Spirits of the Air: Gremlins of the Clouds

Okay, let's be clear about this. There are only 355 people that rated this movie and I guess that at least eighty percent of those rates are from people that know somebody that was involved in this movie, friends or family, and that's why it has a ridiculous high rating. Before me there are three other reviewers, one called davidknaus1 and one called drella-3 and both reviewed exactly one movie with a perfect score, guess which one? The third reviewer colsim reviewed four movies so I guess we'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Personally I don't have much to write about Spirits Of The Air, Gremlins Of The Clouds besides it has a ridiculous title, the story is slow and done without any budget, and the acting is terrible especially from Melissa Davis. In other words, a complete waste of time.

It's like concept art of a post-apocalyptic wasteland graphic novel come to life. One of the most unique films I've seen, visually stunning with some incredible performances which I found captivating. I wouldn't call it a crowd pleaser but it is engaging, beautiful and unique with amazing artistic direction - including costuming. I'm not great at writing reviews but I felt this film deserves a lot more attention not only in the Australian film world but the arthouse and dystopian circles as well.

I gave it a 7/10 because it is obviously low budget and the plot is somewhat thin but if I was rating for enjoyment alone it would be 10/10.

Director of Photography : David Knaus - ACS,

Editor : Craig Wood,

Art Director : Sean Callanin,

Sound design : Peter Miller,

Producer : Andrew McPhail. Shot on location around Broken Hill, Australia, this film was the first feature length film by director Alex Proyas after he completed film school. Filmed at more or less the same time as the music video 'Kiss the Dirt" by INXS with the same film crew and equipment. 'Spriits of the air gremlins of the clouds' is better known as simply "Spirits". Spirits was produced on a super low budget, but none the less the crew did get the minimum wage, and it was much fun to shoot. It was shot on 16mm,and all of the special effects were shot in-camera, including a night scene where a flock of Bats fly past the full moon. Actually tea leaves floating in a fish tank, shooting into a light as the full moon.

Worth watching.

Not everyone is likely to appreciate this quirky piece of art to the extent that I do, but in my opinion it is one of the most unique and beautiful celluloid creations to come out of the Southern Hemisphere since the 80's. It's the closest I've come to feeling like I'm watching a live play and yet the surreal panoramic desert scenes open the stage up in a way that could never be achieved in a theater. The characters are absolutely charming in their eccentricity, and despite the fact that they are, (on purpose I expect) slightly caricatured, it seems to fit in totally with the alternately gaudy and melancholy feel of the environment. The score is a haunting blend of inspired minimalist electro pads and creaky violin, that conjures up perfectly the sun-bleached skulls, the tumbling weeds and the pathos of the two characters caught in their own cycle of madness and humanity. Some of the dialogue also happens to be vastly funny in it's own nutty way. A circus of the grotesque, simple and amazing. The simple plot which speaks of broken dreams and desperate hope is childlike and touching. I don't claim to be an experienced film reviewer, just an enthusiast who loves this one.

I like all Alex's films, with the possible exception of The Crow, but I think this early piece is the one that touches my heart the most. Yay for the guts to be original... Please when can I get it on DVD?

It would be really hard for me to recommend this movie, as the story is thin, the three characters unlovable, and if you are not into 1980s New Age electronic music, then you definitively WILL throw something at the screen before an hour is up. There is hope though. If you love art, and particularly Australian desert landscapes, and in particular the almost uncanny use of colour, texture and design from that landscape, then Spirits of the Air may best be described as 90 minutes of a really excellently vivid (and original) slow moving art show (with a very tiny apocalypse theme), yet with a 1989 play trying to narrate. Almost any frame from this movie would make a good poster, even now, let alone back in the loud old days of 1989. It's worth a 7 for being brave and technically brilliant, but I'd really think twice about making it a gift for a new friend.