Paprika

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Paprika

R

Released Jun 1, 2007

1h 30m

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Anime

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87%

Tomatometer

93 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Dr. Atsuko Chiba works as a scientist by day and, under the code name "Paprika," is a dream detective at night. Atsuko and her colleagues are working on a device called the DC Mini, which is intended to help psychiatric patients, but in the wrong hands it could destroy people's minds. When a prototype is stolen, Atsuko/Paprika springs into action to recover it before damage is done.

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Critics Consensus

Following its own brand of logic, Paprika is an eye-opening mind trip that is difficult to follow but never fails to dazzle.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Paprika, while certainly not suitable for kids, manages to capture the childlike, helter-skelter chaos and curiosity of the human mind better than any other animated film.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 20, 2007

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Richard Nilsen

Arizona Republic

You could sit through the film two or three times to nail down the details of the story, but the film isn't interesting enough to warrant a second look.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 13, 2007

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Bruce Westbrook

Houston Chronicle

Is it sci-fi? Fantasy? Idiocy? Mostly it's a droning mess -- pretty to look at but confounding to the point where you just don't care any more.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jun 22, 2007

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Lindsay Costello

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

The film's crazed parade of roaming toys is perhaps the most accurate visual depiction of a nightmare I've witnessed.

Oct 22, 2024

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JK Sooja

Common Sense Media

But for others, Paprika will be a thought-provoking, challenging, and fun thrill packed with imagery, symbolism, and play, rich with a full assortment of meaning to argue over.

Mar 1, 2024

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

... the philosophically rich or visually stimulating representations of the ideas present in the film that still grab hold of audiences in a way that live action just can’t.

Feb 22, 2024

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Arthur G

This is Satoshi Kon's masterpiece. A thrilling adventure with many twists and turns, blending reality and fiction to keep the audience on their toes constantly.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/24

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jesse v

if you like Requiem for a dream and perfect blue, imagine both of them combined to this. funny cause one came after this movie so maybe the director created the dream genre

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

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Ben W

Really great. Awesome concept and animation was really cool. Interesting

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

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isaac

It was an incredible movie with a unique plot and great animation

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

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Ben D

Filled with mesmerizing animation and an inaccessible plot, Paprika is fun for the romp, so long as you don’t get laden with the difficulty of trying to follow along. Typically, plots this bewildering would be a deep stain on the score, but Paprika is such a joy to regard — and also so influential on our culture (it very obviously influenced Inception) — that it gets a pass. However, had the story been something akin to Akira in clarity, it would no doubt find itself in the (90)s. The “parade of nonsense” (my term) and accompanying song always brought me back into the story when I was starting to get entangled in the minutiae of the science and alliances. Dr. Atsuko Chiba (Megumi Hayashibara) is the stolid protag that doesn’t ground the film but keeps it from going completely over the edge. Her line to Dr. Kōsaku Tokita (Tōru Furuya) “A food disposal like you is the genius of the century,” is jaw-dropping and not the sort of line you’ll find in Disney animation (not now, maybe not ever). Sure, you may have to look up some of the plot, but don’t feel foolish for doing so. In the words of Dennis (Glenn Howerton) in Always Sunny concerning dreams, “Unless I’m in it or someone is having sex, I don’t want to hear about it,” you won’t care or appreciate Paprika if I tell you about it any further. My advice: Strap in. Take the ride.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

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Sams K

Definitely good, very interesting. The film that deeply inspired Nolan's Inception. Great animation movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/15/24

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Satoshi Kon

Director

Cindy Robinson

Chiba

Yuri Lowenthal

Tokita

Michael Forest

Inui

David Lodge

Shima

Paul St. Peter

Detective Toshimi Konakawa

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Synopsis

Dr. Atsuko Chiba works as a scientist by day and, under the code name "Paprika," is a dream detective at night. Atsuko and her colleagues are working on a device called the DC Mini, which is intended to help psychiatric patients, but in the wrong hands it could destroy people's minds. When a prototype is stolen, Atsuko/Paprika springs into action to recover it before damage is done.

Director: Satoshi Kon
Producer: Jungo Maruta, Masao Takiyama
Screenwriter: Satoshi Kon, Seishi Minakami
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Madhouse Productions
Rating: R (Violent and Sexual Images)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 23, 2018
Runtime: 1h 30m

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