Jamais Vu – Reverse Fall

The CGI used by Farmani in Jamais Vu – Reverse Fall is highly detailed, as well as being very imaginative. It also shows where its budget limitations show up for all to see. There are a handful of moments when you feel you are watching a narrative transition on a 20-year-old video game. However, Farmani does keep upping the visual ante, putting more embellishments and swerves in as the story progresses. Once the third act is reached, the visuals have stepped up from functional to intriguing. There are lots of Tron-like neon lines that are dead solid perfect, as cool as pinstriping on a hot rod. So while the pencil is not impressive, what it draws is, which is what indie film is all about.

“So while the pencil is not impressive, what it draws is, which is what indie film is all about.”

There are some digital nails sticking out of the walls. One big issue with Jamais Vu – Reverse Fall is how underdone the sound FX editing is. While dialogue is loud and clear, along with the music, the action noises are muffled or missing. I was also turned off by the grandpa being used as comic relief, as he is one goofy grandpa. But then again, I never like the comic relief in sci-fi movies. That is why I prefer the Italian language version of Starcrash to Roger Corman’s English dub: because the Italian robot doesn’t make jokes. There are also some slowdowns during the setup that may have some leaving before the halfway mark. So no, this film is not the second coming of CGI. But Jamais Vu – Reverse Fall is light-years better than Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a much bigger production with only a fraction of the entertainment found here.

In the end, Jamais Vu – Reverse Fall is an enjoyable space opera with some unique attributes. Some will enjoy the clever speculative concept; others will eat up the sci-fi action. Still others will enjoy some of the arty moments, like when a horse walks past a robot in a desolate place. I really enjoyed seeing what an Iranian animated galactic epic would look like. The parts that are new definitely stick out, while the familiar tropes fade into the background. It is a lot easier to take seriously because of the excellent subtitles for the Iranian dialogue. I usually don’t read through movies, but this is a decent read. Jamais Vu – Reverse Fall is an interesting indie comet crossing your night sky; look up, as it is worth catching.