.
Filmed by a Japanese director (the guy behind Patlabor) in Poland with the dialogue entirely in Polish. The setting is some sort of dystopian future where the only exit is the Game. A virtual reality super MMORPG set in some WW3 style middle European conflict (The polish army lent them equipment, from AKs to T-78s & Hind gun-ships). Death sends you back brain-fried. Loot can be exchanged for real world cash. The main character is one of the best in the Game. A solo warrior called Ash. She is of course very cute in a dangerous, rip your balls off, sort of a way.
It’s not your usual action movie. Certainly not a live-action manga either. The whole thing is filmed in brownish sepia tones (with a few exceptions), which on top of the slow, ponderous filming creates an oppressive air. You can feel the 1984 overtones. There seems like there are few actual action scenes, and they are used to truly forward the story, not just up the body count. The ones that are there are incredible. From a game like battle with a CG gunship in the intro to the finale they become more personal and meaningful to Ash.
Amusing to also see dumb game AI too.
There were elements of the movie I didn’t like, but the B&W treatment and the post-communist-decay settings had my eyeballs glued to the screen for the full 2 hours. There are also lots of very Japanese bits that may not gel with everyone - like cheesy theme songs and enigmatic endings - but it does tell a great story, which is certainly not black and white.
