Customer Reviews

Daft Punk's Electroma

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First, this is an art movie, 2nd it's a road movie (albeit featuring two robots), and for all those who said it sucks because it doesn't contain any Daft Punk music, here's the secret: "Human After All" is the alternative (and far superior) soundtrack to the film. Seriously, cue up the DVD, then put "Human After All" on album repeat; the story, songs, and even beats line up perfectly. In the opening scene, if you synced it up properly, the title track "Human After All" repeats "Human" when they zoom in on the "Human" license plate, then when the robots go into the clean room and the steam pours out of the hoses, "Steam Machine" comes on. There are several other examples, and if you really synch it up, the people even walk in time to the beat in several shots. There, that's why there is no dialogue, that's why the scenes are so long. Even when the album ends and repeats back to the first track, it's still in sync with the movie, now enjoy.

Granted the movie is a bit slow in the beginning, but the slow beginning really just serves as a bit of daft punk foreplay for everything else that happens within the movie. Its a different direction from Interstella 5555 and their music videos, but Electroma has some really insanely beautiful scenes. Plus, it's funny and poignant and really rides more like a film in which daft punk manifests as more than musicians.

You will hear very mixed reviews on this, so I am going to try not to say anything along the lines of "it sucked" or "it was amazing". The movie starts off realy slow and I felt really stupid for buying it. As I continued to watch it, I found myself in love with it. Basically, you are watching what was ment to be a music video for HUMAN AFTER ALL. There is no dialouge, only beautiful scenery, beautiful photography, and a really nice story. None of the music is Dafts, but this music fits the movie very well. For the nice booklet, the awesome case, and interesting visuals, its worth it.

If you didn't know anything in advance, and you're were expecting to enjoy a movie that really goes along with the album Human After All, yes, you will be disappointed. This is a live action art house flick that doesn't involve any Daft Punk music at all, only the concept of going along the the album viewing two robots in their quest as they yearn to become human and the consequences of this journey. There's no action, there's no dialogue, just an engaging plotline, if you can allow yourself to absorb it.

First off, let me state that i am not a daft punk fan (by far)

However, this movie isn't filled with daft punk music (or much music at all for that matter). It is titled "Daft Punk's" Electroma simply because the two musicians play the starring roles in the film.

There are actually long scenes where it is pretty near silent, and there is absolutely NO dialogue in the entire film


to put it lightly, this movie rules


this movie is -
-a science-fiction masterpiece
-deeply touching and personal
-a surreal, hallucinagenic art movie
-a visually stunning epic that spans breathtakingly beautiful landscapes

If Pink Floyd's The Wall met THX 1138 out in the desert and contemplated the meaning of life and love (and then killed themselves), it might look something like this

i personally guarantee this movie will blow your mind, and you owe it to yourself to check it out

Being a huge Daft Punk fan since Homework, I have loved anything they have been involved in. Interstella 5555 was absolutely amazing, and I thought even though is has no dialogue or Daft musique it should be fabulous. I understood the story and it was quite sad, but beyond that I had trouble paying attention. It's only around an hour long and that was all I can bare to watch. I understand what they set out to do, but good cinematography does not mean a great movie..

I was expecting another full album with a full length artistic movie like Interstella. The DVD is good in an artsy way ... I was expecting to have a video on my head for every song they have in Human After All album. Great ideas in this DVD ... i just wanted some good music.

A bit pretentious, a bit obvious, overlong, even at 74 minutes (this would have
been a brilliant 40 minute short), but still full of arresting images and surprisingly
emotional moments.

Influenced heavily by Kubrick, Antonioni and most of the great 60s and 70s
visualists, this is a wordless film about two robots who want to become human.
The action is minimal. The opening drive through the desert alone takes a good 15 minutes.

But it's wonderfully shot, and the use of eclectic source music as score
(Brian Eno, Curtis Mayfield, etc) is interesting, if sometimes a little too
self-conscious or intrusive.

I doubt there are more layers to be found on repeated viewings, I think it is what
it is: an experimental film more full of image than story or ideas. A 74 minute, interesting rock video.

But every time I'd head toward terminally bored, an image or feeling would reel me back in...

The movie tells a very slow story in mostly silent images accompanied by atmospheric music tracks.

My suspicion about this movie is that it was meant to be for "Human After All" what "Stellar555" was for their album "Discovery" - a movie-length video clip.
It is true that the film runs along the album in almost perfect sync if you cue up the beginning of the DVD with the beginning of the CD.

I bet that somewhere along the way, they realized that the heaviness of the dance beats was damaging the human sensitivity of story and the images, so they replaced it with other, more "gentle" and emotionally suggestive music.
So - fyi - there is no Daft Punk music on this DVD.

Some of the tracks they chose are nicely discovered rarities, others are classical music tracks such as Allegri's "Miserere" an Chopin's "Prelude Nr.4" - not that these pieces are out of place here or would disturb in any any way - I think this is one of the most emotionally effective placements of the "Misere" I have seen so far. :)

I think this movie works best for people who (like Daft Punk themselves - and me) grew up in the 70ies/early 80ies, as the cinematography clearly evokes 1970ies widescreen classics such as 2001 and Zabriskie Point. Hipgnosis album artwork (e.g. Pink Floyd "Wish you were here") is another noticeable influence.
It contains many beautiful shots of the Californian back country - much of it was shot around Independence, CA and around Death Valley.

The story is in fact very human and touching, but also very melancholic. It does progress so slowly that we are frequently, if not almost always, thrown back to admiring the beautiful imagery, which works well most of the time. There are moments at which we clearly see what they were going for, and it *almost* works.

But I consider this a charming aspect of this movie: It doesn't reach the unapproachable glossiness of its 1970ies antetypes completely but maintains an aura of "dedicated amateurism" - a quasi "home-made" remake of 1970ies widescreen tropes. The subtle but pervasive imperfections make the sequences that look and work perfectly stand out even more.

There are some extreme lengths of "Daft Punk walking through the desert" around 2/3rds in, but the end sequence is once more successful at combining strong images, silent symbolism and emotional depth.
It does wrap up in a quite powerful way in the end.

Not for everyone, not for every occasion.
(I always fast forward through some of the "walking")

This movie is stunning at almost every level. Visually, it's mesmerizing and captivating. The music is wonderful for the most part, but I didn't like the classical selections as much. I have never written a review for amazon before, but I feel compelled to do so for this film. I watched this with a friend and at one point we both agreed that we felt like we were using a controlled substance (we weren't), because the movie itself is just that hypnotic and enthralling. I wouldn't recommend that you watch this expecting thrills or spills, but if you are ready to sit back and be drawn in to a simple story of humanity, check it out.