Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

vibespidersstudios This film is very gorgeous of its unsettling themes of Gothic, and horror. The animation is very different than most animation films that I've seen because for most of the movie it just a silhouette. However they put the details of buttons on their clothes to recognized class. Our main character, Jasper Morello's clothing is very nice and the audience knows that he is intelligent because of his career of being a geographic. However at the beginning of the film, he feels unhappy of one little mistake during one of his explorations leads one of the crew members died. This film made me feel for the main character a lot and he cares about the people of his city that he lives in. I can't say that much of the climax but I have to say that it is very creepy and gets into the monster horror element of the story. And it is something that first time audience has to experience first. My only complains about the film is the story is just narrative driven by at the end of the film someone finds his journal and reads it because my theory suggest that Jasper's city that he lives in no longer exists because of the plague has already decreased the human population. And after a long period of time, someone found the journal and reference the title of the film. That he is a "mysterious geographic" and his explorations. And that is what I believe this is the whole point of the title of the film, and the last of the human population that found his journal use that to cure the plague that spread in Jasper's world.

bob the moo In a Victorian world of steam driven air ships Jasper Morello is an aerial navigator haunted by a mistake he once made that caused the death of one of his crew. He leaves his home with his wife ill with the fatal plague sweeping the country and joins a mission with Doctor Belgon seeking a possible remedy for the disease but also redemption of his soul. The mission looks like it will be a success but with Belgon maddened with his discovery, Morello must decide if the terrible price is worth paying.Nominated for an Oscar, this animated short is a great piece of work. The plot has elements of old Jules Verne adventures in the design but it is seeped in a wonderfully dark, Gothic air that runs from the animation through the music into the story and characters. Those not used to short films might moan at how the plot moves quickly and how it is quite superficial. These are fair comment but can be forgiven by the nature of this film, besides the film has much to cover minor issues. The story is engaging and well told with tragic characters complimenting the dark tone. Edgerton makes a great lead character and brings out a lot with his voice. Likewise Bakaitis is strong as the doctor while the support cast fill in the rest of the characters.The animation makes this film though. Delivered mainly in 2 dimensional shadows, the design is impressive and captures the Gothic atmosphere just right. It is full of imagination and is beautifully dark to watch. Overall then a very strong and enjoyable short film. Gothic, dark and visually impressive with a solid narrative it is just a shame that the nomination did not get the film more exposure and a bigger audience.

Tura23 As short horror films go, this is one of the best I've seen in recent years. The story is genuinely chilling and the cut-out animation style is a perfect fit for old-fashioned narrative. Capturing the creepy essence of classic writers like Blackwood, Lovecraft, and Poe, this film is a mini-masterpiece and well worth tracking down. Fans of animation may notice a slight stylistic resemblance to some of the works of the brilliant Karel Zeman, although Zeman's work was seldom as intense or scary. The only problem I have with the film is that the disk is PAL encoded and won't play on standard North American DVD players.

kerecsen This flick has just the perfect blend of experimental ideas, an interesting story and meticulous animation work. The creators opted to use a 3D-flattened-to-silhouette animation technique, which is quite unique and hard to describe. Suffice to say that it works well to emphasize the mood of the story. Oh, and it also looks absolutely stunning...Jasper Morello is a navigator on an airship, who gets a chance to help save his wife, as well as humanity from a plague, by venturing to unknown territory. His Verne-like trip takes him to strange lands and strange creatures...I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that you should go check it out (or at least the trailer at www.jaspermorello.com).