The story development was on the weak side with the main characters coming across as somewhat one-dimensional. The problem with the main characters is that they only appear to be present to further the story, obviously that is the purpose of any character in a story, but in this case the actions of all of the characters came across as a bunch of intertwined plot devices in a desperate attempt to make a story out of some computer animations. In particular, the antagonist was lacking a foundation; his "evilness" seemed to have spawned out of nowhere as he didn't appear to have any motivation for his actions. On the whole the CG was decent but it didn't make up for the less than captivating storyline.
20 Reviews
Not bad
edmx6424 September 2005
I was Surprise about the movie have not heard anything nor I knew it was out there. the story is very similar to Final Fantasy also the CGI is very close the quality of Final Fantasy. It does have a better plot but like any of these types of movies it could be better. it does have some great movement on the camera simulation shoots also the only voice that is known is that of James Woods. Hope that this is the start of more movies using this type of animation. it say that it was produce on the USA but it seems that it was really put together in Korea. not bad for a DVD movie due to the story line. Overall if you like the CGI of Final Fantasy I really recommend this one.
Ark: Ugly but bareable
Platypuschow24 December 2017
First of all I need to say that considering the budget of Ark it looks really fugging ugly, I mean seriously it was made in 2005 there is no excuse. Its like a cross between the childrens tv series Reeboot (1994) and a 90's Resident Evil cut scene.
Despite this the story initially is sound, it tells a convoluted sci-fi trope filled tale that I found myself engaged in. Sadly the further into the movie you go the worse it gets and it builds to a finale that on paper should have been great but in reality was rather underwhelming.
Regardless Ark is a watchable piece and I believe it will really appeal to many especially those into their sci-fi. In many places it reminded me of several Final Fantasy universes and their villians, just not enough.
Starring James Woods this is a harmless sci-fi fluff piece that by all rights should have been better and looked considerably better.
The Good:
James Woods
Interesting concept
The Bad:
Shoddy animation
Trails off a bit the further in it goes
Despite this the story initially is sound, it tells a convoluted sci-fi trope filled tale that I found myself engaged in. Sadly the further into the movie you go the worse it gets and it builds to a finale that on paper should have been great but in reality was rather underwhelming.
Regardless Ark is a watchable piece and I believe it will really appeal to many especially those into their sci-fi. In many places it reminded me of several Final Fantasy universes and their villians, just not enough.
Starring James Woods this is a harmless sci-fi fluff piece that by all rights should have been better and looked considerably better.
The Good:
James Woods
Interesting concept
The Bad:
Shoddy animation
Trails off a bit the further in it goes
Warring Civilizations on the brink of mutual destruction..
trip_doubt-19 July 2006
The battle between the Ceveans and Storrions has gone on for centuries, the world on which they live has been scarred and toxified, their only hope is to find a pilot for the Ark, built 800 years ago by Amiel of The Bloodline, custodians of ancient technology delivered by the Gods. When she finished building the Ark, she dies. Even after being dead for centuries her body doesn't decompose and her cellular activity show amazing levels of bio-energy.
The storyline isn't as silly as a previous commenter had made. It is an Us vs Them story with mutual destruction if someone doesn't stop the war. The movie is Korean, and with the N. Korea/S. Korea thing that has been going on for the last 40-50 years, it is a commentary of socio-political of the instability in the region.
The storyline isn't as silly as a previous commenter had made. It is an Us vs Them story with mutual destruction if someone doesn't stop the war. The movie is Korean, and with the N. Korea/S. Korea thing that has been going on for the last 40-50 years, it is a commentary of socio-political of the instability in the region.
A good romp
Galadhrim_arrow30 March 2006
You can tell that the makers of this movie tried hard to do a good job (Something I feel lacking in most movies nowadays) The story is a good one if you like a breath of fresh air from those action movies to stop the nuclear bomb from blowing up the white house.
