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Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Jerzy Gudejko, Dariusz Biskupski, Katarzyna Bargielowska ... see more see more... , Bartlomiej Swiderski , Alicja Sapryk , Bartek Swiderski , Zuzanna Kasz , Michal Breitenwald

Following up on his cult anime masterpieces Patlabor 2 and Ghost in the Shell, Mamoru Oshii makes his live-action debut with this virtual reality thriller set in a near-future cyberpunk wasteland, in ... read more read more...which the youth of an unnamed central European nation are enthralled with violent and illegal virtual reality computer games. Ash (Malgorzata Foremniak) is a ruthless "Class A" fighter and reigning queen of the games. She's itching to move to the next level of playing. Aside from her gaming, she lives a loner's life with her pampered dog. She learns from a former team member, Stunner (Bartek Swiderski), that former game master Murphy (Jerzy Gudejko) was crippled after entering the game's most rarified level, "Special A." The level is only accessible under the right set of unusual circumstances. Once admitted, there is only one way out -- to win. Ash can't wait to prove herself and conquer the game. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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70% liked it

8,434 ratings

R, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Mamoru Oshii

Release Date: January 1, 2001

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DVD Release Date: December 16, 2003

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Stats: 425 reviews

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Avalon Malgorzata Foremniak as Ash in Mamoru Oshii's 'AVALON' As Ash in Mamoru Oshii's "Avalon" Avalon Avalon Avalon Avalon Avalon French Theatrical Poster Avalon Avalon Malgorzata Foremniak from "Avalon" Avalon Avalon Avalon Avalon Avalon Avalon
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Flixster Reviews (425)

  • deano
    November 29, 2009
    deano
    This Mamoru Oshii's first live-action sci-fi motion picture is familiar as Blade Runner meets The Matrix and I thought this is worse and bloody dull I ever watched because it seemed not much exciting to me and bit confused. I suppose that you when you don't underst... read moreand what the characters are talking about. Horrible, horrible, horrible acting kept distracting me all the time.
  • Stinger839
    March 2, 2009
    Stinger839
    Was not at all disappointed. The key here is that in scenes set in the game, it feels set in a game and scenes set in "real realities" look real (though both the game and real worlds utilize the same effects palette, just producing starkly different results).

    The story is also ... read moretops, but the intrigue of falling deeper into the game ultimately overshadows what the script props up as the character's real motivation.

    I'm really suprised this film doesn't have more of a cult following. I highly recommend it to scifi fans, dystopia fans, gaming fans, technophreaks, VFX freeks, philosophy phreeks, animator/animation junkies, film-makers and just film fans.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    January 14, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Mr Oshii, the next time write a book about the subject, or let someone else direct.
  • EightThirty
    October 3, 2007
    EightThirty
    This Movie is not 4 everyone ^_^
  • ceWEBrity
    February 10, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    Pretty, but also pretty stupid. No one in this movie can act worth a damn, especially Ash, who displays a range of emotions from A to A. She has the same blank stare on her face throughout the entire movie, no matter what happens; it might be to show that she's distanced from rea... read morelity, but it's not a good directorial decision. The plot manages to make some sense, but is told very poorly, such as with massively long and pointless shots of Ash riding a train or making food. And the ending really sucks.

    As I said before, the only vaguely interesting part about this movie is the visual presentation. Avalon is quite a neat-looking film.
  • RossCollinsUK
    February 4, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    Weird Polish movie about a virtual reality computer game
  • robotbling
    June 16, 2010
    robotbling
    Avalon was released in 2001, so given its similarities to The Matrix it's all too easy to write off as one of several rip-offs hoping to ride the coat tails of that film. Actually, it's only fair that Mamoru Oshii took some ideas from The Matrix as payback, since many elements o... read moref that film were inspired by Oshii's version of Ghost In The Shell. Shot in Warsaw, Poland, the film's sepia-drenched scenes paint a bleak portrait of gritty urban city life. Ash, the heroine, is a single woman with not much of a life making a modest living by playing a futuristic massively multiplayer online shooter called Avalon.

    Players enter a totally immersive digital world via helmet-like BCIs that look like they could suck your brains out -- and sometimes do. Rumors of a secret level inaccessible to all but the highest ranking players leads Ash on a mission to find one of the game's star players, who has disappeared from the regular game. She joins a group of other high ranking players to find the way in, but rumor has it that when you cross over you have only two options: finish it, or die for real.

    Avalon, like a poor man's Matrix, asks the audience which is better: to live in a stifling reality or in an imaginary world where nothing is real. But while the Matrix is controlled by sentient machines, Avalon is much more down to earth in an art mimics life sort of way. We've all heard about the Korean gaming cafés where people literally play video games to the point of exhaustion (and in some cases, death); about shameless parents who neglect their children to play popular MMORPGs (with tragic results); gold farmers in China selling digital currency for real money; or "professional gamers" who earn upwards of $150, 000 at gaming competitions. The world presented here isn't so far-fetched.

    James Cameron called it "the most artistic, beautiful, and stylish sci-fi film", and while I'm not prepared to echo that statement, the visuals, particularly inside the game but also the general urban atmosphere are very well done -- shot on a shoestring or not. He lavished similar praise on Ghost in the Shell, so perhaps Cameron will one day produce Oshii's dream project using some of that Avatar cash (commenting recently on Avatar's Japanese release, Oshii seemed a bit envious of Cameron's toy box of special effects). I think what Avalon has to say about video games and video game addiction is worth checking out if you're a gamer, especially considering most game-to-movie adaptations have been downright awful and have had nothing to say about the medium at all.

    This review is a repost from my site: www.plasticpals.com
  • alanjayh
    April 12, 2010
    alanjayh
    This is a Japanese movie set in Poland of all places with pollish actors. I saw the english spoken version, and right away I could tell with their thick eastern european accent this movie was a bit strange. terrific visuals and similar in many ways to "the Matrix" and even a bi... read moret of "Tron". The acting is indeed wooden but at an hour forty minutes and interesting story, its worth watching. The ending is a bit opaque, however I believe its done purposely for you to decide what is reality and what is not.
  • threefolddado
    June 29, 2007
    threefolddado
    Wow. A truly powerful movie.
  • sagosa
    April 7, 2009
    sagosa
    extraña combinacion, director japones filmando en ingles en polonia. El resultado es bueno pero no espectacular

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Critic Reviews

J. Hoberman
December 30, 2003
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Among other things, Avalon may be the first movie that uses contemporary Poland as a special effect. Full Review

John J. Puccio
December 16, 2003
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

It will overjoy viewers looking for a leisurely fantasy departure and bore to tears others hoping for another Matrix. Full Review

Jamie Russell
October 23, 2002
Jamie Russell, BBC

Manages to create a haunting virtual world that's more mystical than anything the Wachowski brothers have offered us, blending the real and the imagined into a portentous cyberpunk fable. Full Review

Derek Elley
October 18, 2008
Derek Elley, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

November 19, 2002
Guardian [UK]

Click to read the article Full Review

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