A pack of nerdy Asians with paintbrushes do Hollywood like punks, and all the render farms in the world wilt and run barren. It's been attempted, and has usually led to legendary failures like Speed Racer. Michael Bay and his lesser followers can use all the CG and shaky-cams they want, but no live-action movie will ever be able to whap the viewer in the face with unhinged chaos that buckles the frame and yet stays somehow comprehensible. If you want to see what animation can do better than live film, Redline is a good start. In this world, men are men women are women squishy purple aliens are purple and squishy and everything is blown completely out of proportion. Things go fast, crash into each other and go up like the Hindenburg. P., is a racer who tends to explode and wipe out before the finish, but feels destined to win the big one. This may be for reasons of secrecy, or just because the old planet is rendered unusable. An illegal and absurdly violent drag race occurs once every five years, each time on a different planet. Quick capsule summary of Redline: It's an animated, intergalactic "Death Race 2000," on buffalo steroids and with a jalapeƱo up its a$$. How cool is that? (My favourite is Machine Head's.) And, in the end, that's what Redline ultimately wants to leave you thinking: "How cool is that?" Hell, every character gets their own theme song. This review would be incomplete without mentioning the amazing music, an eclectic group of tunes that completes the adrenaline rush. Redline really only does one thing - epic action - and those looking for anything else will probably be disappointed. It does, however, manage to use common tropes in a way that feels mythic and not derivative. Plot-wise, there isn't much going on, with the story a serviceable vehicle to get from one action sequence to another. The only other media that comes to mind as capturing this sensation is the anime series Giant Robo, which seems like a clear precedent here. You get the feeling that any of the other racers, some of whom only get a sliver of screen time, could easily support their own movie, and that kind of overflowing exuberance is hard not to buy into. It's a bold debut for director Takeshi Koike, and what really amazes is that it manages to be an epic story that at the same time seems to be only a sliver of a crazy and exciting universe. Redline is one of those movies that is absolutely popping with adolescent joy, from the sleekly-animated racing sequences to the ridiculous bravado of the characters.
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