Ralph Bakshi. The very name conjures up such successes and ground-breaking movies as "Fritz the Cat", "Heavy Traffic", the taboo-shattering "Coonskin" and even later triumphs as "American Pop". He even made good in re-animating cartoon versions of "Spider-Man" and "Mighty Mouse". I even remember the funny characters he created for that video for The Rolling Stones' "Harlem Shuffle".
So... why did his usual command of the medium slide down so much in quality with "Cool World"?
We all know what Bakshi is capable of. That he allowed something so slip-shod to be released without any re-tooling is shameful. With a surer touch and better script, this could have been a latter-day success story for him.
Instead, Bakshi shows as much uncertainty in his live-action direction as he does his animation here: none of the characters have much charisma, personality or reason to be given screen time.
Rather than that, what you have is a sad, cynical exercise to cash-in on the animation craze that was rightfully set off with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" in 1990. Yes, cash-in; you heard me. Something so slapped-together and ungainly as to have cartoon characters simply run across the screen without announcement just to keep the audience off-guard is saying something, and it's not something nice.
What actors like Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt are doing in this is anyone's guess, unless Bakshi is just a master pitch-man. But even their scenes, animated or not, add next to nothing. And that's sad seeing, under certain circumstances, they have all done great things before and since - though, admittedly, it's hard to imagine Kim as an Oscar-winner after watching her gallivant around in a school-girl skirt and a Barbie-voice.
SO many scenes are either too short or go on and on and on without a sign of actually being about anything (like the night club scene - Frank Sinatra Jr??!). Someone must have REALLY wanted to rush this film through badly, allowing a product so obviously unfinished as this to be unleashed on the unsuspecting movie-going public at large. It's typical of Hollywood, but nothing that should be allowed for anyone the likes of Bakshi and company (SHOULD BE, that is).
Someday, maybe Bakshi will take this film, redo it and re-release it with the bad and unfinished scenes either removed, repaired or made more coherent, and he'll have his renaissance yet. But so far, this "Cool World" is set on quick thaw.
One star, some of the animation is indeed well-done and the vast cityscape of the "Cool World" is fascinating. If only something else as interesting had happened around it.
So... why did his usual command of the medium slide down so much in quality with "Cool World"?
We all know what Bakshi is capable of. That he allowed something so slip-shod to be released without any re-tooling is shameful. With a surer touch and better script, this could have been a latter-day success story for him.
Instead, Bakshi shows as much uncertainty in his live-action direction as he does his animation here: none of the characters have much charisma, personality or reason to be given screen time.
Rather than that, what you have is a sad, cynical exercise to cash-in on the animation craze that was rightfully set off with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" in 1990. Yes, cash-in; you heard me. Something so slapped-together and ungainly as to have cartoon characters simply run across the screen without announcement just to keep the audience off-guard is saying something, and it's not something nice.
What actors like Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne and Brad Pitt are doing in this is anyone's guess, unless Bakshi is just a master pitch-man. But even their scenes, animated or not, add next to nothing. And that's sad seeing, under certain circumstances, they have all done great things before and since - though, admittedly, it's hard to imagine Kim as an Oscar-winner after watching her gallivant around in a school-girl skirt and a Barbie-voice.
SO many scenes are either too short or go on and on and on without a sign of actually being about anything (like the night club scene - Frank Sinatra Jr??!). Someone must have REALLY wanted to rush this film through badly, allowing a product so obviously unfinished as this to be unleashed on the unsuspecting movie-going public at large. It's typical of Hollywood, but nothing that should be allowed for anyone the likes of Bakshi and company (SHOULD BE, that is).
Someday, maybe Bakshi will take this film, redo it and re-release it with the bad and unfinished scenes either removed, repaired or made more coherent, and he'll have his renaissance yet. But so far, this "Cool World" is set on quick thaw.
One star, some of the animation is indeed well-done and the vast cityscape of the "Cool World" is fascinating. If only something else as interesting had happened around it.