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Renaissance

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Renaissance

R

2006

1h 45m

Action

Sci-Fi

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

The style doesn't just overwhelm the substance, it makes it irrelevant.

Mar 24, 2007

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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For its retro-futurist look alone, this outdated thriller set in 2054 Paris is worth seeing.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

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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

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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

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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

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bulletproof2k М

It's not bad at all, very good European animation. movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/21/24

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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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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