Reviews for Paprika (7.43) z6k6d

The general lack of cohesiveness in Paprika's story is usually enough to ruin most movies; make them disaffecting. The premise alone, a scientific breakthrough that threatens humanity in a practical and spiritual way is kind of tired. Who hasn't seen terminator or the matrix? The disappointingly nonsensical climax and the general lack of inspiration in the plot, evidenced by its contrived and predictable plot twist, doesn't help its case.

Paprika makes a few social observations, but calling it insightful would be a bit of an exaggeration. There are a couple of nods to the ills of society, from shut ins to greedy politicians. There are a couple of one liners that hypothesize about the nature of dreams, all of which you can easily dismiss with a wiki search on the subject or a psych 101 book. To be fair, the social commentary is a small part of the movie, and you're never bogged down with long, faux-science/philosophy discussions on dreams or the flaws of humanity. Thankfully, they're short.

The soundtrack is most simply described by the word "hectic". The opening piece sounds a bit like techno, but there are all kinds of instruments and chants in the background. It's reminiscent of the opening theme from Paranoia Agent (and I believe they're done by the same artist). Lively pieces like this are sparsely scattered about, along with equally hectic tracks that seem to be inspired by circus music. You know, with cymbals and percussions blasting all over the place. There's also liberal usage of nonsense sounds like ringing, or a fuzzy, static-y noise, which add a little creepiness to the scenes. The soundtrack of Paprika is certainly noticeable, and it fits with the vibrant and beautiful animation in such a way that every scene the soundtrack touches, it elevates.

While a satisfying and engrossing story is usually what makes a film memorable, in Paprika's case, it doesn't need to be more than the sum of its parts. Paprika is filled with several memorable scenes that evoke a wide range of emotions. The protagonist's travels through the dreams of others is filled with innocent and whimsical charm. The childlike imagination pervades the whole movie, but while it is cute in some instances, the same seemingly innocent themes and images can be chilling in others.

The negatives with Paprika start with its story. There is a romantic element and a mystery surrounding a side character's past that function as subplots. The problem is, both of these subplots are never worked into the movie smoothly because they have very little relation to the central story. It's jarring and awkward whenever the movie seemingly comes to a halt in order to develop either of these elements. I can't say that they aren't interesting though. It's a sad fact, but the central plot is just so devoid of creativity that these subplots happen to be the most interesting parts of the story. Paprika's story is not only simple, in a very "been there, done that" sort of way, but it fumbles the climax as well. Beyond the fact that the climactic events are a bit nonsensical, there's just never any urgency, or tension conveyed.

My criticism of Paprika finishes with its characters. The only vaguely nuanced character is the main character, Chiba, and her alter ego after whom the movie is named. The other characters are there for little reason other than spouting supposedly thought provoking dialogue and monologues. This is especially bothersome because the main villain is also just a lecture machine. ing characters are usually simple in any movie, but they are particularly disaffecting here because their relationships with each other have very little depth. This means there's very little tension of any sort between characters. Even the romance feels slapped on because throughout the movie, there was no romantic tension to speak of between the two characters involved.

As much as I'm complaining about it, I was still touched by the one romantic scene. This is exactly why all the flaws of Paprika can be overlooked. Despite the lack of tension built up by the plot or characters, the scenes themselves, given that most of the movie takes place within dreams, are limited only by the imagination of the creators. There is all kinds of creativity in the scene direction and plenty of details to pique so many different emotions; from a skincrawling kind of discomfort to the warm and fuzzies of romance. Ultimately, this makes Paprika enjoyable, perhaps even memorable.