Written Review by John Delia
A story of revenge, freedom from evil and a fight for existence, the animated action adventure film The Spine of Night is now available for home viewing in several formats including 4K. The fantasy level is pretty high here, but most followers of animated mysticism will eat it up. However be cautioned that the film does have an abundance of killing with visuals that are not for the meek. A quote from Gizmodo’s io9 sums it all up “One of the Sickest, Coolest, most Mind-Bending Animated films we’ve ever seen”
Coming from the Great Swamp of Bastal, the land of mud and muck, Tzod, leader and high priestess, seeks out The Guardian keeper of the Bloom. Having high powers over people the Bloom is a flower that comes from the gods. Whoever possess the Bloom can control the people in all the lands that surround a kingdom. Finally arriving at The Guardian’s lair, Tzod asks him for help in defeating Lord Pyratin of Pry so her people will be free from his wrath.
When The Guardian refuses, she tells him the events leading up to this meeting. Directors and writers Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King depict the hell and damnation that has besieged her Great Swamp of Bastal. He then goes on to introduce several tableaus of the battles between villages, Mongrel and Ghal-Sur’s rise to power and the explosive finale.
The hand drawn rotoscope animation is amazing for its colorful power that grasps the death and destruction. Slicing and dicing in the battles depict the magnitude of bloodletting with swift swordplay, penetrating axes, and shredding of bodies on the battle field. Not for the faint of heart, the movie shows the relentless attacks, explosive power of the Bloom and the tortures of the damned.
The music is very moody, much like that of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It helps to take you into the fantasy world of The Spine of Night and puts you into its trance. Even when the action slows, the melodies are stuck in your head.
BONUS FEATURES:
“The Making of The Spine of Night”
“Exordium” Short Film
“Mongrel” Short Film
The Spine of Night has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains extreme sci-fi violence, animated nudity, gore, brief sexuality, brutality, aggressive language and disemboweling. Not for the average movie fan, this film has a certain audience that likes a lot of violence mixed with fantasy. For that audience my rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Specifications and additional video information:
Voice Cast: Richard E. Grant, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, Joe Mangeniello
Directed and Written by: Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King
Genre: Horror, Adult Animation, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains fantasy violence, animated nudity, gore, sexuality, Brutality, aggressive language
Running Time: 1 hr. 34 min.
Video Release Date: February 1, 2022
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray (Steelbox)
Audio: DTS HD Master Audio
Video: Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Distributed by: RLJE Films, Shudder
Released on: 4K, Ultra Blu-ray, DVD, Blu-ray, Steelbook Ultra Blu-ray/Blu-ray