Ostrov Sokrovishch

This picture uses animation mixed with several video clips featuring live actors. "Ostrov" is a spectacular and unique piece of animation, using progressive imagery and comics-like style. Movie is packed with intense music and is half-parody/comedy, half-screening of the R.L. Stevenson's "Treasure Island", also with parts of musical. It's also completely unforgettable thanks to voices of Armen Dzhigarkhanyan and Viktor Andriyenko. If you know Russian, you got to see this movie to know the mock style of it, because you can't see anything similar to "Ostrov" anywhere. If you are Russian and haven't seen it, I only wonder. 10/10

Honestly I grew up with this movie which is weird since I was born in 2005 in America but still it was a movie that I still treasure to this day. It is an amazing movie that I love.

To avoid repeating the previous reviewer's, I will tell you my personal story about this movie. In the final song there is a verse line that goes like : "that's why the spectator loves this wonderful genre, our soul healer and balm for wounds". When I watched this movie at 15, although it became one of my favourite cartoons, I considered this line too pretentious. Because I treated this movie as low genre: all kind of fights, an unstopping succession of gags, known however to every schoolboy, hilarious music, lot's of humour and parody... Now it happened so, that I'm a 37 years old man have re-watched it, and, oh, really, it acted on me really like "balm for wounds". I watched the first scenes with bitter scepticism, but, very soon I discovered that I can not stop. What's the secret of this movie ? Don't know. But what I can say for sure, there is no another such movie. 10 of 10.

This cartoon is unique in its structure: a strip of animation is followed by a video clip, then again goes animation, then - a music video, etc. No computer effects are used (in animation strips) - everything is drawn by hand. The impression of the drawings and videos is very rough - it seems that you feel sand between your teeth. Those dark unshaved pirates are making dreadful smiles, they point big guns at you, they play electric guitars and perform rock compositions. Have you seen a pirate with a Mohawk? It's here, too. But it must be so.

This cartoon is the perfect adaptation of Stevenson. It concerns real men (brutal strength is essential) and ambiguously funny situations. For many Russians it is one of the favourite cartoons ever. Its atmosphere ("kick-'em-all" plus "don't-be-a-greedy-sob-like-pirates") is one unstoppable crusher. This cartoon can be described as a train of non-stop gags spiced by a large portion of great (not just good, but really great - in music and in words) songs. The songs make very solid statements about smoking, drinking, and being greedy.

For any boy to watch this cartoon is a must. It is for all audiences, but has a rocketing satire combined with healthy childish humour. Maybe, girls will dislike it. No surprise: it has no female characters (with an exception of a few seconds dedicated to some Donna in the window and the presence of females in one music video about physical training - that's all), it has too many fights (gunfights, fistfights, trunkfights, rapierfights, and even some cool martial arts sequences), it also has tons of gin being consumed, and thousands of cigars being smoked. The pirates, who are drunk and constantly smoking, are being punched, kicked, stabbed, thrown into the sea from the cliffs, and so on. But don't be fooled: this animation can teach you a lesson or two, or even a dozen. Does, for instance, "Finding Nemo" has a chance to beat "Ostrov Sokrovishch"? No, it does not (my opinion, of course). This Russian cartoon has faded colours (in its original version) but it has a big heart and a rushing pace. There is music enough to be an attractive material for two CD albums while the voices of the characters are the best choice ever in the history of animation. Does anybody have a chance to fall asleep while watching "Ostrov Sokrovishch"? It's easier to die than that. The cause of death will be a super attack on one's sense of humour and on all other senses (if there are some, of course).

Personally, cannot wait for re-watching it again. If Mr Stevenson were alive, he would be hopping with happiness and joy. Why so? Reply: excellent interpretation of the book. After this cartoon all films and animation features with similar "pirates" topic seem to be dull and unimaginative.

All has been said: an astounding 10. Thank you for attention.

I was immediately impressed with the drawings. Talented artists gave a certain style to the Pirates, people, & animals that catches your eye & holds your attention. Very cool, fresh, & modern! But unfortunately the brilliant animation is wasted with poor dialog & a dull story. I could almost watch this with the sound off because the characters are so funny looking! The problem is there's so much dumb stuff that isn't funny. For example the main Pirate can't say one sentence without sneezing these ridiculous sneezes that blow people up in the air, turning somersaults, & flying across the room. He keeps sneezing & blowing holes in walls & it's just not funny. It's annoying to hear him keep interrupting himself with the same dumb sneezing routine. It got old fast. This could've been a 10 with a better story.