ADAM
Directed by Peter Lord.
“Adam” is a short film produced by Aardman Animations, which is the group responsible for some of my favorite short films, the Wallace and Gromit series. This film was nominated for Outstanding Animated Short in 1992, and by this time, Aardman Animations had made a definite mark on the world of animation. It would still be several years until their first full length film, Chicken Run, but they had several shorts under their belt by this time, including Wallace and Gromit's first adventure, “A Grand Day Out” and the Oscar-winning “Creature Comforts”.
“Adam” is about the first man on a lonely and very small planet and his relationship with his creator. The film could easily be interpreted as a parable about man's relationship with God. When left to his own devices, Adam runs the gamut of unhelpful emotions, from instinctual defense to sloth. Every now and then the hand of the creator reaches in to point Adam in the right direction. Once he does this quite literally, giving Adam a pack on a stick and sending him forth to explore his small world. The world proves to be quite small, and Adam finds that he's explored it all in a matter of seconds. Eventually Adam appeals to his creator for a companion, and the creator complies, though not in the way one might expect.
“Adam” is very well animated, and it has some very cute moments, but it fails to live up to the standard of other Aardman films. It is neither funny enough, nor poignant enough to warrant much special attention, and I can't help but feel that is was all made as an excuse for the final joke, which left me feeling a little flat anyway. It's only about five minutes long, so it's not a waste of any one's time, and it could provide a pleasant alternative to any number of stupid videos on the Internet. How many times can you watch people drop Mentos into Diet Coke anyway? “Adam” is readily available for viewing on youtube, and it's most likely also available on a number of other video posting sites.
“Adam” lost the Oscar to “Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase”. Also nominated were “Reci, Reci, Reci (Words, Words, Words)”, “The Sandman”, and “Screen Play”.
This review was written on May 19, 2008
Directed by Peter Lord.
“Adam” is a short film produced by Aardman Animations, which is the group responsible for some of my favorite short films, the Wallace and Gromit series. This film was nominated for Outstanding Animated Short in 1992, and by this time, Aardman Animations had made a definite mark on the world of animation. It would still be several years until their first full length film, Chicken Run, but they had several shorts under their belt by this time, including Wallace and Gromit's first adventure, “A Grand Day Out” and the Oscar-winning “Creature Comforts”.
“Adam” is about the first man on a lonely and very small planet and his relationship with his creator. The film could easily be interpreted as a parable about man's relationship with God. When left to his own devices, Adam runs the gamut of unhelpful emotions, from instinctual defense to sloth. Every now and then the hand of the creator reaches in to point Adam in the right direction. Once he does this quite literally, giving Adam a pack on a stick and sending him forth to explore his small world. The world proves to be quite small, and Adam finds that he's explored it all in a matter of seconds. Eventually Adam appeals to his creator for a companion, and the creator complies, though not in the way one might expect.
“Adam” is very well animated, and it has some very cute moments, but it fails to live up to the standard of other Aardman films. It is neither funny enough, nor poignant enough to warrant much special attention, and I can't help but feel that is was all made as an excuse for the final joke, which left me feeling a little flat anyway. It's only about five minutes long, so it's not a waste of any one's time, and it could provide a pleasant alternative to any number of stupid videos on the Internet. How many times can you watch people drop Mentos into Diet Coke anyway? “Adam” is readily available for viewing on youtube, and it's most likely also available on a number of other video posting sites.
“Adam” lost the Oscar to “Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase”. Also nominated were “Reci, Reci, Reci (Words, Words, Words)”, “The Sandman”, and “Screen Play”.
This review was written on May 19, 2008
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