58 reviews
How far would you go to save the soul of an innocent loved one? Would you travel to the very depths of hell(or "the inferno" as it is referred to in this show) to slay the devil himself? Dante's Inferno, an anime movie adapted from the video game(itself inspired by the classic "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri) chronicles the epic journey of the titular troubled Knight, a veteran of the Bloody Christian Crusade, who returns home to find his wife murdered and her soul spirited away by the devil Lucifer. Claiming to have been steadfast in his faith and his love for his wife, Beatrice, Dante travels through the nine levels of Hell, guided by the spirit of Virgil the poet, to challenge all sorts of horrors beyond imagination just to return her to salvation. But perhaps the greatest horror lies within Dante himself and the sins of his past that he so vehemently denies.
Like most anime adapted from video games, the story is a straight forward tale for which its only purpose is to conveniently propel Dante from one level of Hell to the next. True to the spirit of a video game, each level of Hell has its own blade fodder troops and "stage boss". Throughout the linear and somewhat simplistic main story, the more intriguing back-story is fleshed out in flashbacks. It seemed that Lucifer challenged Beatrice to a bet that Dante would never betray her trust or fall into sin while he was away fighting the war. Naturally The pure-hearted Beatrice, so full of faith in her husband, accepted that bet with her soul as the prize. As the show progresses and as Dante gets nearer to his goal, Lucifer delights in utterly shattering Beatrice's faith first in God, then in mankind and ultimately in her husband who's sinful past deeds are stitched to his chest in the form of a blood red cross.
Animated by 5 animation studios and 6 directors, Dante's Inferno no doubt suffers from some inconsistency. Film roman's work opens the movie and where it lacks in artistic detail, it makes up for it by having the most fluid character movements in the whole film. Designs maintain the simpler contemporary western animation style similar to other Direct-to-Video animated movies like Planet Hulk yet preserves the game's dark gritty setting. Upon entering the level of Limbo, Studio Manglobe(famous for their work on Samurai Champloo) takes over animation with director Shukou Murase (whose works include animation design for Gundam Wing and directing the anime series Ergo Proxy) at the helm. Boasting the most incredible amount of art detail, a nightmarish Gothic feel and great looking character designs, Manglobe's segment is impressive to behold. No small cutesy characters, big kawaii eyes or bright cheery colors that so many Japanese productions suffer from.
From gritty Gothic the show transits to the amazing animated visuals of Dong Woo Animation (justice League Unlimited, Masters of the Universe 2002) and director Jong Sik-Nam(Batman Gotham Knight: Deadshot). Balancing beautiful artwork with slick animation, a leaner meaner Dante slashes through the levels of "Lust", "Gluttony" and "Anger" which are rendered in a stylish American graphic novel look not unlike 2009's "Tales of the Black Freighter" from Warner. Sadly from here on, the animation takes a slow dive in quality.
JM animation handles the next 2 segments and one thing they can never get right is the mouth movements of characters. The first segment, taking place in the level of "Violence", boasts a buff, muscular Dante and a stylized design more suited for a Saturday morning action anime than a dark gritty horror piece. At this point even the story, which started off like a blazing bonfire, starts to sputter and ebb. This is followed by the level of "Fraud", supposedly the start of the film's climax. But by now, the story has descended so much into a brainless hack and slash that the ultimate resolution to the climax is a big letdown. Complex and intriguing themes that were hinted upon earlier in the film are discarded in favor of moving the action along. For example, the running theme of repentance and forgiveness is trivialized into a kind of "magic spell" that can redeem lost souls by waving a silver cross at them.
Lastly, Dante's Inferno goes out with a sad fizzle thanks to a sub-par rush job by Production I.G. It boggles the mind how the studio responsible for Ghost in The Shell, Sky Crawlers and other beautifully animated productions could turn up such a thing. The final showdown with Lucifer is an appropriate closure for Dante's spiritual journey but the animation presented is only mediocre, the artwork simplistic and the character designs, laughable. Dante is now a disproportionately wide oaf who looks more fat than muscular and Lucifer himself conjures up memories of some lost Digimon.
Not many may appreciate the unnecessarily convoluted narrative or the inconsistent visual styles. The characters tend to fall into hero/damsel/villain/hero's guide stereotypes even though the stellar voice cast play their roles with such burning passion. On first viewing, Dante's Inferno may satisfy fans of violent horror anime like Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust or Hellsing. The bloody action never fails to please though the more conservative types may be put off by the religious musings and sexually graphic visuals (that level is not called "Lust" for nothing). It might seem like all style over substance at first but if one were to read in between the lines, Dante's Inferno presents a tragic tale of love, loss, faith and redemption; unoriginal themes for sure but themes that anyone can easily relate to.
Like most anime adapted from video games, the story is a straight forward tale for which its only purpose is to conveniently propel Dante from one level of Hell to the next. True to the spirit of a video game, each level of Hell has its own blade fodder troops and "stage boss". Throughout the linear and somewhat simplistic main story, the more intriguing back-story is fleshed out in flashbacks. It seemed that Lucifer challenged Beatrice to a bet that Dante would never betray her trust or fall into sin while he was away fighting the war. Naturally The pure-hearted Beatrice, so full of faith in her husband, accepted that bet with her soul as the prize. As the show progresses and as Dante gets nearer to his goal, Lucifer delights in utterly shattering Beatrice's faith first in God, then in mankind and ultimately in her husband who's sinful past deeds are stitched to his chest in the form of a blood red cross.