Two peoples on the same planet, one race dominating the other, have to leave their doomed planet before its too late. So, a priestess, Amial, from the opposing people constructs the ark, a giant robot to take them all to another planet.But then, for reasons unknown, she disappeared. One hundred years later and they are still on the poor stated planet, but there are rumors about Amial's daughter being able to pilot the ark, since many scientists could never move it. Could the adopted child of a General be the one? The conclusion was grand and exiting and the animation was beautiful. I thought I was watching live action at some points. If you don't mind a movie that has a few cheesy lines here and there, and you like animated films, you might enjoy this. I did. A good romp in the movies.
7.5/10
Two peoples on the same planet, one race dominating the other, have to leave their doomed planet before its too late. So, a priestess, Amial, from the opposing people constructs the ark, a giant robot to take them all to another planet.But then, for reasons unknown, she disappeared. One hundred years later and they are still on the poor stated planet, but there are rumors about Amial's daughter being able to pilot the ark, since many scientists could never move it. Could the adopted child of a General be the one? The conclusion was grand and exiting and the animation was beautiful. I thought I was watching live action at some points. If you don't mind a movie that has a few cheesy lines here and there, and you like animated films, you might enjoy this. I did. A good romp in the movies.
7.5/10
Pretty good animated feature
Rob_Taylor14 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Ark is the story of two opposing groups of people who both survive the devastation of their world. One group dominates the other, creating a master/servant (more like slave) relationship. Both half believe in a prophecy that tells of a priestess who will arise to lead them to another world.
The story unfolds rather well, with a prologue of sorts showing one of the ruling class breaking the rules to save some cryogenically stored children of the underclass. Actually, he only manages to save one, who becomes his daughter. You can probably already guess that she's destined to become the saviour of the people, but the story doesn't allow itself to be rushed, developing quite nicely the characters and plots.
The animation isn't up to the standard of say, Final Fantasy, but it is very good nonetheless, and has a distinctive feel to it which goes a long way to increasing its effectiveness. The machinery on display is quite inventive, especially the war machines.
The only thing which drags the movie down a little is the "big battle" at the end between the giant robots. This is just plain silly, given the quite gritty feel to the rest of the story, and doesn't (in my mind) do the movie any favours.
But the rest is plenty enjoyable, if rather predictable. If you like CGI moves, then this one will entertain you.
The story unfolds rather well, with a prologue of sorts showing one of the ruling class breaking the rules to save some cryogenically stored children of the underclass. Actually, he only manages to save one, who becomes his daughter. You can probably already guess that she's destined to become the saviour of the people, but the story doesn't allow itself to be rushed, developing quite nicely the characters and plots.
The animation isn't up to the standard of say, Final Fantasy, but it is very good nonetheless, and has a distinctive feel to it which goes a long way to increasing its effectiveness. The machinery on display is quite inventive, especially the war machines.
The only thing which drags the movie down a little is the "big battle" at the end between the giant robots. This is just plain silly, given the quite gritty feel to the rest of the story, and doesn't (in my mind) do the movie any favours.
But the rest is plenty enjoyable, if rather predictable. If you like CGI moves, then this one will entertain you.
Derivative and stilted ... a video game cutscene that goes on way too long.
garrett-539 May 2007
To understand why Disney animation became so legendary, you just need to look at a single still frame from this movie. Pause the action at any point and take in what you see. It looks fine, doesn't it? The expressions look realistic, the composition looks good... Then, unpause it, and you'll understand: Animation is about movement. It's about taking the physics of our real world and recreating them to convey emotion: Excitement, sadness, urgency, rage.
Pixar understands this; it's why they hired so many classical animators. And even their best efforts only match the standard of what Disney and Warner Brothers produced in their prime. Movies like Ark, on the other hand, make another fact painfully clear: Good animators are hard to find, and modelers and programmers are a poor substitute. In fact, there may not even be any animators alive right now who can convey what the artists at Disney did with only a desk, a pencil, and a stack of loose-leaf paper, though some of the people at Studio Ghibli come close.
