Patema Inverted (2013)

Wonderful character development!

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Absolutely Fantastic

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

A friend of mine recommended the film to me, so I had quite high hopes. Especially the concept of it seemed very promising. Sadly, this basic idea about reversed gravity was about the interesting thing about the movie, except the animation and music, which were quite beautiful at times. However, depth and congruity of plot were very disapointing. The villain is too plain, Patema's and Age's "love" rushed and over the top, Porta's too predictable - not a single character is really interesting. Congruity is violated several times, e.g. when they semi-discover the secret behind the stars; they don't even seem to care and head right back, without a plan, unarmed into the hands of the army of the villain..I mean, comon. The theory behind the setup is also merely scratched upon, barely explained, hardly congruent - wasted potential. All in all, I really don't understand the overall score of 7.4 out of 10, the top 1000 voter's rating (6.0) seems more realistic. Since I was actually pretty annoyed by the films flaws and wasted potential, I will swim against the stream giving 4/10.

In the midst of rehashed Hollywood story lines that we have seen a million times nowadays, it's nice to see something as original as "Patema Inverted" as far as the premise and scenarios go. It is a very interesting and mind-bending take on different groups of people who are affected by gravity in a different way. It also features nice chemistry between the two leads, breath-taking and detailed animation, one of the nicest end credits songs I have ever heard and a great twist ending that I did not see coming, along with the other twist that happens earlier in the film. If you are looking for something totally new and fresh, definitely check out "Patema Inverted."

Every other summary probably will choose "Upside down", but it does fit perfectly so why shy away from it. It's intelligent cinema that keeps you on your toes (reaching for the ceiling or floor, depending which side you're on). While there are a few things that can be considered cliché, it's not many things that will come with that tag or branding. So no worries there.The animation is something fans of Anime will be used to, people who are used to Pixar and Dreamworks Animation might struggle at first though. But you'll get used to it. And if you let it, you'll like it too. Because it's the idea/story that counts and the movie is winning in that department for sure.

I don't want to spoil anything but when I saw the concept of this movie I did not think much of it. I figured I'd go watch it on the strength of the fact that it won some award in Ireland. I just saw the North American Premiere and I was totally shocked by it. The only review I had read of this movie was that it was "OK". Folks, this movie is better than OK, it is fantastic. It is not at all what I thought it would be and the concept of "inverted" is key here. They keep on changing what's real and what's not, and your idea of what reality is switches back and forth several times. They have a few really big reveals in the film that kind of blow you away. I don't even want to say what other movies this is like because it would give it away. But similarities aside, it still manages to be original and refreshing. Just be prepared to have your mind blown several times in the course of the movie all the way to the ending.There is another movie called Upside Down that came out around the same time as this, maybe a bit earlier. I have never seen it but the reviews on it are terrible. These guys may not be the "original" upside down movie but they certainly did a great job with the concept, probably better based on the reviews. Do yourself a favor and watch it, and do not read any plot synopses on it beforehand. Don't spoil the surprises.