Animated by 5 animation studios and 6 directors, Dante's Inferno no doubt suffers from some inconsistency. Film roman's work opens the movie and where it lacks in artistic detail, it makes up for it by having the most fluid character movements in the whole film. Designs maintain the simpler contemporary western animation style similar to other Direct-to-Video animated movies like Planet Hulk yet preserves the game's dark gritty setting. Upon entering the level of Limbo, Studio Manglobe(famous for their work on Samurai Champloo) takes over animation with director Shukou Murase (whose works include animation design for Gundam Wing and directing the anime series Ergo Proxy) at the helm. Boasting the most incredible amount of art detail, a nightmarish Gothic feel and great looking character designs, Manglobe's segment is impressive to behold. No small cutesy characters, big kawaii eyes or bright cheery colors that so many Japanese productions suffer from.
From gritty Gothic the show transits to the amazing animated visuals of Dong Woo Animation (justice League Unlimited, Masters of the Universe 2002) and director Jong Sik-Nam(Batman Gotham Knight: Deadshot). Balancing beautiful artwork with slick animation, a leaner meaner Dante slashes through the levels of "Lust", "Gluttony" and "Anger" which are rendered in a stylish American graphic novel look not unlike 2009's "Tales of the Black Freighter" from Warner. Sadly from here on, the animation takes a slow dive in quality.
JM animation handles the next 2 segments and one thing they can never get right is the mouth movements of characters. The first segment, taking place in the level of "Violence", boasts a buff, muscular Dante and a stylized design more suited for a Saturday morning action anime than a dark gritty horror piece. At this point even the story, which started off like a blazing bonfire, starts to sputter and ebb. This is followed by the level of "Fraud", supposedly the start of the film's climax. But by now, the story has descended so much into a brainless hack and slash that the ultimate resolution to the climax is a big letdown. Complex and intriguing themes that were hinted upon earlier in the film are discarded in favor of moving the action along. For example, the running theme of repentance and forgiveness is trivialized into a kind of "magic spell" that can redeem lost souls by waving a silver cross at them.
Lastly, Dante's Inferno goes out with a sad fizzle thanks to a sub-par rush job by Production I.G. It boggles the mind how the studio responsible for Ghost in The Shell, Sky Crawlers and other beautifully animated productions could turn up such a thing. The final showdown with Lucifer is an appropriate closure for Dante's spiritual journey but the animation presented is only mediocre, the artwork simplistic and the character designs, laughable. Dante is now a disproportionately wide oaf who looks more fat than muscular and Lucifer himself conjures up memories of some lost Digimon.
Not many may appreciate the unnecessarily convoluted narrative or the inconsistent visual styles. The characters tend to fall into hero/damsel/villain/hero's guide stereotypes even though the stellar voice cast play their roles with such burning passion. On first viewing, Dante's Inferno may satisfy fans of violent horror anime like Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust or Hellsing. The bloody action never fails to please though the more conservative types may be put off by the religious musings and sexually graphic visuals (that level is not called "Lust" for nothing). It might seem like all style over substance at first but if one were to read in between the lines, Dante's Inferno presents a tragic tale of love, loss, faith and redemption; unoriginal themes for sure but themes that anyone can easily relate to.
High culture collides with low in this anime, a spin-off from the imminent computer game from EA. Whether or not you take to it will depend on your view of Dante, Japanese animation, and video game tie-ins, as well as more generally on the cross-fertilisation between different cultural artifacts - always a contentious subject. Most of those in the target market for Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic will not be over-familiar with the original source, but there's no need to climb on any literary high-horses, though general observations are worthwhile. Purists, however, may wish to stay clear of it.
Dante's original, one of the great epics of world literature, has been the inspiration of much work by writers and artists down the centuries. IMDb lists four or five screen works with the title. Animated versions have been rare, although no doubt there's a comic book version lurking somewhere. Such is the nature of things that this present version appears in a year along with a rival animated production titled more succinctly 'Dante's Inferno' - one shorter in length, but apparently superior to this in its fidelity to the original. The most notable live-action version has always been that of 1935 with Spencer Tracy, an even freer adaptation than the one we have here, in which the horrendous visions are compressed into 10 minutes of a much longer narrative.
By contrast, the present version spends most of its running time on these elements, depicting at length Dante's journey through the nine circles of hell to reach his beloved Beatrice. Perhaps sensing a need for variety between the titanic battles that this progress involves, Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic breaks up the hero's progress with several flashbacks, not in the original, during which the true state of affairs and Dante's real moral stature becomes more and more explained.
The character of Beatrice has been changed as part of this new narrative device, giving her a more dynamic role in the narrative as well as providing the romantic core. Whether or not Dante would have appreciated his ideal love appearing briefly as the bride of Lucifer, or his reflective protagonist-self metamorphosing into an axe-wielding warrior figure more Conan than Christian, one can only conjecture; but a target audience will respond to the changes. Only Dante's guide, the poet Virgil, keeps some of his original quiet dignity.
