Sky Blue or Wonderful Days? It's obvious the former is the superior title for this film as it actually has relevance to the plot and the revelations within. Regardless, Sky Blue (or Wonderful Days) is an extremely engaging Korean (dare I say it without having negative responses plastered over my review?) 'anime' which is just absolutely ridiculous in its ability to leave you awe-struck with the beauty it possesses. Created over a seven year period Sky Blue fuses together computerised technology with a hand drawn elements to create something which can be said to be unique, then you have to wonder what they were doing over this seven year period in terms of scripting. That is certainly not unique.
There is much to love with Sky Blue on your first viewing, as I will testify to. It is engaging beyond belief on premiere, the story rings true, you identify with characters you become emotionally attached. The action sequences are sumptuous and I cannot describe the animation enough because it is simply gorgeous, incredibly detailed with a feel to it which is so fresh, new and vibrant it knocks the stuffing out of "comedic" ogres and talking fish. However, hindsight being that wonderful tool it is the realisation occurs in the aftermath of this film, rising through the cloud to shine bright into your mind, that the plot is no better than that of talking fish and kittens in shoes because it is so mind bogglingly generic. We've seen it all before, and yes there is a school of thought which says that being generic does not mean it is never going to be spectacular, I can agree with that, but you cannot base a premise of giving this film ten out of ten purely on the animation, the story must accompany it and unfortunately it falls slightly flat. There is nothing offencive or intrusive about the plot, as I stated it is engaging, but there have been far too many films in which we have seen these sequences played out with the same results time after time after time.
Empire claims this to be "Akira For The 21st Century", I'm sorry but no. For one there is a notable lack of philosophy for that claim to even be levelled at this film. Yes characters have views, opinions and mantras which they go through, but the "philosophy" is far too one- dimensional, working on one premise alone, for that claim to even contain any grounding in reality, let alone virtual. However, having said that, this film manages to achieve what the Wachowskis could not in their third instalment, a means to conclude a story with dignity. Yes we have seen Sky Blues plot line before, yes it is generic, but somehow you end up liking this film regardless, it has too many plus points, too many saving graces. Our three protagonists love triangle is (insert the word of the day here) but is still emotive enough to draw you in, and the subsidiary characters provide little quirks with enough sparks of life and freshness to allow you to settle in and feel at ease with the film.
When using the tools of hindsight and criticism combined you realise that this film, for all its faults, is hugely entertaining and at the end of the day, that's what they've set out to achieve. The director has created a film which is fun, exciting, action-packed, thoughtful and above all just incredibly beautiful, and even an average plot can be pulled up from the wasteland when fused together with originality on other levels. Sky Blue is a revelation in animation and in its own way is an Akira for the 21st Century. Where Akira broke Japanese animation into a Westernised world, Moon Sang Kim and these creators from Korea have pushed forward their own brand of animation saying to Hollywood "anything you can do, we can improvise on better", and that alone deserves plaudits. Expect to be dazzled and prepare to enoy but be ready to come out expecting a whole lot more.
There is much to love with Sky Blue on your first viewing, as I will testify to. It is engaging beyond belief on premiere, the story rings true, you identify with characters you become emotionally attached. The action sequences are sumptuous and I cannot describe the animation enough because it is simply gorgeous, incredibly detailed with a feel to it which is so fresh, new and vibrant it knocks the stuffing out of "comedic" ogres and talking fish. However, hindsight being that wonderful tool it is the realisation occurs in the aftermath of this film, rising through the cloud to shine bright into your mind, that the plot is no better than that of talking fish and kittens in shoes because it is so mind bogglingly generic. We've seen it all before, and yes there is a school of thought which says that being generic does not mean it is never going to be spectacular, I can agree with that, but you cannot base a premise of giving this film ten out of ten purely on the animation, the story must accompany it and unfortunately it falls slightly flat. There is nothing offencive or intrusive about the plot, as I stated it is engaging, but there have been far too many films in which we have seen these sequences played out with the same results time after time after time.
Empire claims this to be "Akira For The 21st Century", I'm sorry but no. For one there is a notable lack of philosophy for that claim to even be levelled at this film. Yes characters have views, opinions and mantras which they go through, but the "philosophy" is far too one- dimensional, working on one premise alone, for that claim to even contain any grounding in reality, let alone virtual. However, having said that, this film manages to achieve what the Wachowskis could not in their third instalment, a means to conclude a story with dignity. Yes we have seen Sky Blues plot line before, yes it is generic, but somehow you end up liking this film regardless, it has too many plus points, too many saving graces. Our three protagonists love triangle is (insert the word of the day here) but is still emotive enough to draw you in, and the subsidiary characters provide little quirks with enough sparks of life and freshness to allow you to settle in and feel at ease with the film.
When using the tools of hindsight and criticism combined you realise that this film, for all its faults, is hugely entertaining and at the end of the day, that's what they've set out to achieve. The director has created a film which is fun, exciting, action-packed, thoughtful and above all just incredibly beautiful, and even an average plot can be pulled up from the wasteland when fused together with originality on other levels. Sky Blue is a revelation in animation and in its own way is an Akira for the 21st Century. Where Akira broke Japanese animation into a Westernised world, Moon Sang Kim and these creators from Korea have pushed forward their own brand of animation saying to Hollywood "anything you can do, we can improvise on better", and that alone deserves plaudits. Expect to be dazzled and prepare to enoy but be ready to come out expecting a whole lot more.