Rock & Rule
1983
D: Clive A. Smith
**********
Pros: Excellent animation, Cyberpunk atmosphere,
Charismatic villain, Music, Some good humor
Cons: Imperfect story, Weak protagonists
I really gotta hand it to my Skype
friends. Not only are they giving me
reason to get out of bed on single nights off, they’re introducing me to some
interesting movies I’ve never heard of to watch and review (and yet they’ve
never watched Transformers: The Movie
before I showed it to them…). One of
these movies was Rock & Rule. The premise of this movie seemed a bit
questionable to me at first. Usually having a plot revolving around saving the
day with the power of Rock & Roll is not a good thing (e.g. Sonic Underground), but it works
surprisingly well here. Having an
ancient power that can be unleashed by a certain voice singing a certain chord
is fair game, and coincidentally the character seeking this power is an aging
rocker seeking a shot at power and immortality. This movie is sneaky in the ways it makes me not hate it.
A few notable musicians lent some memorable music to
this film. The soundtrack includes
pieces from Cheap Trick (although I’ve heard better from them), Blondie, Lou
Reed, Iggy Pop, Melleny Brown and Earth Wind & Fire. My favorite part of the soundtrack, however,
is the techno score by Patricia Cullen, which really enhances the cyberpunk atmosphere.
As Nelvana’s
first feature film, and the first fully Canadian-produced animated movie, Rock & Rule had a particularly
painful production. Victimized by fickle
producers and a disinterested distributor, this movie had an underwhelming
theatrical release and was a massive commercial flop. The fact that it was an animated film not
marketed toward children certainly didn’t help, either. This is a shame because it is quite a sight
for any animation fan. The animation is
detailed and fluid, even with shading.
The attention to detail given to the characters’ body language says so
much about their personalities in this movie. In addition to the top-notch traditional
animation, there are numerous inventive practical effects, such as the use of
backlit cow brains for the distinctive
texture of the interdimensional being unleashed by the villain. The dark cyberpunk atmosphere is bolstered by
excellent scenery and the use of early 80’s CGI. I might say something about how it came out a
year after Blade Runner, but apparently Rock
& Rule had been in production since the late 70’s. Though some may find that dated, I just love
that stuff, but then again I also like wood grain trim on cars and
electronics. It’s an aesthetic we should
bring back.
The movie takes
place in a post-apocalyptic future where a nuclear war has rendered humanity
extinct, leaving animals alive to evolve into sapient races. This would be more plausible if their culture
actually seemed like a distinctive one which did evolve from the ashes, rather
than a more futuristic version of ours.
In this future, a legendary, but aging, rocker called Mok (Don Francks)
searches for a certain singer whose voice could unlock an interdimensional
demon, conceivably granting him more power. He frequently consults his supercomputer,
whose avatar resembles a Darth Vader face with a female voice (Did you ever
wish Darth Vader was a woman? Mok
does!). I love Mok. A combination of Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop and
David Bowie, he has a lot of style and charisma that is fitting for a
flamboyant 70’s style rocker.
 |
| Particularly when rays of light shine out from his crotch. |
The
protagonists, who live in Mok’s hometown of Ohmtown, are less compelling. The movie’s hero, Omar (Greg Salata/Paul Le
Mat in the US Version/Robin Zander as singing voice), comes off like a
passive-aggressive douchebag most of the time.
In his first scene, he flippantly promises his partner Angel (Susan
Roman/Deborah Harry as singing voice) he’ll allow her to sing her own song for
a talent show, only to storm off when she does so. The movie tries to pass him off as a lovably
smarmy antihero like Han Solo. The
difference is when Han Solo acts smug at gunpoint toward Greedo, it works
because we know he’s a badass who has the situation under control. When Omar trolls Mok’s hulking, pit-bull-like
henchmen, he comes off like an idiot who’s trying to get himself killed, even
if the dialogue is extremely funny in this scene. It’s more effective when he outsmarts the
dimwitted Officer Quadhole (Donny Burns), and his trick is pretty clever. He then hijacks the officer’s squad car and
takes it to Nuke York, even you’d think it would be easy for the authorities to
intercept a stolen police car. He does
it to the guy again, and they hilariously show the same footage of the car
driving off. A particularly unlikable moment for Omar is his treatment of Mok when he first meets him. None of the characters know Mok is the villain, and from their point of view he's just being a really good host and trying to give them their big break. Instead, Omar insults Mok openly to his face and insults his music (even though it's clearly superior to Omar's). Mok's reaction of suppressed rage is amusing. I may be in the minority,
but I do find Paul Le Mat’s voice more amusing than Greg Salata’s, even if it
was put in there as a result of executive meddling. As for the rest of the group, Angel is likable
enough, but she mostly plays the role of damsel. Stretch (Greg Duffel) is a generic comic
relief character. The most likable of
the bunch is Dizzy (Dan Hennessey), who is the only one who seems competent and
aware of the gravity of the situation.
