Dante's Inferno (2007)

Fresh and Exciting

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

It's been around 10 years since my last run in with anything related to Dante Allegeri. Junior year of high school we had a project where we had to make our own circle of hell. Ya know, cut outs, drawings etc. My circle of hell was dedicated to Pedophiles and Rapists, and it turned out pretty good. Though I was frowned upon by the nudity. So getting back on track, I enjoyed Dante's Inferno back then, and when I had the opportunity to watch this version of Dante's Inferno I became pretty excited. And when it was all said and done, I was pretty impressed with this unique little flick.Present day Dante Allegeri is brought by Virgil (Roman someone) to the 9 circles of hell. From circles that have places chosen out for Money-Launderers, the angry, and even plain old fashion murderers. They go from the beginning right to the end, being circle 9. A linear story, but still a fun one with plenty of creativity.Sometimes the film does feel like it's sole purpose is to be creative in the sense that they're just trying to throw certain celebrities in the circle of hell where they belong. Like you'd find Marilyn Monroe in the circle where you'll find suicides, and you'll find Cleopatra with all the whores. Eh, see what I'm saying? Actually trying to think of people that they mentioned is kinda tough. They used a ton of well-known people from history and it just kind of mashes together by the end. But that's not a complaint perse, since the movie showed intelligence and again, creativity.With a witty, and intelligent approach to telling this story, and to the detailed art style it had, the film is definitely recommendable to the right viewer. Anyone who can appreciate films that clearly are labors of love, like let's say City of Rott or Blood, Tea and Red String, or hell, any film by Jan Svankmajer should find this film to be a welcome addition to their well-rounded viewings.

I just finished watching this on DVD and have to say it was an interesting experience. I have been a watcher of animation and a reader of classic books, but to see the two combined in such an unusual manner was well... refreshing. I love the fact that the movie was an updated telling of Inferno. I think that the retelling of the original would be lost to most moviegoers, heck unless you happen to be a historian specializing in the day and age of Dante, you would probably be scratching your head at obscure Italian politicos of the 13th century. That's why footnotes are lovely in books. The film seemed to carry the same spirit of the book, in that it was a rousing social and political poem. But it does carry a strong leftist theme that most conservatives would rather not endure. The look of the film is, to me, very fresh and amazing. The amount of work and care in the puppetry is spectacular. If you are open to a new experience of an old tale give it a try.

I had been flipping through the channels and I saw a preview for this movie and I thought it looked very interesting so I watched it and fell in love with it. I went out and bought the modern version of the book. I loved the art work in the book and being an artist myself I decided to draw a few pieces based on the art in the book. I latter went back to watch the movie again and found that almost all of the sets (backgrounds) were almost identical to the artwork in the book and the banter between Dante and Virgil was about the same also (although the movie is MUCH more humorous) I think it's a great modern spin on the old classic.

I saw this film at the Huntington Beach Film Festival in April 2007, and I loved it! Sandow Birk has an amazing ability to modernize classics, and his adaptation of the Divine Comedy is a prime example. I was delighted to see that he still isn't afraid to use popular culture in his work (as evidenced by the many food chains displayed blatantly in the background sets). Anyone could have made a half-decent film adaptation of the Inferno, but Birk and his crew went above and beyond to display innovation and creativity. I've never seen a puppet show on film, but this film manages to employ humor with a modern twist, without sacrificing the details of Dante's work. Really well done. Granted, this film will not please all audiences and I would be surprised to see it anywhere other than indie-theaters or film fests, but if you have an opportunity to see this, take it!