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Renaissance

Play trailer Poster for Renaissance R 2006 1h 45m Action Sci-Fi Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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49% Tomatometer 77 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Avalon Corp., a purveyor of eternal youth and beauty, worms its way into every facet of life in 2054 Paris, a closely monitored city. When Ilona (Romola Garai), one of Avalon's most promising scientists, is kidnapped, the company calls in Barthélémy Karas (Daniel Craig), a cop with a reputation for finding anyone, no matter what it takes. When one witness after another turns up dead, Karas realizes that he is not the only one looking for Ilona.
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Renaissance

Renaissance

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Critics Consensus

Renaissance attempts to blend sci-fi wonder with stark noir animation, but is often more fun to look at than to watch.

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Critics Reviews

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Lisa Nesselson Variety It's a testament to the production design that one quickly gets caught up in the story without ever completely losing the "ooh-ahh" factor. Ominous, wall-to-wall music bolsters the appropriately uneasy mood, and the bittersweet conclusion is satisfying. Jul 22, 2008 Full Review Brian Tallerico UGO The style doesn't just overwhelm the substance, it makes it irrelevant. Mar 24, 2007 Full Review Bill Stamets Chicago Sun-Times For its retro-futurist look alone, this outdated thriller set in 2054 Paris is worth seeing. Rated: 2/4 Nov 3, 2006 Full Review Kathi Maio The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction As an experiment in marrying motion to a very painterly b&w two-tone storyboard, Renaissance is a breathtaking achievement. Sadly, as a full-length film with an involving plot and compelling characters, it fails completely. Feb 28, 2020 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Ultimately saved by the strong performances, taut atmosphere, and awe inspiring animation... Apr 25, 2014 Full Review Maitland McDonagh TV Guide The script's fusion of B-movie crime cliches and dystopian futurism, if not exactly original, is nonetheless vigorously engaging, and the English-language voice cast is good enough to make the existential noodling seem like real dialogue. Rated: 3/4 Jul 27, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member You have to keep the movie for your collection simply for it's completely original look. The story, Meh, isn't very compelling, which is sad as it would be a cult classic for a hundred years if the story wasn't bland. It's also hard to connect with characters when they are animated and not actual people. I found myself not really caring about anyone in the movie or what happened to them. The ending was a bit puzzling too. Anywho, can't erase- to one of a kind. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/08/25 Full Review bulletproof2k М It's not bad at all, very good European animation. movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/21/24 Full Review Meaj Z I felt like I was at the concert all over again. I cried, laughed, sang, and danced.👏🏽 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/03/23 Full Review anna k A bit of an acquired taste, but once you get into it this is a pretty cool flick after all. A rich and stylish world which could withstand a sequel, and a story that seems straight out of a Raymond Chandler classic, if only Raymond Chandler knew about progeria and the gritty future of the 21st century. One gripe: there is a conflict between demands of the plot and demands of the art. The plot requires tracking which character has done what; yet, the stark pools of black-and-white make it hard to learn those same characters' faces. For me, overcoming this required some backtracking through the movie and comparing what I saw with the plot from wikipedia. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Renaissance's amazing visual style, well-done dubbing and appropriately noir atmosphere help make it stand out amongst other animated movies despite a weak by-the-numbers plot, dull script and uninteresting characters. I feel bad giving this movie 3 stars because I really wanted to like it much more but it is unfortunately let down by how boring it is when there aren't any Sin City-style action scenes. But I still think the style is what helps the movie stand out from the pack. Would've benefited from a better story but when judged as a visual experience, it definitely delivers. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member DOTÉ D'UN STYLE D'ANIMATION PARTICULIÈREMENT ORIGINAL, RENAISSANCE OFFRE UN SCÉNARIO INTÉRESSANT, BIEN QU'UN PEU PRÉVISIBLE ET PLAIRA À COUP SÛR AUX AMATEURS DE FILMS NOIRS ET DE SCIENCE-FICTION TEL QUE BLADE RUNNER OU SIN CITY. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Renaissance

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Cast & Crew

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Christian Volckman

Director

Daniel Craig

Barthélémy Karas

Catherine McCormack

Bislane Tasuiev

Romola Garai

Ilona Tasuiev

Ian Holm

Jonas Muller

Jonathan Pryce

Paul Dellenbach

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Renaissance

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Movie Info

Synopsis Avalon Corp., a purveyor of eternal youth and beauty, worms its way into every facet of life in 2054 Paris, a closely monitored city. When Ilona (Romola Garai), one of Avalon's most promising scientists, is kidnapped, the company calls in Barthélémy Karas (Daniel Craig), a cop with a reputation for finding anyone, no matter what it takes. When one witness after another turns up dead, Karas realizes that he is not the only one looking for Ilona.
Director
Christian Volckman
Producer
Aton Soumache, Roch Lener, Alexis Vonarb
Screenwriter
Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte, Patrick Raynal, Jean-Bernard Pouy
Production Co
France 2 Cinema
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Some Violent Images)
Genre
Action, Sci-Fi, Animation
Original Language
Canadian French
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Sep 22, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$63.3K
Runtime
1h 45m
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