Stop motion animation feels like a lost art nowadays. It seemed like when Tim Burton gave us the now iconic A Nightmare Before Christmas in 1993, the artistry of that filmmaking would carry on for years to come. Burton, though only a producer on the film, came back to the art form once more after that for Corpse Bride in 2005. Most other movies within the art form never really rose to the same level of fame that Burton and director Henry Sellick achieved on Nightmare. Most films have gone onto develop cult followings similar to Nightmare. Wallace and Gromit is a terrific example of this.
The Britain-based animation company Aardman Animation has built an empire off properties like Wallace and Gromit, giving us Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run in the process as well. For my generation, there is a large portion of us that grew up with Chicken Run, but there is also a great chance that we actually don’t remember it either. It seems like, at least in my experience, the only people who follow the ever expanding career of Aardman are those who love animation and cinephiles. Unfortunately it seems like we don’t look to stop motion animation the same way these days. We’ve gotten used to the shiny plastic look of Pixar movies. Every new animation that comes is looking to those films as an example.
Even the most recent Space Jam ditches the traditional two dimensional Looney Tunes look in favor of a three dimensional live action look. Just because it seems dead over here doesn’t mean it’s dead everywhere. We turn our attention to Japan, where the medium has given us the extraordinarily bizarre Junk Head. The film depicts a dystopian society in which humans have all but died out. One of those few remaining humans is a man who falls down a pit and is reborn as a robot. The film explores his afterlife. The visual aesthetic of the film honestly makes me miss more movies like this. Junk Head is nothing short of stunning from a visual perspective.
It should be worth noting the original concept for this film was a short film in 2014. Seven years later and we are met with the feature length adventures of the man who fell from the mysterious sky. Every frame explodes with the care and artistry of the filmmakers behind the film. This film has an incredibly unique style. In some ways it feels familiar with character designs feeling like an homage to Despicable Me, while others are just straight up bizarre and at times even brutal. Junk Head is one of those rare films that you genuinely have no idea what's going to come next. It feels like an acid trip you never want to come back down from. I consistently found my jaw dropping at various moments within the film.
This is the blessing and curse of this film. Making the transition from short film to feature length is a challenging endeavor. Sometimes it works, a la The Stylist, and sometimes it doesn’t. This is where the issue of Junk Head lies. There is more than enough here to keep a viewer satisfied. As I have noted the content is insanely entertaining and bizarre. The story feels too broad for its given medium. Junk Head’s story feels better fitted for a television series or mini-series. Somewhere in which viewers can explore more of this world, rather than the journey of one man traveling throughout this land in its near two hour runtime. It’s not a bad thing to say in the least. It just feels like the filmmakers didn’t make the best use of their limited time. There are several times littered throughout where the film takes its time where it doesn’t need to.
Pacing is a huge issue for the film. Again, a large portion of what holds its potential up are the isolated incidents where the film has inconsistent pacing. Some scenes take their time while others rush right through stuff. A large portion of what helps secure this film’s bizarre tone is the strange journey of its titular character. Some of the exploration is perhaps extended a bit too much. These are areas of the film that could have benefited from a tighter narrative. Then you have other areas of the film that suffer from the reverse problem - they are not expanded enough and suffer largely from it. The lore of the film is incredibly rich and probably could have benefited from a different medium.
Overall, Junk Head, an official selection of Fantasia Festival 2021, is a beautiful film to behold. Its visuals are haunting and quite literally some of the most bizarre imagery I’ve encountered in a while. The lore of the dystopian society and the character journey at its core are the strongest legs for the film to stand on. Unfortunately its at times awkward pacing and narrative are problematic for the story. It’s a fun film that will keep you guessing the entire time and definitely stays with you. Junk Head has some junk of its own but presents a compelling narrative that just needs to be tuned up.
RORSCHACH RATING: 3 / 5
Mental Health Moment: We recently discussed this in our Pig episode, but a simple act of kindness goes further than I think we realize sometimes. There is a moment in the film’s second act where the character of “Junkers”, as he’s called in the film, is sent out on a mission to get mashrooms. These are basically human fingers. Like I said in the review, this movie is weird. However, Junkers comes across an engineer who is basically keeping the entire foundation of the city steady. Junkers makes the man a chair. It’s a simple act of kindness but it means the world to the man.
Every day we catch people out of context from the rest of their days. We don’t know what has made them upset or what has made them happy that day. Sometimes complimenting someone on their shirt, hair style, or anything on them can make a difference. Sometimes it just takes making sure we are investing time to go that extra length. It takes only a few seconds. Honestly it could help that person stay with us one day longer. It sounds kind of weird to hear but it’s the truth. A simple act of kindness can go a long way.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Junk Head is courtesy of Gaga, Magnet, and Yamiken. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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