Entergalactic - A Euphoric Kind of Film
Story + Animation + Art Direction = Aesthetically Pleasing
I think I may be late in talking about this new Netflix movie: Entergalactic because it was released over a month ago, however, I don’t know anyone else that is talking about it. Granted they may be busy or they don’t even watch animated films as I do. Needless to say, I highly recommend this movie for those who appreciate rich and vibrant animation along with relatable stories.
Entergalactic is engaging but sometimes it can be dragging and quiet but its a love story that follows a young artist named Jabari falling in love with his neighbor Meadow and having to balance love and success in New York. The conversation between them is cute and you can really feel they have chemistry. What brings realism to the story is that Jabari and Meadow have friends that they discuss their relationship with.
These conversations are crude at times but poignant and funny, there are some truths that are shared with both of them by their friends that are unexpected because some of the friends don’t look like people that you would think wisdom could come from. The characters’ interactions are very profound creating meaningful depth in the movie.
The other aspect that I found most pleasing in the film is the animation and its art direction, it kind of resembles the art style of Spiderman: Into the spider-verse, it has a lot of vibrant colors and the animation is a little choppy but it still looks smooth and fluid and amazing to view. In the movie, there are these dreamlike sequences where the characters will become enveloped in their thoughts, and when this happens everything will around their environment turns into space-like environments (or Intergalactic environments).
Because this is animated we were able to experience the emotions and dreams of the characters in ways that live-action can be difficult to emulate. The animation is really amazing to watch because most of the time we watch characters go about everyday life but it’s more aesthetically pleasing because of the color vibrant and flow of the surroundings. I mean check out this sequence:
Not only that the soundtrack of the movie is very fitting with the dreamlike sequences. It feels like you are watching a chronological music video of Kid Cudi album. Here is one sequence:
That being said there are some aspects of the movie that I find a little lacking but after I thought about it, I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault because if the technicalities and the story outweigh each other then the other aspect will always be lacking.
I really enjoy this movie, I think that more people should know about it. It’s a very unique take on a love story and despite the complex animation and art style, the story is simple and not over the top dramatic that it might be cringe at times. Although there are times that it might be mundane watching characters go about everyday things, there is a beauty in that, which I appreciate in films.
The reason I chose this topic for this issue is that Netflix has been a hit or miss of their releases lately and this film has been a hit to a handful of people. That’s why I want to write about this so you guys can give Entergalactic a chance, I think it’s one of Netflix underrated films.
That’s all for this week. Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Dan