Weird film but interesting don't regret the purchase

Pretty good movie. Longer than it should be. Great packaging.

Have been waiting for this movie to come. If you like stop motion Animation your going to love this film.

What a labor of love this painstakingly original film must have been for the Man who worked on the original "Star Wars" films (1977-1983)! The Blu Ray looked incredible (though a 4K would have been stellar)! What a weird, yet wonderful World Phil Tippett and his stop animation crew have created!

Around thirty years ago, Oscar-winning effects legend Phil Tippett began work on a stop motion sci-fi/horror film, but the rise of CGI convinced him that the old school animation discipline’s days were over. However, around ten years ago, he was persuaded by colleagues to begin working on the film again. When Tippett released a sizzle real a year or so ago, effects junkies everywhere went nuts for the footage. Now, after three decades, Mad God is finally being unleashed upon the world. The plot is relatively straightforward, though it’s presented in such an unconventional and abstract fashion that it encourages you to probe its depths. A masked figure that looks sort of like a steampunk version of a WWI soldier descends into a Bosch-esque technological dystopia on a mission to set off a bomb. He encounters grisly horrors such as a group of beings being tortured via electrocution to induce violent defecation, which is then force-fed to a giant misshapen monster. Everywhere, there are pitiful and near mindless slaves that are constantly being killed while performing their inscrutable tasks. To divulge much more would be to get into spoiler territory. Before I get into any more discussion, I just want to convey how much of a labor of love Mad God is for Tippett. In addition to directing, he’s also credited as the writer, producer, co-cinematographer, production designer, and character designer, while also being a member of the art and special effects departments. The result is a creatively singular vision that is uninterested in compromise whatsoever. The script takes what is ostensibly a basic premise and drapes layer after layer of bizarre and otherworldly situations on the bones. There is almost zero dialog if you don’t count incoherent mumblings and grunts. It’s a testament to Tippett’s confident storytelling that we can follow along despite this. I suspect that there will be some who will say the film is opaque and difficult, but Tippett refuses to hold your hand. We are dropped into the narrative and then subjected to scene after scene of insanely strange activities without explanation. We may not fully grasp what is going on in this world, but there are some familiar elements that scratch at the back of the brain. There certainly seems to be an antiwar motif and some discussion of the dehumanization of the modern laborer. The visuals are absolutely outstanding. The lensing by Tippett and Chris Morley captures the frighteningly alien environment with aplomb. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen and the feeling of immersion was total, like being dipped in a tar pit. The characters and creatures play against a fully realized and unsettlingly quirky world. The fact that this was all rendered practically gives it a weight that makes the horrific imagery hit harder. Character and creature designs are fantastic and effortlessly cool, seemingly harvested from the most nightmarish acid trip of all time. There are a small handful of real-life performers in the film, though they are all pretty minor parts. Fan-favorite filmmaker Alex Cox has the most notable of those and looks quite at home amongst the surreal and atmospheric imagery. Dan Wool’s score is appropriately drenched in anxiety and meshes perfectly with the bleak tone. As with any project like this, where an entire world is manufactured from scratch and where dialog is completely absent, sound effects are a critical component. They are noticeably awesome. From the rumbling of trains to the howls of terrifying beasts to the splattering of guts, Mad God has a richly textured sonic environment. I acknowledge that Phil Tippett’s Mad God won’t be for everyone. However, there’s a certain segment of film fandom that is gonna greedily devour this like candy. Yes, it’s arty and somewhat experimental, but it’s also a breathtaking spectacle and endlessly inventive. It’s one of the most original films I’ve seen in some time. Highly recommended for fans of grotesque monsters, hellish landscapes, and the grossest food imaginable.