Given the EA game standing behind the release, it's no surprise that Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic has action and a plot structure more reflective of that more commercial source than Dante's leisurely writing. Much of the moral depth and complexity of the book has been jettisoned thereby in favour of arcs of swift movement. The original contained a more sophisticated and extended version of damnation than the mere nine circles of doom rather simplistically imagined here, each becoming just another test for our hero to reach, then duly pass through. The original's spiritual shock and awe has been replaced by a gamer's inevitable level-creep, where it is never really in doubt that Hell is likely to be overcome. It's a considerable reduction of the medieval original's salutary purpose, even if the ending of the film attempts to have it both ways.
The original Inferno, one part of the three-part Divine Comedy, makes particular use of allegory throughout, in ways an educated medieval reader would be expected to follow. Understandably feeling that allegory is not something that modern audiences will sit through at great length without growing restless, and with the imperatives of a game franchise to support, one imagines Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic was always going to be obliged to substitute breathless action for contemplation, sketched in typical anime style.
Suffice to say that the animation on offer here is certainly vivid even if, by comparison to the Shrek-like pictorial quality of the game (a trailer for which is helpfully included as an extra on the disc), the line-drawn work seems dated in style. Some, incidentally, have noticed a lack of continuity in the rendering of Dante's features. At first I thought each of the nine circles cleverly had its own subtle visual identity, but no: it's just because eight studios and directors from America, North Korea and Japan all had input. It's an inconsistency that's a little distracting; one indication perhaps of a rushed production, tied to release dates elsewhere.
Japanese fantasy anime and manga have a tradition of dealing with the matter of monsters and shadow worlds, often with their own original mythologies and shock tactics - so much so that they sometimes give censors pause for thought. It was one reason why they acquired such a cult following. But there's no tentacle horror intruding here; no stomach-churning changes of form, no real depravity, while the sexual content is reduced to occasional titillation.
Hell, one would hope, ought to be the most alarming and appalling spectacle of all, an updated warning to all who behold it, a moral imperative to reform, a presentation of the most terrible of terrors. But the horrors of Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic leave us frankly un-aghast and un-chastened. Whether or not the creators have been constrained by deference to the august original or just the mass-market demands of their sponsors is hard to say; but for a real walk on the dark side you would be better off with something like the now elderly Devil Man (aka: Debiruman) or, most memorably, the notorious Urotsukidôji.
Dante's original, one of the great epics of world literature, has been the inspiration of much work by writers and artists down the centuries. IMDb lists four or five screen works with the title. Animated versions have been rare, although no doubt there's a comic book version lurking somewhere. Such is the nature of things that this present version appears in a year along with a rival animated production titled more succinctly 'Dante's Inferno' - one shorter in length, but apparently superior to this in its fidelity to the original. The most notable live-action version has always been that of 1935 with Spencer Tracy, an even freer adaptation than the one we have here, in which the horrendous visions are compressed into 10 minutes of a much longer narrative.
By contrast, the present version spends most of its running time on these elements, depicting at length Dante's journey through the nine circles of hell to reach his beloved Beatrice. Perhaps sensing a need for variety between the titanic battles that this progress involves, Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic breaks up the hero's progress with several flashbacks, not in the original, during which the true state of affairs and Dante's real moral stature becomes more and more explained.
The character of Beatrice has been changed as part of this new narrative device, giving her a more dynamic role in the narrative as well as providing the romantic core. Whether or not Dante would have appreciated his ideal love appearing briefly as the bride of Lucifer, or his reflective protagonist-self metamorphosing into an axe-wielding warrior figure more Conan than Christian, one can only conjecture; but a target audience will respond to the changes. Only Dante's guide, the poet Virgil, keeps some of his original quiet dignity.
Given the EA game standing behind the release, it's no surprise that Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic has action and a plot structure more reflective of that more commercial source than Dante's leisurely writing. Much of the moral depth and complexity of the book has been jettisoned thereby in favour of arcs of swift movement. The original contained a more sophisticated and extended version of damnation than the mere nine circles of doom rather simplistically imagined here, each becoming just another test for our hero to reach, then duly pass through. The original's spiritual shock and awe has been replaced by a gamer's inevitable level-creep, where it is never really in doubt that Hell is likely to be overcome. It's a considerable reduction of the medieval original's salutary purpose, even if the ending of the film attempts to have it both ways.
The original Inferno, one part of the three-part Divine Comedy, makes particular use of allegory throughout, in ways an educated medieval reader would be expected to follow. Understandably feeling that allegory is not something that modern audiences will sit through at great length without growing restless, and with the imperatives of a game franchise to support, one imagines Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic was always going to be obliged to substitute breathless action for contemplation, sketched in typical anime style.
Suffice to say that the animation on offer here is certainly vivid even if, by comparison to the Shrek-like pictorial quality of the game (a trailer for which is helpfully included as an extra on the disc), the line-drawn work seems dated in style. Some, incidentally, have noticed a lack of continuity in the rendering of Dante's features. At first I thought each of the nine circles cleverly had its own subtle visual identity, but no: it's just because eight studios and directors from America, North Korea and Japan all had input. It's an inconsistency that's a little distracting; one indication perhaps of a rushed production, tied to release dates elsewhere.
