Dante 01 [DVD] [2008]

Lambert Wilson is as excellent in this intriguing film as his character is mysterious. However, the film really demanded more time than it was given to explore Wilson's potential origins, the tension between the other prisoner's natural impulses and their growing faith in their new found saviour, and ultimately the predicament they face as their doom beckons.

The finalé was a bit of a cop out in my view, but it doesn't make the film any less worth seeing. It just means it isn't great and is only 3 - not 4 - stars.

Dante 01 is not the film to watch if you're after block-busting action and twisty plotting; however, if you're after an original, visually and audibly stunning Sci-Fi, you've come to the right place. In the vain of other recent Sci-Fi's, such as Eden Log, Sunshine and Chrysalis, Dante 01 is set in deep-space, and focuses on a group of 8 criminals in a spaceship, being illegally tested on by a small party of egotistical scientists.

Marc Caro, director -in collaboration with Jean-Pierre Jeunet- of Delicatessen and City Of Lost Children, in his first solo feature manages to accommodate more than enough in the way of dizzying special effects and stunningly detailed set-pieces. However, as Dante 01 flies ahead with all its beautifully intriguing images, you begin to loose hope of any defining plotlines.

...Not that this is a bad thing, of course. Furthermore, Dante 01's visual splendour is developed with Caro's unusually colourful lighting techniques and a fantastic make-up effects team- recalling one utterly horrific, superiorly graphic death scene (sizzling skin has never looked so realistic).

The film becomes increasingly more satisfying during the final half hour. Not meaning to spoil things for you, but there's a Sunshine-style twist that occurs, which is sure to exhilarate you and help you agree that Dante 01 is one of the finest and most original Sci-Fi's in ages. One to quietly recommended.

There seems to be a kind of curse affecting French directors every time when they try to make a SF movie. Most of them fail because of low budgets, but here it was clearly not the case - with 8 millions Euros director Marc Caro had quite a comfortable war treasure, at least by Old Continent standards.

This film suffers from another frequent weakness in French SF films - a very weak scenario. As one of previous reviewers noticed, for this film Marc Caro clearly looked for inspiration in other films: "Alien3" and "Green Mile", and I think also a little bit in "One flew over the cuckoo's nest". But mostly he failed to mix his cocktail right and the result is very disappointing.

The initial idea of a secret penal space station orbiting a vulcanic planet in a remote star system, allowing the mysterious "Company" to conduct experiences on dangerous criminals and psychopaths seemed promising. The names of all persons present on board were also well chosen: the chief of station is Charon, the female doctor is Persephone and the inmates are called Cesar, Lazarus, Moloch, Buddha, Attila and Raspoutine (there are also two security guards, BR and CR, but they are less important to the plot). Then all the delicate balance of this "little hell" (which by the way appears in space as a cross...) is bouleversed by the arrival of two newcomers: a new doctor, Elisa and a new inmate, "Unknown", but soon called "Saint George", because of a tattoo on his shoulder. Oh, by the way, everybody in the film is bald...

That covers the first five minutes. It could be a really good film with such a starting point - but sadly it isn't. It is very slow. People act absurdly. There is a lot of weird visions which will not be explained. People vomit a lot. Dialogs are very poor, with great wisdom moments like "Do not give me that sh-t about God" and "Oh, me you know, human kind - what do I care" being maybe the most interesting things people say. Elisa shows her boobies. A fat guy eats a lot - and he is a very messy eater. Oh no, one of the psychopaths is a real psychopath - who would have thought that? The main "hero" says ONE word! And then, there is the "Deux Ex Machina" ending, which is so ridiculous that I laughed out loud.

I spend a rather bad moment watching this film. The only reason I give "Dante 01" two stars is the visual aspect - it was done nicely and the gallery of (mostly butt ugly) faces is also a very interesting thing. I would advise against watching this film, except if you are a fan of French cinema or very much into cinematographic curiosities.