Fifty Percent Grey

Heaven -> Purgatory -> Hell.

An interesting concept. Feels rather Matrix and video game inspired. Why is there no Horror Genre attached to this title, as I definitely think it fits the category?

A good little slice of existential despair, but overall it feels like a curiosity rather than a must-see short.

This film was a nominee for the Oscar for Best Animated Short for 2002. The film that won that year was FOR THE BIRDS--a film I enjoyed much more than FIFTY PERCENT GREY. While FIFTY was a nice film to look at graphically, the story didn't catch my attention. Plus, it was awfully depressing and unsatisfying. Now I am NOT saying that films or short films must be funny and sweet like FOR THE BIRDS (heck, I like a dark film as much as the next person), but here it just didn't catch my attention and the film didn't seem particularly noteworthy. Perhaps it was a slow year for the Oscars or perhaps I just don't see it the way others do (and this is very, very possible). It's just that the final punchline didn't seem all that funny or interesting. Sorry.

A soldier awakens, probably from battle, and faces a television screen. It says he is to be congratulated and that he is dead and welcome to hell. What follows is bloody and violent as he tries to off himself. He is a striking figure who is damned for eternity.

Though this film is more clever than impressive, its blending of styles and the texture of the movie in general should have beat out the God awful "For the Birds" for the Oscar. The animation is first rate and the gorestick is classy as hell. The movie would be like a cross between Chuck Jones and Sam Rami if only the soldier looked like Bruce Campbell.

This seems to have split the reviewers here straight down the middle . I just caught it and had to bare in mind that this was done away back in 2001 . Since then 3D animation has come forward in leaps and bounds to the point one might become blasé about the whole concept and the animation here would have seemed genuinely impressive back in the day of its production . I did like the story which is constructed in much the same way as " There was a Scotsman , Englishman and Irishman and they walk in to a pub and .. " with the entire story being built up to a punch line . I also think there's a subtext here that many people spend far too much time in front of a television , games console or laptop screen so I'm guessing it hits home to all us contributors who spend far too much time on the IMDb