Japanese fantasy anime and manga have a tradition of dealing with the matter of monsters and shadow worlds, often with their own original mythologies and shock tactics - so much so that they sometimes give censors pause for thought. It was one reason why they acquired such a cult following. But there's no tentacle horror intruding here; no stomach-churning changes of form, no real depravity, while the sexual content is reduced to occasional titillation.
Hell, one would hope, ought to be the most alarming and appalling spectacle of all, an updated warning to all who behold it, a moral imperative to reform, a presentation of the most terrible of terrors. But the horrors of Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic leave us frankly un-aghast and un-chastened. Whether or not the creators have been constrained by deference to the august original or just the mass-market demands of their sponsors is hard to say; but for a real walk on the dark side you would be better off with something like the now elderly Devil Man (aka: Debiruman) or, most memorably, the notorious Urotsukidôji.
- FilmFlaneur
- Apr 4, 2010
- Permalink
- Rectangular_businessman
- Apr 7, 2012
- Permalink
Someone else chose the film, so I expected nothing. I had a vague idea that it might be an animated movie based on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It was not. It is actually based on a video game also released in 2010.
That being said, Dante is not looking for God, as in the poem, he is in Hell to find the soul of his beloved Beatrice, whom he betrayed and therefore was taken by the Devil, right after his whole family was killed, mostly because of him. What can I say, the woman bet with the Devil that in three years in the Crusades, her guy never touched another woman. Girls really believe these things.
Anyway, each circle of Hell is animated differently, I guess by different animation teams. The styles are all what I call "American Rock and Roll", though, something like an early offshoot of Disney animation, that then got bad ass and full of anger. I mostly liked the animation and if only for that Dante's Inferno is watchable.
The story is another matter entirely. The guy enters Hell and kills everything he gets his eyes upon, barring his mother and girlfriend, including demons and even Satan (twice! :) ). I was watching the film and I was wondering how could Alighieri have written something that feels like Rambo in Hell. Only afterward did I find that the plot is based on a video game.
So, based on the animation (and on the fact that most animation movies now are crap) I give it a slightly above average. Plot: ridiculous. Therefore the resulting below average mark.
That being said, Dante is not looking for God, as in the poem, he is in Hell to find the soul of his beloved Beatrice, whom he betrayed and therefore was taken by the Devil, right after his whole family was killed, mostly because of him. What can I say, the woman bet with the Devil that in three years in the Crusades, her guy never touched another woman. Girls really believe these things.
Anyway, each circle of Hell is animated differently, I guess by different animation teams. The styles are all what I call "American Rock and Roll", though, something like an early offshoot of Disney animation, that then got bad ass and full of anger. I mostly liked the animation and if only for that Dante's Inferno is watchable.
The story is another matter entirely. The guy enters Hell and kills everything he gets his eyes upon, barring his mother and girlfriend, including demons and even Satan (twice! :) ). I was watching the film and I was wondering how could Alighieri have written something that feels like Rambo in Hell. Only afterward did I find that the plot is based on a video game.
So, based on the animation (and on the fact that most animation movies now are crap) I give it a slightly above average. Plot: ridiculous. Therefore the resulting below average mark.
- claudio_carvalho
- Sep 9, 2010
- Permalink
I have no idea how to review this anime hybrid. It's all over the place.
Let's start with the good. This anime has good visual art, and is mostly well animated. The audio is good.
.... and it's the only movie I have ever watched were some one back flips while riding a horse.
The plot line is simple, and straight forward, but the way they execute the movie is very confusing.
While our hero ( or is he? ) makes his way threw hell, things jumps out as making no sense, and out of place. Things like character actions, to character design change radically from one layer of hell, to the next.
It doesn't help there is a lot of random plot convenience thrown in.
Who? What? Why did that happen? The presentation of this anime is jarring, and distracting.
It's an OK anime, if you ignore the details, and focus on the action, but for me it's one "What is going on" after the next.
Let's start with the good. This anime has good visual art, and is mostly well animated. The audio is good.
.... and it's the only movie I have ever watched were some one back flips while riding a horse.
The plot line is simple, and straight forward, but the way they execute the movie is very confusing.
While our hero ( or is he? ) makes his way threw hell, things jumps out as making no sense, and out of place. Things like character actions, to character design change radically from one layer of hell, to the next.
It doesn't help there is a lot of random plot convenience thrown in.
Who? What? Why did that happen? The presentation of this anime is jarring, and distracting.
It's an OK anime, if you ignore the details, and focus on the action, but for me it's one "What is going on" after the next.
Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010) is a movie I recently rewatched for the first time in a long time on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows Dante's wife taken to hell by the devil himself and Dante finding a way to chase her down there with hopes of rescuing her.
This movie is directed by Mike Disa (Hoodwink too! Hood vs Evil) and contains the voices of Graham McTavish (The Hobbit), Vanessa Branch (the Cell), Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop), Mark Hamill (Star Wars) and JP Karliak (The Boss Baby).
The animation for this is awesome. The monsters, ghosts and settings were excellent and the kill scenes, gore and blood splatter was remarkable. Hell's torture elements were very well presented and the storyline evolved perfectly. The conclusion fit the movie perfectly and kept the appropriate tone and darkness that overshadowed the entire movie.
