Oct. 29, 2021|United States|93 Min.|R
Genre: Adventure;Animation;Drama;Fantasy;Horror;Kids;Mystery;Sci-Fi;&;Fantasy
Description: The Spine of Night (2021) is an animated fantasy film that visually echoes the iconic sword-and-sorcery style of Frank Frazetta’s paintings and the surreal, psychedelic tone of Ralph Bakshi’s works, particularly the 1983 film *Fire and Ice*. The movie employs hyper-real rotoscoping animation to weave a series of dark, interwoven tales centered around a mysterious blue flower that holds the secrets of the universe. The narrative explores themes of power, corruption, and the fleeting nature of hope, featuring thinly clad warriors and grotesque tyrants.
The film serves as a nostalgic homage to countercultural fantasy cinema, yet it struggles to transcend its own deliberate retro aesthetic. Despite its graphic violence, explicit nudity, and a star-studded voice cast including Lucy Lawless and Patton Oswalt, *The Spine of Night* falls short of delivering the raw, chaotic energy it aims for.
The story begins in Bastal, a mystical swamp home to Tzod (Lawless), a fierce warrior queen. After her sanctuary is destroyed by the tyrannical Lord Pyrantin (Oswalt), Tzod embarks on a quest to find more of the magical blue flowers. These flowers grant access to a powerful, Force-like energy capable of restoring balance to a fractured universe. Her journey intersects with other characters, such as Mongrel (Joe Manganiello), a barbarian leader turned necromancer, and Phae-Agura (Betty Gabriel), a scholar-warrior with a compassionate heart.
While *The Spine of Night* offers a visually striking and thematically ambitious experience, its disjointed storytelling and reliance on familiar tropes limit its impact. It remains a curious artifact for fans of genre-defying fantasy, though it may not resonate with broader audiences.
Cast director: Philip Gelatt
Cast actor: Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, Joe Manganiello, Larry Fessenden, Malcolm Mills, Jordan Douglas Smith, Patrick Breen, Abigail Savage
Original name: The Spine of Night