On the cusp of Saudi Arabia
finally allowing movie theaters to reopen after some 35 years with scant
offering of films slowly making their way into the circles of world cinema, the
country’s first 3D computer animated film production Bilal: A New Breed of Hero after kicking around since 2015 is
finally making it’s way into movie theaters.
Written, produced and co-directed by Barajoun Entertainment company
founder Ayman Jamal with the help of animation and visual effects director
Khurram H. Alavi, this English-language and surprisingly violent PG-13 rated
animated feature loosely follows (and fantasizes, to some degree) the life of
Bilal ibn Rabah.
Chosen by the Islamic
prophet Muhammad, Bilal who was known for his singing voice and rise from
slavery is considered to be the first Islamic muezzin or the key figure leading
prayer to the mosque. The effort draws
the voice talents of Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ian McShane, Jacob Latimore and
Thomas Ian Nicolas, forming an ensemble cast of characters who, filtered
through the clichés germane to CGI animated features aimed at young adults,
trivialize their efforts and ultimately deliver arguably the most stagnant and
dismal drama of freedom vs. slavery since Terry George’s The Promise. It doesn’t help
that this often tedious slog sports the most generic pretend Hans Zimmer score
shamelessly imitating the better notes of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.
One of the critics at the
press screening I attended was quick to denounce Bilal as ‘propagandist lies’ intended to ‘indoctrinate’ Western
audiences to Islam. While that
discussion is open to debate, my own interest in the film remained with the
animation and storytelling style as it is unheard of for a Middle Eastern CGI animated
film to happen at all. I will admit the
exercise is a step in the right direction for the country trying to get their
own film industry off the ground after being buried for so many years, but the
film itself is as uneven and unappealing as the infamous animated flop Delgo.
What Western moviegoers will notice right away in Bilal is the inconsistency of the animation.
Framed in 2.40:1 scope widescreen,
this is a film with animation that looks quite good in some scenes and clunkier
in others. The film builds up towards a
grandiose desert battle with images that feel lifted out of Disney’s Aladdin and The Lion King but I would be lying if I said the way the characters
moved and emoted were consistently fluid.
Take for instance a wide bird’s eye view shot of a battle sequence
between two armies, feeling lifted frankly right out of Braveheart. Where the shot
prior to it is crisp with a decent amount of depth of field, the next shot is
blurry and unfocused. I also recall
training sequences where a character swings his sword and shield about where
the animation looks as stunted and clunky as, God forbid, the animation
glimpsed in the British werewolf schlockmeister Crying Wolf 3D.
In good faith, I cannot
recommend Bilal to most
moviegoers. Yes it offers diversity and
a worldview not seen in Western cinemas but the experience of sitting through
it was a dismal chore. As it stands, it
doesn’t hold much appeal for adults and is most certainly not for children thanks
to it’s level of violence including a torture scene where a man has a giant
boulder set on top of his chest squeezing the life out of him. I’m all in favor of homegrown animation and
do hope to see more polished developments from Barajoun Entertainment, but for
now my friendly advice is to give this one a pass.
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki