FRANKLYN

The unfolding of conscious and fantasy perspectives until they merge into reality.

Once in a blue moon, a film comes along that defies genre identification ...and so goes FRANKLYN, a movie that transcends anything you think you've ever seen. A hybrid in terms of style, Franklyn might best be described as Frank Miller (the artist) meets The Dark Knight (Batman) in Brazil (the movie). I say this because none of these items alone help explain the convoluted-ness that is this story, and none should. It goes beyond them. Way beyond them.Visually appealing on almost every level, Franklyn has two divergent stories that seem to have nothing to do with each other. In one we're privy to a kind of superhero trying to avenge the death of a young girl whom we know nothing about. He chases after "The Individual" in a city known as Meanwhile. Looking, as stated earlier, somewhere along the lines of a Frank Miller graphic mixed with a kind of Dark Knight quality, the story intrigues and makes us cheer on the main character, Jonathan Preest (Ryan Philleppe, Flags of Our Fathers). I mean, trying to avenge the death of an innocent girl is noble, right? Equally intriguing within the city of Meanwhile are the many religions that flourish, including the Seventh Day Manicurists. Everyone is required to have a religious affiliation ...except our "hero" who is subsequently tracked by highly skilled fighting monks.In the second story, a woman named Emilia (Eva Green, The Golden Compass) tries to come to terms with her life and her art. She consistently tries to kill herself for the sake of it only to learn that her art just isn't inspiring enough. Also, a man in search of his missing son comes to the psychiatrist who'd been treating him only to learn that his son escaped and is out in the world with a rifle slung over his shoulder.As the two storylines begin to mesh, reality skews, men and women we thought we knew either don't exist, exist as something else, or are strictly symbols (including a janitor who plays a vital role). The fascination the viewer will feel at the realizations of what is coming will shock, delight and sink their heart. Yes, it's THAT good.The visuals are what will initially draw you in. You'll be asking yourself "Why?" many times: Why is the city so muted? Why is he wearing a mask? Why are these religious fanatics chasing him? If you pay close attention, everything is answered in one final scene which, in itself, reveals amazing storytelling.I can't stress enough how closely everything is linked in the film and how paying attention reaps great benefits in the end. Even the names of the characters (Preest, The Individual, Wormsnakes, Pastor Bone) all have relevance.Made on a paltry $12 million budget, the movie feels much more expensive and expansive. Sadly, it did not get a wide release and suffered because of it. Not many people have ever heard of it. I know I never had until a friend I work with mentioned it. But I'm glad he pointed me in the right direction. This one's a hidden gem. And it's so original that you'll wonder which genre you're watching. I'm still wondering!

In the midst of the unending vampire crap and SyFy Channel dreck, there occasionally occurs a movie that is better than the rest of the massive CGI explosion filled "blockbuster" films such as "The Book of Eli". This is one of them.However, to say it is far better is not to say it is perfect.Part of the problems with the movie are the limited budget and the writing choices made. Please note that by "limited budget" I do not mean "low budget".Look at any SyFy Channel "movie" products. Without exception the movies are swill; poor acting, laughable CGI, and storylines that are nothing more than awful "monster of the week" fluff not worthy to even be considered B-movie material.Franklyn, on the other hand, clearly shows as a labor of love and attention to detail. The alternate world is quite fully created and I really wanted to see a lot more of it. I wonder what this movie would have been like of it had been produced with a budget sufficient to allow more of this world to be shown.The movie looses a good deal when the focus shifts to the "real world". It simply isn't as interesting...why it is there is the reason for the story. But because I wanted more of Priest's world, I am forced to give it 4 of 5 stars. It is a real shame that the possibility of some type of sequel does not exist.Well worth the money for the DVD and well worth your time to watch. Highly recommended.

I've watched this film many times. I love the cast and their convoluted and desperate attractions, knitted tightly together within the parallel worlds they share. The visuals are gorgeous and the production values are top tier. I love this film.

I do not understand why this movie has so many positive reviews. I recently purchased this movie, based on other reviews that I read, all of which painted the movie as a really good movie. They were all WRONG. The movie's cover looks interesting enough and the synopsis does sound appealing. When you actually watch the movie, you are either confused and bored. There is a lot of talk that goes on during the film. Without spoiling anything, and as mentioned before, there are several storylines that are ongoing and seemingly have nothing to do with each other. One involves Ryan Phillippe as the main character, searching for a killer of a girl he couldn't protect. One involving Eva Green, as a suicidal-needy artsy-fartsy voyeur. The third, and most useless, involves a boring character played by Sam Riley. Only at the end of the movie, do you find out what the point of all 3 storylines are and honestly, the conclusion of the film just made the entire film seem pointless and irrelevant. There is nothing insightful about this movie, nor are the visuals that mind-blowing. You don't really care about any of the characters nor what they are doing. The end of the film left me thinking, "THAT'S IT?" That was the point of this drek? Anyone who reads this review, please listen to my advice and ignore all the other reviews that say this was a good movie. It was boring and pointless.And lastly, what is the relevance of the title? It is not the name of a person in the movie. I believe I saw it once as a name on an apartment building, but what the heck does that have to do with anything? I have no clue.