So any still frame looks fine. But the movement, the changes of expressions, even the inanimate objects - stilted. And with Ark in particular, the problems are worse. The plot is derivative and stagebound, and the pacing is thrown off kilter by tedious exposition, hammering the plot into your ears just in case your eyes didn't pick it up. Frankly, the backstory conveyed in the opening narration sounds more interesting than the film that follows.
Some animation never enters US theaters because of bad luck - take Akira, for example. Then, there are films like Ark - missing them, you miss nothing.
Pixar understands this; it's why they hired so many classical animators. And even their best efforts only match the standard of what Disney and Warner Brothers produced in their prime. Movies like Ark, on the other hand, make another fact painfully clear: Good animators are hard to find, and modelers and programmers are a poor substitute. In fact, there may not even be any animators alive right now who can convey what the artists at Disney did with only a desk, a pencil, and a stack of loose-leaf paper, though some of the people at Studio Ghibli come close.
So any still frame looks fine. But the movement, the changes of expressions, even the inanimate objects - stilted. And with Ark in particular, the problems are worse. The plot is derivative and stagebound, and the pacing is thrown off kilter by tedious exposition, hammering the plot into your ears just in case your eyes didn't pick it up. Frankly, the backstory conveyed in the opening narration sounds more interesting than the film that follows.
Some animation never enters US theaters because of bad luck - take Akira, for example. Then, there are films like Ark - missing them, you miss nothing.
What "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" should've been.
elbryanwyndon5 January 2007
This film has a strong cast of voice actors, while mostly unknown(with exception to James Woods) they handle the job of bringing these characters to life quite well. This is no bargain basement film folks, this title puts the more advertised Final Fantasy films(including Advent Children) to absolute shame.
The storyline is solid, containing futuristic vehicles, action, and even a giant robot battle near the end of the film. Though some of the vehicle design reminded me greatly of Ghost in the Shell, and GitS: Stand Alone Complex. So if you like either of those anime titles for their vehicles, you will most definitely enjoy this film also.
Overall an engaging storyline, strong graphics, and excellent use of technology powers this film upward to a level which is surprising for such a widely unknown film. It deserves attention.
The storyline is solid, containing futuristic vehicles, action, and even a giant robot battle near the end of the film. Though some of the vehicle design reminded me greatly of Ghost in the Shell, and GitS: Stand Alone Complex. So if you like either of those anime titles for their vehicles, you will most definitely enjoy this film also.
Overall an engaging storyline, strong graphics, and excellent use of technology powers this film upward to a level which is surprising for such a widely unknown film. It deserves attention.
Interesting, but strange
tnhelliott16 March 2006
I watched this film specifically because I saw that James Woods was in it. I was not aware that it was an animated feature before hand. The art and design of the film is quite good. The animation is reminiscent of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The character design is like watching a cinematic on a really good video game. The problem with this film is the story. The story is silly and doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. There is enough action to keep me engaged while watching, but the story lacks originality and coherence. I also found that I didn't care about the characters. They all seemed thin and lacking humanity. I would have liked to see this film as a live action piece. I think that that might have improved it.
A complete waste of time
shehroze_ameen10 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This review has spoilers, I'm writing this a second time just so that people will know this fact.
This movie, has as much value as taking a number 2 in a public toilet in an underdeveloped country. Actually, no, that has more value. Because what we have here, is very choppy and disorientating animation (which actually makes Gumby 1 - the 1995 clay animated movie of the titular Gumby - and Cool World - the 1992 Ralph Bakhshee movie look far better in comparison), and a story so clichéd it makes you vomit out of how much dedication the production team put in - which is to say, none.
So what do we have as a story? Prophesy child which will save the world of two mob like races who can't get along with each other. Let's call them race A and race B. A is stuck on an Ark (the title of the movie) while B has been exiled from it (if they are a part of the resistance) or turned into slaves (if they're on the Ark), and B holds onto the hope that their leader (some woman whose name I don't remember and don't care to remember either) will come back to life to lead them to Paradise.
And typical of prophesy child movies, the child is a complete waste of time. Add to this, a villain whose purpose of existing is to molest the child (suggestive, not explicit), a hero whose a part of the resistance by B, and A which is run by a really stupid queen (and are in control of a city) who doesn't listen to her cronies (lady, if you elect cronies, at the very least LISTEN TO THEM) and - spoiler! spoiler! spoiler! - she gets killed (really late in the movie, but still). As is expected by a prophesy child movie, the ship comes to life, everyone gets carried to a new place (A AND B both), and we all live happily ever after.
Now, what's the problem? Long drawn out narration mentions and explains (as does THE WHOLE MOVIE!!!) that there is a problem between A and B. But doesn't conclude it AT ALL - the ending, therefore, is forced. Then, the details of HOW THE PROPHESY CHILD GOT ITS POWERS ARE NEVER EXPLAINED!! Furthermore, because of the choppy animation, it makes me wonder why they made such an attempt at a movie AT ALL?! The worst part is the voice acting - amateurish, at best; ear rape, at worst. Even with the already dead-as-a-rock plot, the actors leave no trace of doubts that clichés will be used to get from start to finish. The prophesy child has daddy issues, and daddy has a pervert for a boss who thinks (and is suggested in awkward ways) that... I don't even know what he thinks. He just... does his thing. That is all that can be said.
In the end, don't waste download space or money on this crap. Really, don't. Instead, watch something better. Watch a classic, like Dick Tracy (1990). If you would like a mildly bearable movie watch Titan A.E. (2000) which has a more involving storyline and a better progression (and DOESN'T HAVE A RETARDED PROPHESY CHILD WHICH HAS BITCHY FATHER ISSUES), and is a better story as well. This movie, is god awful. It is simply NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!
This movie, has as much value as taking a number 2 in a public toilet in an underdeveloped country. Actually, no, that has more value. Because what we have here, is very choppy and disorientating animation (which actually makes Gumby 1 - the 1995 clay animated movie of the titular Gumby - and Cool World - the 1992 Ralph Bakhshee movie look far better in comparison), and a story so clichéd it makes you vomit out of how much dedication the production team put in - which is to say, none.
So what do we have as a story? Prophesy child which will save the world of two mob like races who can't get along with each other. Let's call them race A and race B. A is stuck on an Ark (the title of the movie) while B has been exiled from it (if they are a part of the resistance) or turned into slaves (if they're on the Ark), and B holds onto the hope that their leader (some woman whose name I don't remember and don't care to remember either) will come back to life to lead them to Paradise.
And typical of prophesy child movies, the child is a complete waste of time. Add to this, a villain whose purpose of existing is to molest the child (suggestive, not explicit), a hero whose a part of the resistance by B, and A which is run by a really stupid queen (and are in control of a city) who doesn't listen to her cronies (lady, if you elect cronies, at the very least LISTEN TO THEM) and - spoiler! spoiler! spoiler! - she gets killed (really late in the movie, but still). As is expected by a prophesy child movie, the ship comes to life, everyone gets carried to a new place (A AND B both), and we all live happily ever after.
Now, what's the problem? Long drawn out narration mentions and explains (as does THE WHOLE MOVIE!!!) that there is a problem between A and B. But doesn't conclude it AT ALL - the ending, therefore, is forced. Then, the details of HOW THE PROPHESY CHILD GOT ITS POWERS ARE NEVER EXPLAINED!! Furthermore, because of the choppy animation, it makes me wonder why they made such an attempt at a movie AT ALL?! The worst part is the voice acting - amateurish, at best; ear rape, at worst. Even with the already dead-as-a-rock plot, the actors leave no trace of doubts that clichés will be used to get from start to finish. The prophesy child has daddy issues, and daddy has a pervert for a boss who thinks (and is suggested in awkward ways) that... I don't even know what he thinks. He just... does his thing. That is all that can be said.
In the end, don't waste download space or money on this crap. Really, don't. Instead, watch something better. Watch a classic, like Dick Tracy (1990). If you would like a mildly bearable movie watch Titan A.E. (2000) which has a more involving storyline and a better progression (and DOESN'T HAVE A RETARDED PROPHESY CHILD WHICH HAS BITCHY FATHER ISSUES), and is a better story as well. This movie, is god awful. It is simply NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!