Overall this is a very well done animated picture based on a video game. It isn't perfect but is definitely worth watching. I would score this a 6.5/10 and strongly recommend seeing it.
This movie is directed by Mike Disa (Hoodwink too! Hood vs Evil) and contains the voices of Graham McTavish (The Hobbit), Vanessa Branch (the Cell), Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop), Mark Hamill (Star Wars) and JP Karliak (The Boss Baby).
The animation for this is awesome. The monsters, ghosts and settings were excellent and the kill scenes, gore and blood splatter was remarkable. Hell's torture elements were very well presented and the storyline evolved perfectly. The conclusion fit the movie perfectly and kept the appropriate tone and darkness that overshadowed the entire movie.
Overall this is a very well done animated picture based on a video game. It isn't perfect but is definitely worth watching. I would score this a 6.5/10 and strongly recommend seeing it.
- kevin_robbins
- Dec 27, 2021
- Permalink
Dante, a knight, returns from the crusades only to find that Something Bad Happened while he was gone. He goes to Hell, going through all nine levels(including the sewer one), engaging many creatures(most from other mythologies than the Christian one... and this *does* criticize the theology some, if I'd have liked it to do so to a greater extent)... fortunately for him, he can cut through most of them with his sword or a scythe... getting to the deepest one where the devil wants to marry his wife, because apparently even the lord of evil can't screw someone if there isn't a ring on that finger... hey, don't ask me. This is based on a game I've never played and barely know anything about. The voice acting is OK, but I wish they'd speak up, or turn the volume down on the otherwise good FX. It is fun, fast-paced, and has good action, except for when you can't tell the dimensions or where people are in relation to one another. Epic? Sure, if that doesn't require an actual story. The animation varies, partially because they keep changing who does it. There is a ton of bloody, gory violence and disturbing content and some nudity and sex in this. I recommend this to fans of bad-assery that has to do with religion in some way. 7/10
- TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
- Feb 14, 2011
- Permalink
Writing this review after 12 years is hell alot of time but the story and animation deserves some applause .
I heard there are 7 writers split for each plot so the bodyworks and Armory for dante and virgil keeps changing in each circle. As for the 9 circle of hell it explains everything in short and speedy and there's no way to go deep into it and for a movie past a decade this one is a thumbs up.
I heard there are 7 writers split for each plot so the bodyworks and Armory for dante and virgil keeps changing in each circle. As for the 9 circle of hell it explains everything in short and speedy and there's no way to go deep into it and for a movie past a decade this one is a thumbs up.
- HotDoggyBoomBooM
- Jan 5, 2022
- Permalink
A story about a crusader and holy man named Dante witnesses his bride to be killed and her soul taken by Lucifer to the ninth circle of Hell, Dante must take the journey through each levels of Hell to get to Beatrice.
The color pallets are smoothe with good coloring, it gives a glimpse of each of level of Hell as we progress through tge story. Granted it has blood gore and action in between with a few grotesque entities that ly within the inferno, however the action is short lived as Dante battles Hells guardians with barely a minute of any real fighting between the two until the end, the battles seemed too easy for Dante even though he is mortal with the grace of his guide and God's will. Even mighty warriors get scuffed up in a fight before attain victory.
The story feels too fast paced in certain areas as if it can't wait to show you the big final battle.
It's a worthy view and has well made animation but lacks more detail to what Dante is fighting against not just what he's fighting for. The atmosphere of the inferno is a now you see me now you don't and almost ignores its hell residents with only a mere introduction. Character is pretty straight forward its a damsel in distress scenario but it's descent.
The color pallets are smoothe with good coloring, it gives a glimpse of each of level of Hell as we progress through tge story. Granted it has blood gore and action in between with a few grotesque entities that ly within the inferno, however the action is short lived as Dante battles Hells guardians with barely a minute of any real fighting between the two until the end, the battles seemed too easy for Dante even though he is mortal with the grace of his guide and God's will. Even mighty warriors get scuffed up in a fight before attain victory.
The story feels too fast paced in certain areas as if it can't wait to show you the big final battle.
It's a worthy view and has well made animation but lacks more detail to what Dante is fighting against not just what he's fighting for. The atmosphere of the inferno is a now you see me now you don't and almost ignores its hell residents with only a mere introduction. Character is pretty straight forward its a damsel in distress scenario but it's descent.
- themovieraidshow
- Aug 2, 2024
- Permalink
Reading about Dante's Inferno and the nine levels of hell really can be a trip. Trying to imagine what each level is like alone, is a big task. But once this film has been viewed, their will be no other way of thinking about them. It took six directors to make this film come together and they did a swell job with it too. There are some small tid-bits that need to be addressed but overall this film will leave a long lasting impression.
The story starts off with Dante returning home from a battle to see his family and fiancé, Beatrice, slain. It is to his own eyes that he witnesses the devil take his fiancé's soul into hell. From there it spirals down to where Dante goes through each level of hell to save Beatrice. This is where things get interesting. The animation and art crew who designed what the levels of hell look like are very surreal and quite imaginative. Each level of hell has its own trait that makes it specifically different and more horrifying than the one before it.
