Warning: Spoilers Follow
Aristomenis Tsirbas' feature directorial debut, Terra, is based on his 2003 short film of the same name and expands on the fable recounted in the original. As an alien-invasion story, it turns the trope on its ear by making humans the invaders and aliens the victims. But Terra is not a cut-and-dry adventure in the manner of past invasion flicks, such as "Independence Day" and "War of the Worlds," where good simply triumphs over evil: Terra is about shades of gray and choices.
Set in a future where mankind has depleted the Earth's resources and subsequently destroyed our home world and the terraformed colonies, Mars and Venus, in a war of independence, Terra recounts the conflict between the last humans, whose "ark" is nearly out of oxygen and falling apart, and the native Terrians, peace-loving creatures who live in harmony with nature and who have rejected their warlike past and technologies of mass destruction. Neither side is quite good or bad but simply trying to avoid extinction.
The protagonists in this film are Mala, a young Terrian female whose curiosity gets the better of her, and Jim Stanton, an Earthforce pilot who crash lands in the helium atmosphere of the planet. Together they forge a friendship that crosses cultural boundaries and ultimately forces them to consider their individual stances when the conflict escalates to war.
The ensuing morality play is heavy stuff for what is essentially a children's movie, but it is pulled off superbly by Tsirbas and his team, despite the occasional instances of lackluster animation (especially the human characters) and at-times awkward dialog. But these flaws do little to detract from the pleasures of this film. The beginning of the movie may also be too slow for modern audiences expecting a quick immersion into the heart of the action, as it introduces us to the alien landscape of Terra at a languorous pace.
With its limited budget and small production team, Terra cannot pretend to compete with product from Pixar, but it makes up for its technical and financial limitations with an unprecedented visual style that is reminiscent of the organic alien landscapes that populated such 70s staples such prog rock album covers and Heavy Metal magazine.
Unlike most CGI features, Terra does not try to draw in adults with an endless stream of comedic quips and double-entendres, but rather hopes that older viewers will suspend disbelief and enjoy the fable-like quality of the film. Nor does the film give easy answers to children, instead inviting them, like the characters on the screen, to choose what to take away from the film. Its only concession to pop culture references, the surfeit of lines lifted from the original Star Wars trilogy, may please some older viewers while annoying others. (It's clear that Tsirbas is a fan of Mr. Lucas's work.)
Terra is not hard science-fiction for gear-heads and physics geeks. It's not mindless action for the fans of Jerry Bruckheimer's oeuvre. And it's certainly not the kind of moralizing pap that often passes for children's fare. As a result, it is hard to pigeonhole and may not find an audience in North America. However, the stellar voice cast, which is not always used to best effect, may help counter this by drawing viewers through name recognition.
Finally, one cannot review this film without mentioning the sumptuous score by Abel Korzeniowski. Combining the sweeping grandeur of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings soundtrack, with ethnic percussion and avant-garde flourishes à la Philip Glass, the music is at once familiar and other, echoing the film's visual topography.
Terra may suffer from some uneven animation, awkward characterization and ill-considered dialog but the film holds together surprisingly well and builds to an exciting climax that will have you riveted. And even though it overly simplifies the complex morality it examines, this movie is aimed at kids and will certainly enthrall its intended audience.
Suspend disbelief, overlook its flaws and enjoy the ride. Terra has a lot more going for it than against it.
Aristomenis Tsirbas' feature directorial debut, Terra, is based on his 2003 short film of the same name and expands on the fable recounted in the original. As an alien-invasion story, it turns the trope on its ear by making humans the invaders and aliens the victims. But Terra is not a cut-and-dry adventure in the manner of past invasion flicks, such as "Independence Day" and "War of the Worlds," where good simply triumphs over evil: Terra is about shades of gray and choices.
Set in a future where mankind has depleted the Earth's resources and subsequently destroyed our home world and the terraformed colonies, Mars and Venus, in a war of independence, Terra recounts the conflict between the last humans, whose "ark" is nearly out of oxygen and falling apart, and the native Terrians, peace-loving creatures who live in harmony with nature and who have rejected their warlike past and technologies of mass destruction. Neither side is quite good or bad but simply trying to avoid extinction.
The protagonists in this film are Mala, a young Terrian female whose curiosity gets the better of her, and Jim Stanton, an Earthforce pilot who crash lands in the helium atmosphere of the planet. Together they forge a friendship that crosses cultural boundaries and ultimately forces them to consider their individual stances when the conflict escalates to war.
The ensuing morality play is heavy stuff for what is essentially a children's movie, but it is pulled off superbly by Tsirbas and his team, despite the occasional instances of lackluster animation (especially the human characters) and at-times awkward dialog. But these flaws do little to detract from the pleasures of this film. The beginning of the movie may also be too slow for modern audiences expecting a quick immersion into the heart of the action, as it introduces us to the alien landscape of Terra at a languorous pace.
With its limited budget and small production team, Terra cannot pretend to compete with product from Pixar, but it makes up for its technical and financial limitations with an unprecedented visual style that is reminiscent of the organic alien landscapes that populated such 70s staples such prog rock album covers and Heavy Metal magazine.
Unlike most CGI features, Terra does not try to draw in adults with an endless stream of comedic quips and double-entendres, but rather hopes that older viewers will suspend disbelief and enjoy the fable-like quality of the film. Nor does the film give easy answers to children, instead inviting them, like the characters on the screen, to choose what to take away from the film. Its only concession to pop culture references, the surfeit of lines lifted from the original Star Wars trilogy, may please some older viewers while annoying others. (It's clear that Tsirbas is a fan of Mr. Lucas's work.)
Terra is not hard science-fiction for gear-heads and physics geeks. It's not mindless action for the fans of Jerry Bruckheimer's oeuvre. And it's certainly not the kind of moralizing pap that often passes for children's fare. As a result, it is hard to pigeonhole and may not find an audience in North America. However, the stellar voice cast, which is not always used to best effect, may help counter this by drawing viewers through name recognition.
Finally, one cannot review this film without mentioning the sumptuous score by Abel Korzeniowski. Combining the sweeping grandeur of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings soundtrack, with ethnic percussion and avant-garde flourishes à la Philip Glass, the music is at once familiar and other, echoing the film's visual topography.
Terra may suffer from some uneven animation, awkward characterization and ill-considered dialog but the film holds together surprisingly well and builds to an exciting climax that will have you riveted. And even though it overly simplifies the complex morality it examines, this movie is aimed at kids and will certainly enthrall its intended audience.
Suspend disbelief, overlook its flaws and enjoy the ride. Terra has a lot more going for it than against it.