A well made movie, in the likes of final fantasy............
yuri_bear5 December 2005
I had the change to see this movies, so i did and i was pleasantly surprised. The way it looks it has a feel of realism to it. very nicely done. The characters are believable due to some great voice acting from the cast. The voice to recognize in this one is from James woods. But also the other actors are doing a good job. the story is well written but isn't that special, we all seen it before in one form or another. That doesn't make it a bad film, I gave it a 9 out 10. If you have a change to see it, i recommend you do so because i think you wont be disappointed, especially if you take your kidz they will have a good 85 min of action and fun from this.
It's simply bad.
siderite3 August 2006
There have been scores of Asian animation movies that had good looks, good stories and good directing, but I didn't start up watching Ark by having those kind of expectations. When I saw that the animation was all 3D computer generated I winced, but I said I should give the movie a chance, maybe the story is good. I even forgave the idiotic pseudo-scientific talk that meant nothing. But what I can't forgive is how stupid the story was.
OK, ignore the fact that the faces of the animated figures had the expressivity of a dead cow. That has nothing to do with it. No situation was actually emotionally powerful. Watching this film is like playing with dolls. Even worse, it's like watching a 4 years girl play with dolls and expecting you to feel and see what she does.
Therefore this movie might be nice for people under the age of 5, maybe lobotomized children of 10, but that's how far this goes.
OK, ignore the fact that the faces of the animated figures had the expressivity of a dead cow. That has nothing to do with it. No situation was actually emotionally powerful. Watching this film is like playing with dolls. Even worse, it's like watching a 4 years girl play with dolls and expecting you to feel and see what she does.
Therefore this movie might be nice for people under the age of 5, maybe lobotomized children of 10, but that's how far this goes.
A bit much all around
info-123889 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
It's not terrible, but it's not great either. The storyline gets confusing as all heck about a third of the way through (Did anyone else miss when they first mention the second Ark?), and the animation is, at times, almost painful, especially the post work explosions. There's also the issue of the mother, who's dead, then alive, then dead (I guess), not to mention a few other plot holes you could drive a truck through. Some of the design is quite wonderful, but it was pretty obvious in places that the makers were really pushing their luck on the texture maps. And sorry, but the Battle of the Giant Robots at the end was, as noted, plain silly. It's something of a staple in Asian movie making, so I wasn't completely surprised to see it happening here... but still, I sat there wondering what was going on *inside* the Giant Robots while they were engaged in their mild little slugfest -- after all, there's millions of people inside them, right? Bet those hospitals were really, really busy afterwards......
What the heck???
SSRhodes21 September 2006
Piece of junk, would've given it a 0 if I could have. Animation is good, but not quite good enough. Storyline is absolutely THE most ridiculous I've ever come across, and that's saying a lot! This 'movie' tried so hard to be interesting, but failed miserably. It's almost as if the writer started one story, then got another idea, and attempted to mesh the two together. Don't waste your time on this; believe me, you'll be as ticked off with yourself as I was. The only actor of any note in this was James Woods, and his part was peripheral at best. I'm all for doing stuff that is edgy, that pushes the envelopes, but this simply didn't cut it.
Excellent movie
tbleong19 June 2006
This movie's plot is very good and interesting. i haven't seen any movie that interesting. the graphics are not bad. what i love most is the futuristic cars, buildings and stuffs. the plot is well planned and i think this is why i wanted to watch the movie again. the plot is more special than others. the characters in the show are quite interesting especially the 'Baramanda' guy which has some soul-sucking insects. even though it is just a animation movie, it seems so real to me and realistic. there's a lot of moral values there and i thought that it could be a educational movie. i was hoping that it had the second movie. i am looking forward to watch the second show if it had one.