The voice cast for this movie was good too. All the voices sounded pretty neat for whatever role they were portraying. The one most distinctly known was Mark Hamill's voice, mostly because his voice sounded like The Joker. But seriously, who doesn't like hearing that voice? My favorite character was Virgil, voiced by Peter Jessop. I just enjoyed how Virgil was nonchalant about the whole situation of being in hell with Dante, as if he didn't care! Graham McTavish acted Dante's voice and he did a good job as well. The only thing that viewers could dealt without is Dante's repetitive and obsessive use of the word "Beatrice". I understand that he wants to save his loved one but it gets annoying to hear it in every other sentence.
The other elements that I could not relinquish from my mind were the grisly images that I saw. This film comes off as an action/horror genre epic. That's what I couldn't grasp about it. Reading Dante's Inferno is more like a stroll through hell and this film didn't allow any contemplation. It was more focused on Dante saving his girl from hell. There's plenty of blood and guts to go around though. I can't even begin to think of how much fake blood would have to be used if this was converted to live-action. While watching, it brought me back to when I saw Dead Alive (1992), which also was a gore-fest. Ahhh those bloody memories.
Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic may be a little more oriented to the action genre but there is still an abundance of horror meshed inside. Also kudos to the animation and art crew for their distinctive take on Dante Alighieri's journey through hell.
The story starts off with Dante returning home from a battle to see his family and fiancé, Beatrice, slain. It is to his own eyes that he witnesses the devil take his fiancé's soul into hell. From there it spirals down to where Dante goes through each level of hell to save Beatrice. This is where things get interesting. The animation and art crew who designed what the levels of hell look like are very surreal and quite imaginative. Each level of hell has its own trait that makes it specifically different and more horrifying than the one before it.
The voice cast for this movie was good too. All the voices sounded pretty neat for whatever role they were portraying. The one most distinctly known was Mark Hamill's voice, mostly because his voice sounded like The Joker. But seriously, who doesn't like hearing that voice? My favorite character was Virgil, voiced by Peter Jessop. I just enjoyed how Virgil was nonchalant about the whole situation of being in hell with Dante, as if he didn't care! Graham McTavish acted Dante's voice and he did a good job as well. The only thing that viewers could dealt without is Dante's repetitive and obsessive use of the word "Beatrice". I understand that he wants to save his loved one but it gets annoying to hear it in every other sentence.
The other elements that I could not relinquish from my mind were the grisly images that I saw. This film comes off as an action/horror genre epic. That's what I couldn't grasp about it. Reading Dante's Inferno is more like a stroll through hell and this film didn't allow any contemplation. It was more focused on Dante saving his girl from hell. There's plenty of blood and guts to go around though. I can't even begin to think of how much fake blood would have to be used if this was converted to live-action. While watching, it brought me back to when I saw Dead Alive (1992), which also was a gore-fest. Ahhh those bloody memories.
Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic may be a little more oriented to the action genre but there is still an abundance of horror meshed inside. Also kudos to the animation and art crew for their distinctive take on Dante Alighieri's journey through hell.
- breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com
- May 19, 2012
- Permalink
I was fascinated by the story of Dante Alighiere's Divine Comedy, and came the game Dante's Inferno, even with great changes in relation to the book I found the game excellent, then I was very excited by the animation Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, more disappointed me Very, first the script is weak, it is very rushed, it should be a series or at least a 2:00 movie, a serious problem, the animation is mute, at some point the animation changes, sometimes Dante is strong, Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic does not even come to the forefront of the game, but it's a bit of a hassle. Be bad, but there are many problems, and unfortunately it is not an Epic animation. Note 6.5
- miguelneto-74936
- Jan 7, 2017
- Permalink
- dragoniawriter
- Dec 3, 2010
- Permalink
a disturbing film. for one as me, far by video games, admirer of Dante Divina Commedia, expecting a reasonable adaptation of the old book for a new generation. every expectation was destroyed, in precise manner. and he only verdict remains - it is the perfect choice for the fans of video game. nothing bad but almost predictable. this Inferno did part from a large genre who propose myths and legends and classic stories in a manner so bizarre , than , for old men like me, it is not easy to understand the deep purpose of this real industry. sure, the word blasphemy is precise to define it for many motifs. the graphic is impressive and the story so complicated than could be accepted. monsters, fights, crumbs of old Medieval novels, the hero and the Evil. and nothing more.
- Kirpianuscus
- Mar 10, 2017
- Permalink
Story loosely, loosely based on the book. Turn off your suspension of reality and enjoy the blood-and-guts action of this animated film.
3.5/5. 3 on a bad day. Was recommended by a friend and it was a fun watch. Though, the movie itself is quite forgettable.
3.5/5. 3 on a bad day. Was recommended by a friend and it was a fun watch. Though, the movie itself is quite forgettable.
- mikayakatnt
- Nov 5, 2019
- Permalink
- Angels_Review
- Aug 6, 2014
- Permalink
Described by the movie or animation, yet I've come to realize what it means to fight for something, that could be anything it wasn't risk even with all the best odds stacked up against you one still finds the resolve to keep movement despite all the obstacles, taking them merely as s stepping stone not up nor down but a lead way to your designed destination, in actually the effort and script writing not even the orator was short of talent, the feeling came up with that of the show must go on, with every opinion derived from my observation this was good as the Lord would have it and in my conclusion the cut was made and i appreciate it.
- TreeOfWolf
- Sep 6, 2016
- Permalink
I'm a girl but I love violent action Japanese animation. If you like LOTS of action, anime tentacle sex movies, blood and guts, and horror stuff, you'll love this! Haha I love these types of movies. Cool animation, cool story, blood n guts, naked girls, FUN! I am a big anime fan, watch it all the time. :) :)
I didn't know there was a game, I don't play them but I want to after seeing this.
The story was action packed. I watched a lot of BORING ANIME lately, and this is not. It moves fast, and the animation is really cool to look at, it never gets old. Sometimes you watch OVA and they talk and talk. BUT THIS KICKS BUT! And the violence is craaaaaazy. :) :)
This film was really crazy. I was expecting a normal movie, cause its American made. but it was way more interesting than I was expecting. After finishing watching it i read they want to make a Hollywood movie with real actors but I don't know how they can top this. Hehehe!
Could have been rated X. Lots of blood. If you like action, a cool story, monsters, CHECK DIS OUT!!!
The animation looks like Japanese style, but there is also Korean and American too. Watch this if u want to see something really different. :) :)
I didn't know there was a game, I don't play them but I want to after seeing this.
The story was action packed. I watched a lot of BORING ANIME lately, and this is not. It moves fast, and the animation is really cool to look at, it never gets old. Sometimes you watch OVA and they talk and talk. BUT THIS KICKS BUT! And the violence is craaaaaazy. :) :)
This film was really crazy. I was expecting a normal movie, cause its American made. but it was way more interesting than I was expecting. After finishing watching it i read they want to make a Hollywood movie with real actors but I don't know how they can top this. Hehehe!
Could have been rated X. Lots of blood. If you like action, a cool story, monsters, CHECK DIS OUT!!!
The animation looks like Japanese style, but there is also Korean and American too. Watch this if u want to see something really different. :) :)
- AlyssaWaybridge
- Feb 9, 2010
- Permalink
- jordiojoystar
- Jan 30, 2014
- Permalink
A poorly written but amply budgeted "animated epic" (read: beat 'em up through hell) watchable for the animation alone, and otherwise deeply flawed.
"Dante's is a visual imagination ... he lived in an age in which men still saw visions" - T.S. Eliot
Dante's poetry is an opportunity for EA's wealth to be well spent: 8 studios from America, South Korea and Japan created a blend of Western and Asian animation that is at times stunning but inconsistent and abrupt changes, particularly in Dante's features, become irritating, wavering from childlike to action soldier in character. There are, however, flaming boobs.
It is as coherent as a collection of game cutscenes cobbled together, moving so fast no time is left for thought. The plot is laughable, progressing no further than the original Mario game. Indeed, the very basis for the whole movie, for Dante's quest to retrieve Beatrice, is contradictory and unexplained; we learn at the beginning that she, a pure maiden, has made a deal with the devil for no reason and as it progresses things become no clearer. Such weak writing might have been acceptable in the early stages of the video game industry, but is now embarrassingly dated and can not survive a transportation to film.
The low point is the dialogue, giving the impression that we are hearing randomly generated NPC sequences. After a short while the irritation of Dante wailing "Beatrice" in varying anguished tones caused me to count the further occurrences: approximately 40 times over a brief 88 minutes. When he makes the effort to form full sentences, archaic and modern language is mixed haphazardly. Sadly, this is the closest we get to humour; the video game voice actors never make much of an effort to sound like they care and earn no laughs. Generally, the dialogue works against the action, often stating exactly what is happening, leaving the impression the writer has a low regard for the intelligence of his viewers.
And indeed, Dante himself is remarkably stupid. A child in the body of a blood crazed warrior, dependent upon Vergil for help, yet often disregarding him by charging into many paradoxical fightscenes that are as boring as they are over quickly. Aside from the obvious ridiculousness of such antics, the plot sits terribly on Dante's poem: the frustration and unending torment of hell is replaced by speedy satisfaction and effortless success.
Anyway, it bares almost no resemblance to Dante's poem, considered the founding work of the Italian language. And does a similar injustice to history: Dante lived a century apart from Saladin and the crusades which play a crucial part in the thin plot. Not to mention the personal insults to Dante and his family; the portrayal of his father alone is enough to cause offence.
Instead, passing by the opportunity to study the failure of revenge and possibility of redemption, it ends up preaching success through extreme and often sexual violence with easy absolution.
At best the movie is a parody of itself, the creators have no respect for the poem and fail to give the impression that it is anything other than an advertising stunt while succeeding in being both pretentious and childish: it manages to drop a large number of names (Latinus, Plato, Socrates, Augustus, Charon, Hector, Electra, Julius Caesar, Aristotle, Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, Minos, Daedalus, Ulysses, Alexander the Great, Lancelot, Attila the Hun, Semiramis, Ninus, Mark Anthony, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Paris, King Richard (probably referring to Richard the Lionheart again), Cerberus, Phlegius, Ares, Filippo Argenti, Farinata degli Uberti, Salome, Helen of Troy, the Minotaur, Judas Iscariot, Valerius Antias, Geryon, Nimrod, Dionysius, Nessus, Duchy of Athens... ) and of course Hitler is given a cameo.
