ADVENTURES OF ZAMBEZIA - REVIEW
Its not often that a South African film manages to live up to International standards, but Adventures of Zambezia is definitely one of those films that is crafted just as good as any other animated film the world.
Set in a bustling bird city on the edge of the majestic
Victoria Falls, "Zambezia" is the story of Kai - a naïve, but
high-spirited young falcon who travels to the bird city of "Zambezia"
where he discovers the truth about his origins and, in defending the city,
learns how to be part of a community.
Zambezia doesn’t boast thee most impressive animation by any
stretch of the imagination but it certainly gives us a story that is quite
enjoyable, yet it’s not that memorable.
The film is real easy to follow, with no real twist and
turns, with stereotypical characters, of which none stand out. Nevertheless it’s
still quite the enjoyable ride.
The landscape shots, the introduction of the “Hurricanes” (a
type of police bird police unit) and the Hurricane training sequence were definitely
my three favorite shots in the film that really shine through. Although the
film needed more of these types of shots that were high in velocity, excitement
and sense of ferocity that most of the film lacked.
While the film will definitely service kids, teenagers and
parents might find the film a little generic and lacking depth, humor and
interesting characters. In fact for most kids watching the film, there really
isn’t a real memorable character that stands out.
Which is a shame as the film, really neglects the adult humour often thrown into these family filled affairs. The humor in the film is for children, and most of the time some the jokes seem to fall flat on its face.
Although Adventures of Zambezia brings together quite a remarkable
amount of international voice talents such as Abigail Breslin, Leonard Nimoy,
Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Jenifer Lewis, Richard E Grant and Noureen
DeWulf, it fails in bringing in a recognizable South African talent, which is a
shame for a film that has been getting quite a bit of attention from
international parties.
Adventures of Zambezia might not be the perfect movie, and
it might not be thee most brilliant South African film to date, but it
certainly is the step in the right direction and we can only assume that
TriggerFish Animation Studios (The studio behind Zambezia) is only getting
warmed up and that the best is yet to come.
If you going to the cinema, then make sure you check out
Adventures of Zambezia, its still a fun film.
Our Rating
6.5/10
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