Ray Gunn’s first look visual review
Brad Bird has returned to the animated landscape with a cinematic masterpiece that blends the golden age of animation with the sharp, hard-boiled style of retrofuturist noir. This is more than just a film; it’s a vibrant, witty, and exhilarating adventure featuring a stellar cast, including Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits.
The project stands alongside beloved classics like The Incredibles, Wall-E, and Up!, bringing a unique blend of nostalgic charm and mature thematic complexity. What sets this new work apart is its uncompromising vision. Rather than softening its edges for a broad audience, Bird has delivered a story that embraces the harder lines of true noir, eschewing postmodern pop cultural quips in favor of genuine, compelling character drama.
The story transports viewers to Metropia, an art deco steampunk metropolis where the streets are charged with a unique atmosphere. Here, ’50s-styled finned automobiles soar through the sky, while shrill holographic advertisements, accompanied by mid-century jingles, light up every home. In this bizarre world where humans and aliens coexist uneasily, the marketplace is the only shared language.
At the heart of this setting is the charming but troubled Ray Gunn, voiced with lairy perfection by Sam Rockwell. Ray is a classic Private Dick—behind on his rent, ill-fitting suit, and a troubled past—who has traded the police force for a more ethical life. His journey is complicated when he is hired by the dodgy husband of ultra-famous pop singer Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson) to find photographic evidence of infidelity, plunging him and his wise alien assistant, Eyera (voiced by Tom Waits), into a web of scandal and conspiracy that echoes the suspense of Chinatown.
The screenplay, co-written by Bird and Matthew Robbins, is a triumph of pristine beauty. It retools the pop and crackle of classic-era noir patter with a sassy, modern edge. The narrative avoids mere exposition, instead allowing the relationships between Ray and Eyera to build, evolve, twist, and eventually blossom with gorgeous complexity.
While the story is calibrated in an intentionally old-fashioned mode, the film absolutely heaves with dynamic set pieces and dazzling character choreography. It doesn’t shy away from critique, boldly suggesting that there is no time when gangsters, scoundrels, or flawed figures aren’t rife in the arts and corporate spheres. The film masterfully manages to balance exhilarating action with deep thematic exploration, proving that animation can deliver sophistication and bite.
Ultimately, the film is a wonderfully discombobulating experience. It reminds us that even in a world of futuristic chrome and flying machines, the timeless dramas of human complexity and moral ambiguity remain the most captivating stories of all.
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