Ruben Brandt, Collector (2018)
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Ruben Brandt, Collector Movie Review
Ruben Brandt, Collector is a 2018 Hungarian animated heist thriller film directed by Milorad Krstic. It’s a rather fascinating, very interesting film.
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“In my dream I was two cats
and I was playing with each other“
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Four expert thieves attempt to steal every famous artwork that is haunting their mutual psychotherapist. Needless to state, this is a hugely intriguing and authentic premise and I found it very well utilized too, though not greatly. It’s a very interesting story that could never happen in real life, but I liked it even more for it as it thus justified its existence in the animation medium along with the perfectly used paintings as a storytelling device.
Yes, those creepy sequences where the paintings come to life to torment the protagonist are downright amazing and eerie and so original. They did so much better than ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ in my opinion as these scenes are easily the highlights of the movie and literally every one of them makes an impact and is very creepy or even a bit scary.
The overall storyline is every bit as convoluted as you’d expect from a heist flick, but overall the heist elements worked well and just the existence of an animated heist movie needs to be appreciated as it’s rather new. As for the thriller elements, they were weaker as the action sequences I found to be out of place in this picture and not all that necessary, though definitely cool. The story itself could have been better told, but it’s consistently intriguing nonetheless.
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I found the protagonist a well developed, memorable creation and the robber girl is also very memorable and an example of a strong, kick-ass female character. The others are somewhat forgettable, but overall the characterization is solid and the character backstories and mysteries I found to be very interesting and really well explored.
What this movie has that takes it to the next level of course is its animation. I found the movie a strong case of artistic animation in the vein of ‘Loving Vincent’, but with a much better storyline this time around. It’s a very polished, very conceptually and in execution pleasing look which is hand-drawn and classical in style.
I found the interiors superb, but in particular those horror/thriller sequences with the paintings were perfectly animated and this movie could only have happened in animation when it comes to those scenes. Yes, the character designs themselves are very odd with the heads that look prolonged and horse-like and they took some time getting used to, but other than those, the overall animation is superb and highly artistic.
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Ruben Brandt, Collector also features a very interesting score which mixes the songs from many different cultures which I found original and a lot of fun. The director Milorad Krstic directed the movie so well as I found it moving at a fine pace and constantly having many scenes that grip your attention. I just wished for less action and more dialogue myself, but overall I was quite impressed and this is surely one of the best animated films of 2018.
Ruben Brandt, Collector is very well directed and particularly intriguing in its superb concept that could only be utilized to the fullest in the medium of animation which happened here as those scenes with the paintings are so memorable and creepy. The action felt out of place and the character designs take some time getting used to as they are so odd, but the overall animation is absolutely fantastic and highly artistic. This is a very cool animated heist flick that is done in the vein of ‘Loving Vincent’, but with a much better and more interesting story this time around.
