A Review in Pictures: Interstella 5555

***EDITOR'S NOTE: Despite my posting this before, it somehow...um, didn't post.  Here is my correction of this***

Do you like peanut butter and spaghetti?  That odd combination is a bit like the odd combination in today's film.  Besides, I love forced-analogies.  The film is Interstella 5555, the mix of an anime film and a Daft Punk album.  For those not into 'Electronica,' D.P. is a band who has made a couple catchy songs and about 6,000 more that sound the same.  They usually sound good, mind you, but still mostly the same.  The double-edged sword of the movie is this- there is no dialog.  None.  Zero.  Zip.  Nadda.  In its place, the movie's entire soundtrack- replacing both audio and sound effects- is the album by Daft Punk.  It's odd.  To see what this film is all about, read on.  Get on Route 66 and connect all the way to...

The film starts up with an alien band playing 'One More Time.'  Get used to that song, because they play it at least...well, one more time.

An evil genius flies in with his army and spaceship to kidnap the band during the concert.  What is his plan?

He's turning them white...because, um, he can.  He takes their memories away, as well, turning them into a band for his profit.

An alien hero comes to save them- which is surprisingly easy.  Unfortunately, he's wounded during the escape...

...but he gets to go up to Heaven with some fireflies.  If you gotta go, you gotta go.  So what is the villain's plan, you ask?

He's been kidnapping aliens for decades, turning them into humans and making them get him gold records.  Why?  He'll explain it to you in his...

...book that lays everything out.  You see, he needs 5,555 gold records to power a device that will allow him to conquer the Universe somehow.

Of course, you can't do that if you're falling to your death in a bottomless chasm.  Why did you install that, by the way?

With nearly 20 minutes left, the film wraps up with the band trying to steal a spaceship, them failing and the government just giving them one because they're a popular band.  That or they didn't want to hear them play 'One More Time'...um, one more time.  The End.

Sing, dammit!  The plot of this movie is...well, weird.  The biggest thing about it is that really raises more questions than it actually answers.  Who is this guy?  Why does he have a spaceship?  How does he afford an army?  Who is this army?  How do gold records power this device?  What does it do?  How did they even have gold records back in the days of Mozart?  How is this guy immortal?  Okay, I think I've proven my point.  Ultimately though, the movie is all about flash and style.  In that regard, it is quite good.  Due to the conceit of having the album be the entire soundtrack of the film, it is hard for the film to actually make the plot progress forward.  If you like anime, you'll probably like the film.  If you like Daft Punk, you'll probably like the film.  If you like neither, just keep moving...

Next up, I cover an internet sensation that everybody else has already reviewed.  Is it all talk or does it have bite?  Stay tuned...