Awesome
anotherbrick1410 June 2006
I absolutely loved this movie it is an awesome animated film. Its artisticness to the movie is amazing. we had to watch this movie for animation class along with Appleseed which is another awesome movie, and i just loved it. well i am a big fan of anime so that might be another reason why i love it so much. I has a little bit of a slow start but once you get into the movie their is a lot of action, but the story is really hard to follow unless you really are paying attention, meaning you cant watch if for the first time starting from the middle because of how complex the story line is. this movies art work reminded me of final fantasy and many other movies along those lines. I hope you enjoy this movie as much as i did
The truth of the inevitable comparisons
heyrick17 February 2010
There are various similarities with The Spirits Within (Aki Ross was a babe, so is Amarinth...) - the glowing butterflies, tendrils, sparkly lights. These are probably things fairly unique to CGI (imagine doing that in a live action movie). The characterisation is pretty good. It could be better as others have said, but on the whole you don't feel they are wooden and you don't find yourself screaming at the TV because of bad characterisation. No, this feels good. I'm willing to suspend belief to enter the domain of the Ark and its inhabitants.
Thing is, while The Spirits Within was a lovely movie, and lovely to look at; it all went so wrong in Advent Children. For Advent Children was an awesome experience - visually. It is such a tragic shame that the story was muddled and overlong and in parts nonsensical. This was so lovely to look at, and so tedious to follow.
Ark, on the other hand, is a more functional movie. It is not as visually astonishing as Advent Children, but it is far from ugly. It is appealing in its own ways, and more than anything it has a story that flows and makes sense. A story, in fact, we could learn something from. A story that, when as the credits roll and that song by Otis plays, leaves you with a smile on your face. That's how every good movie should end.
Thing is, while The Spirits Within was a lovely movie, and lovely to look at; it all went so wrong in Advent Children. For Advent Children was an awesome experience - visually. It is such a tragic shame that the story was muddled and overlong and in parts nonsensical. This was so lovely to look at, and so tedious to follow.
Ark, on the other hand, is a more functional movie. It is not as visually astonishing as Advent Children, but it is far from ugly. It is appealing in its own ways, and more than anything it has a story that flows and makes sense. A story, in fact, we could learn something from. A story that, when as the credits roll and that song by Otis plays, leaves you with a smile on your face. That's how every good movie should end.
Kenny Hwang - Ark (2005)
Kraziguy725 December 2005
This movie contains SOME mild violence. Perfect for the anime obsessed teen. Many of the Graphics are related to Final Fantasy, yet most of the faces seam Manga-like. I recommend this movie for manga, video game, and...well...Movie lovers! It was about a week before that I saw this movie on Showtime, and was surprised i never heard of it. If I could say anything about this movie as that 1. there should be a sequel 2. this is a GREAT movie and 3. this movie SHOULD have been more renown and advertised unfortunately. But, being the first of Mr. Hwang's movies, No dought it would be rough.
10 out of 10
10 out of 10
Was a pretty good movie.
nupreacher4 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I started watching this movie on Starz Edge not really knowing what it would be like. Like one of the other comments said, the characters don't really have that much depth to them, but it isn't really needed in order to further the plot. Also, I agree that Baramantha didn't seem to have a good reason for his evilness, but nobody who is evil needs to have a reason to be evil. That's just the nature of being evil. Also, it seemed to me that one thing that contributed to him being evil was that he was insane. It was pretty easy for me to figure out that both Amiel and Amarinth would be needed seeing as there were two arks. All in all, this is a movie that I would be willing to watch multiple times.
Ark
helmutty30 April 2007
The reason I did not rate this though I watched it already, I felt that it is a little strange, I thought I would give me some time to rate it. Erm...there is really nothing to say about this, it looks like an average animation movie with some great scenes in the end. It looks like I can say it is one of the most crap animation, I thought it is a local-made movie but it turns out to be made in Korea with English actors voicing the characters. The animation look a bit robotic, not flexible. Too much on finding the whatever but too little time on robots clashing each other at the end. I will watch it again and decide whether I should like this movie or treat it as one of the most crap animation. I don't understand, now animations are getting a bit weird and strange. You wanna watch it... wait for the DVD price to go down.
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