* * 1/2
It is not my place to vouch
for or object to the religion of Islam, but Bilal:
A New Breed of Hero is a noble enough story (albeit, done to death) that I
won’t object too much to the subject matter. It’s nice to see that this film
exists. Bilal is a prominent figure in Islam, territory that rarely makes its
way to commercial audiences in the United States. What I do object to is just how much its messages on freedom and equality
are hammered in.
As you’ve probably gathered by
now, our hero is the titular Bilal. He and his sister, Ghufaira, are thrown
into a life of slavery. They spend much of their lives bearing witness (as well
as enduring) to what taints the world around them –oppression, corruption,
charlatanry, and greed. As an adult, Bilal grows tired of it. He fearlessly
stand up for his beliefs and values in the face of what persecutes him. In the
face of death, after angering his masters, Bilal is saved by a man known as the
Charlatan Priest. He buys Bilal’s freedom and teaches him the universal messages
of love, freedom, and equality. And thus the chain reaction of flaws begins.
Be ready for the lessons in Bilal, because it will make sure you
know what its message is. I would estimate that 95 percent of the dialogue is
some sort of sermon on love and peace (I assure you that 95 percent is a very
fair estimate). I wouldn’t have as much
of a problem if it was at least written in a unique way, but it is all about as
generic as you could possibly expect. Sometimes it feels like the same lines
are recycled over and over again, and sitting through these lectures becomes a
torturous eye-rolling experience. As for the villains, those against freedom
and equality, everything they say is taken straight from the Animated Bad Guy
Playbook. It’s almost insulting just how stock their dialogue is. Considering
the Islamic roots, at least it wasn’t pious (save for a couple of moments).
In turn, there is little to no
memorability in the film’s characters. It is evident that the writers were so
concerned with spreading their good word that they forgot to give their
characters their own identities through their vocal mannerisms. At best, the
characters in Bilal exist only to
teach the film’s lessons. At worst, they’re just in the background. There is a
blacksmith character (I cannot recall the name) who I think had only one line
of dialogue in the entire movie, which is to introduce himself. He stands
alongside the heroes throughout their arduous journey as if he’s this significant
character, but in reality, he’s just there.
Bilal is the first feature from Barajoun Entertainment, and there
is enough potential that it’s worth seeing what they will bring next. At times,
the animation is beautiful, rich in
texture and filled to the brim with the smallest details. There are some truly
stunning and spectacular moments in Bilal.
The opening sequence alone would make a remarkable short film – it rapidly
bounces back and forth from a young boy innocently imagining himself a warrior
to a fast-approaching cavalry of hostile forces (of an almost demonic quality).
But even the animation can’t
be completely counted on, because the character animations are a whole
different story. They don’t look finished, lacking in the rich detail that the
surrounding world is packed with. They look plastic and dollish. When they
move, there’s this stiff jaggedness that perpetuates, and it’s creepily
unnatural.
Even if the animation were
fully developed, I would still have criticisms. Just by looking at Bilal, one would think this is a kid’s
movie, further evident by the handling and delivery of its lessons. I actually
had no idea that I walked into a PG-13 rated movie until afterward, because
this is one grisly movie. A sequence where Bilal is nearly crushed by a boulder
walks the line enough, but for a PG-13 movie debatably targeted for kids, the
climactic battle at the end is brutal.
Additionally, all the stylization applied to the unpleasantness tends to
nullify the film’s message – for an anti-violent message, it bore too much
resemblance to 300 much of the time.
There are enough admirable and
honorable qualities in Bilal: A New Breed
of Hero that I have no hesitation in commending it to a certain degree.
That said, my commendation is only on a circumstantial, perhaps even
superficial, level. While not a failure, there’s glaring a lack of development,
from the varying quality of animation to the uncertain target audience.
Ultimately, it’s still a story we’ve heard time and time again. For those
holding out for a hero, keep holding out – it’s unlikely (s)he’s here.
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