Reviews

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  ★★★½ review by Thedude3445 on Letterboxd

  A really cool really fun adventure with gravity and two distinct worlds coming together. The plot isn't necessarily that deep even with its twisty nature, but the worldbuilding is strong enough to support the idea of two closed-off civilizations adjusting to this post-apocalyptic world of weird gravity stuff. I also liked the main couple; it's rare in Japanese animation to see characters so physically intimate, but obviously the movie requires it.

  Unfortunately the movie has about half the budget it needed to be something truly special. The animation is normally OK but nothing film-quality, and the use of CGI to skirt certain scenes and save money is often jarring. This may have been able to be a masterpiece-- it's far more imaginative and beautiful than its contemporary Children Who Chase Lost Voices-- but it got shafted by not being able to afford its own ambitions.

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  ★★★★ review by Paul Robinson on Letterboxd

  A stunning film of beautiful visual flare, it may flounder a little with regards to its story, and some choices for characters motivations and personality traits. But it is really enjoyable film and the central relationship is particularly satisfying as it never felt forced that these two characters would stay together for the sake of the story and that there was a connection between the two of them.

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  ★★★½ review by Woodwatch on Letterboxd

  Patema Inverted hat 2 ganz große Stärken.

  Die größte Stärke ist das fantastische Setting. Durch ein missglücktes Experiment gibt es 2 Gruppen von Menschen. Sie unterscheiden sich dadurch das die Schwerkraft für die einen in die entgegen gesetzte Richtung funktioniert. Es ist einfach super interessant die Normen und Werte der jeweiligen Gruppen zu entdecke.

  Die andere Stärke ist die grandiose Optik. Durch das Setting lassen sich fantastische Bilder erzeugen. Die Perspektive ändert sich ständig, so das der gesamte Film super dynamisch wirkt und es nie langweilig wird zuzusehen.

  Leider hat der Film auch 2 Schwächen.

  Die Story ist maximal durchschnitt, was um so trauriger ist wenn man überlegt was für ein potenzial in der Welt steckt. Ja an sich gehört das Setting auch mit zur Story, aber wenn man nur das nimmt, was die Charakter erleben, ist das doch etwas Flach. Außerdem gibt es hier und da 1 bis 2 Plot Holes über die man aber auch ganz gut hinweg sehen kann.

  Die größte Schwäche des Films sind aber die Charaktere. Ich konnte zu keinem eine Bindung herstellen. Man hätte sich hier echt mehr Zeit nehmen können, da der Film mit seinen 99 Minuten einfach zu kurz wirkt. Die Charakterentwicklungen (wenn es denn welche gibt) passieren viel zu schnell und die Beziehung zwischen den beiden Hauptcharakteren war in meinen Augen leider total unglaubwürdig.

  Ich hatte trotzdem enormen Spaß mit dem Film und würden Ihn auf jeden Fall weiter empfehlen. Ich finde nur das viel Potenzial verschenkt wurde.

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  ★★★★ review by Leonora Anne on Letterboxd

  Taking a high-concept premise and using it for an exciting and emotional adventure, Patema Inverted takes a risk that completely pays off by avoiding exposition or really any direct focus on the technical origins of the fantastical elements in the story. The visuals are absolutely outrageous, but they're always in service of either thrills, relationships, or both, which manages to simultaneously ground the film and make it feel intimate while also giving it an epic feeling and ensuring that it remains creative for most of the running time. This is probably the anime I've seen that most reminds me of blockbuster filmmaking, in definitely the best way possible. Despite the characters themselves staying pretty archetypal, this is a lively and highly enjoyable romp in an invented future that, due to the emphasis on putting the characters in tactile situations rather than exposition, feels more fully realized than I ever expected.

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  ★★★★ review by Neil Coulter on Letterboxd

  I know very little about anime. Prior to watching Patema Inverted, I didn't think I cared for anime at all. But since this was free on Amazon Prime, and sounded intriguing, we gave it a shot this weekend. I'm so glad we did. I loved it!

  It's rare that I watch a movie that I can't predict. Patema Inverted was, for me, unpredictable, and I loved following along where it led. The music and visuals were excellent, and the story was original and cool. I would have thought that the central "gimmick"--turning the frame over to show the different gravitational perspectives--would become old after a short time, but surprisingly, I never got tired of it.

  I have no idea how this compares to anime generally, but for someone who is new to the genre, it was very enjoyable. I look forward to watching this again.

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