RENAISSANCE

By: Rachel Reitsleff
Review Date: Friday, September 22, 2006

To paraphrase a soda ad, RENAISSANCE looks great but is less filling than a lot of more conventional which is to say, live-action sci-fi noir. Has director Christian Volckman come up with a visual style that truly suits his genre? Absolutely. The stark black-and-white rotoscoped imagery is consistently striking, sometimes even breathtaking. However, it's in service to a story that seems to think it's far more innovative than it feels minus the filmmaking flair, RENAISSANCE has more or less the plot of a direct-to-video sci-fi actioner. The tension between the optical appeal and the narrative flatness becomes almost an element in its own right we're in awe at the same time we wish something more was happening.

Parisian police detective Barthelemy Karas (voiced by Daniel Craig in the English-language version) is brought onto the case when beautiful young genius scientist Ilona Tasuiev (voiced by Romola Garai) vanishes. Karas has a more than professional interest in Ilona's responsible older sister Bislane (voiced by Catherine McCormack) and seeks to protect her from the fallout as Ilona's trail becomes ever more treacherous and body-strewn. Ilona's employers, the powerful Avalon company, clearly has a lot riding on Ilona being found alive and well, but Karas detects something suspicious about their mysterious Renaissance Project.

The whole notion of combining futuristic architecture with the classic look of historic Paris plays out stunningly, and there are some magnificent chase scenes. However, possibly due to problems in translation, the English-language dialogue is so ponderous and predictable that the movie starts to deflate any time characters converse with one another. Craig is certainly a fine choice for the hard-boiled Karas and Jonathan Pryce and Ian Holm likewise provide the right attitude as men involved in the case, but there are limits to how much life actors can give roles in a situation like this. Despite the lifelike images, the characters never feel like they have much existence beyond moving the plot along, greatly reducing the impact of the film's philosophical musings.

RENAISSANCE is an amazing viewing experience, but its substance does not live up to its style.