Although its basis on the video game of the same name likely accounts for many deficiencies, there's no excuse to add yet another mediocre adaption. The film is part of a wider attempt at causing offence for publicity (as seen, for example, in recent faked protests), but America is no longer a country where any serious reaction can be expected from such clichés as oversize holstered crosses.
Ultimately the film was created to cash in on Dante's Inferno. Was it necessary to trash him, his work and family in the process? Someone looking for better animation and a similarly simplistic plot without the terrible dialogue has many alternatives, e.g. Afro Samurai.
To give Satan the last word: "I grow weary of this game."
"Dante's is a visual imagination ... he lived in an age in which men still saw visions" - T.S. Eliot
Dante's poetry is an opportunity for EA's wealth to be well spent: 8 studios from America, South Korea and Japan created a blend of Western and Asian animation that is at times stunning but inconsistent and abrupt changes, particularly in Dante's features, become irritating, wavering from childlike to action soldier in character. There are, however, flaming boobs.
It is as coherent as a collection of game cutscenes cobbled together, moving so fast no time is left for thought. The plot is laughable, progressing no further than the original Mario game. Indeed, the very basis for the whole movie, for Dante's quest to retrieve Beatrice, is contradictory and unexplained; we learn at the beginning that she, a pure maiden, has made a deal with the devil for no reason and as it progresses things become no clearer. Such weak writing might have been acceptable in the early stages of the video game industry, but is now embarrassingly dated and can not survive a transportation to film.
The low point is the dialogue, giving the impression that we are hearing randomly generated NPC sequences. After a short while the irritation of Dante wailing "Beatrice" in varying anguished tones caused me to count the further occurrences: approximately 40 times over a brief 88 minutes. When he makes the effort to form full sentences, archaic and modern language is mixed haphazardly. Sadly, this is the closest we get to humour; the video game voice actors never make much of an effort to sound like they care and earn no laughs. Generally, the dialogue works against the action, often stating exactly what is happening, leaving the impression the writer has a low regard for the intelligence of his viewers.
And indeed, Dante himself is remarkably stupid. A child in the body of a blood crazed warrior, dependent upon Vergil for help, yet often disregarding him by charging into many paradoxical fightscenes that are as boring as they are over quickly. Aside from the obvious ridiculousness of such antics, the plot sits terribly on Dante's poem: the frustration and unending torment of hell is replaced by speedy satisfaction and effortless success.
Anyway, it bares almost no resemblance to Dante's poem, considered the founding work of the Italian language. And does a similar injustice to history: Dante lived a century apart from Saladin and the crusades which play a crucial part in the thin plot. Not to mention the personal insults to Dante and his family; the portrayal of his father alone is enough to cause offence.
Instead, passing by the opportunity to study the failure of revenge and possibility of redemption, it ends up preaching success through extreme and often sexual violence with easy absolution.
At best the movie is a parody of itself, the creators have no respect for the poem and fail to give the impression that it is anything other than an advertising stunt while succeeding in being both pretentious and childish: it manages to drop a large number of names (Latinus, Plato, Socrates, Augustus, Charon, Hector, Electra, Julius Caesar, Aristotle, Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, Minos, Daedalus, Ulysses, Alexander the Great, Lancelot, Attila the Hun, Semiramis, Ninus, Mark Anthony, Cleopatra, Helen of Troy, Paris, King Richard (probably referring to Richard the Lionheart again), Cerberus, Phlegius, Ares, Filippo Argenti, Farinata degli Uberti, Salome, Helen of Troy, the Minotaur, Judas Iscariot, Valerius Antias, Geryon, Nimrod, Dionysius, Nessus, Duchy of Athens... ) and of course Hitler is given a cameo.
Although its basis on the video game of the same name likely accounts for many deficiencies, there's no excuse to add yet another mediocre adaption. The film is part of a wider attempt at causing offence for publicity (as seen, for example, in recent faked protests), but America is no longer a country where any serious reaction can be expected from such clichés as oversize holstered crosses.
Ultimately the film was created to cash in on Dante's Inferno. Was it necessary to trash him, his work and family in the process? Someone looking for better animation and a similarly simplistic plot without the terrible dialogue has many alternatives, e.g. Afro Samurai.
To give Satan the last word: "I grow weary of this game."
This is the animated, softened in language and shortened in content version of Dante's Inferno but nevertheless a great movie to see. You may find the story familiar from the book but it is a great experience to see it as an animation. It is indeed showing the journey of Dante in nine circles of the hell to rescue his beloved Beatrice from Lucifer. You see all nine circles and their purpose but the sub-parts of the circles are not detailed since the movie focuses on the epic fight of Dante. Most of the characters and the story is there but it could have been better to make the movie in Italian. One needs to give credits to the soundtracks, they were quite good. As a conclusion, the book still casts a great shadow on anything that can be done along this lines but this is a nice movie as such.
- EchoMaRinE
- Mar 1, 2010
- Permalink
Boring as all the hells it represents, no story, no cadence, no nothing after an eternal wait. You will feel you are in the all of the hells for the good hour and a half it lasts. Do not watch it.