The plot isn’t
that compelling, but it is well-paced and entertaining enough. Most of the good guys’ actions can be more
appropriately described as serial buffoonery rather than heroism. All the while, Mok is oblivious to the
painfully obvious twist that when his computer said that his evil can only be
thwarted by “one heart, one voice, one soul” and that “no one” can bring it
back, it really means that two lovers singing as one can send Mok’s demon back
from whence it came. Up until the very
last scene, the heroes’ attempts to rescue Angel result in Mok’s brainwashing
them and sending them on their way. At
one point they get caught by a border guard (Maurice LaMarche channeling John
Wayne) and are hauled in, only to appear later in a tattoo parlor expositing
how its owner bailed them out offscreen.
I imagine this was one of the many deleted scenes the fell victim to the
movie’s hellish production. It’s a good
thing that happened fast before Omar mouthed off to some huge prison inmate
with predictable results.
More
interesting than the protagonists are Mok’s ugly henchmen, the inexplicably
roller-skate-clad Schlepper Bros. Sleazy
(Brent Titcomb) is a standard dimwitted henchman, while Toad (Chris Wiggins) is
at least of average intelligence and Zip (Greg Duffel) is almost childlike in
his naivete. They remind me of me and my
bothers a little. I’m like Zip (the baby
of the group), my oldest brother is like Toad (the responsible one who dotes on
the younger siblings), and my middle bother is Sleazy (who’s just off doing his
own thing). Zip’s innocence is apparent
when he questions Mok about the meaning of good and evil, and Mok deflects it
with a speech extolling moral relativism (all while being high as a kite). It’s a refreshing scene to watch in this day
and age, where everyone is making up his own tenuous moral code. In the most genuinely surprising and poignant
twist in the movie, Zip realizes what side he’s on and sacrifices himself to
save the heroes. This causes a
distraught Toad to turn on Mok, killing him while Omar and Angel are free to sing the Demon back from whence it came.
I find the
character designs of this movie a bit odd.
Early on, when the tentative title for the movie was Drats!, the designs looked more
conventional.
Part of the movie's lack of success is its status as an adult cartoon. One particular scene sums up this movie's inappropriateness for children. The characters attend a club party filled with scantily clad women with nipples poking through their tops, transvestites and junkies. Still, compared to the exhaustingly pervasive raunch of 70's adult cartoons, it's pretty tame. Not bad enough to ruin the movie for me.
Despite its
flaws, I really enjoyed Rock & Rule and
it’s well-appointed DVD. It’s an offbeat
gem, and its animation alone makes it worth watching for any cinephile. After all, it did introduce my philistine ass
to Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. And you got to
hand one thing to this movie when it comes to prescience. We may not have had nuclear war, there are
not any rat-mutants anywhere and David Bowie has yet to unleash the Forces of
Hell, but the movie did predict the prominence of flat, terribly-animated
cartoon shows, many of which Nelvana itself is responsible for.
DVD REVIEW
Rock & Rule:
Special Edition
2009
Above Average
Pros: Special Features, Alternate Version of Movie, Cover
Art, Bonus Cartoon
Cons: Poor Quality on the Alternate Version
Despite this
movie’s relative obscurity, it has an impressive DVD release, reflecting the
dedicated nature of its cult following. It’s better than that of most mainstream
movies I’ve seen. The DVD boasts an
impressive array of special features.
Disc 1 contains the movie in Anamorphic Widescreen and 5.1 Surround
Sound. It’s great to see this
wonderfully animated movie in high quality on a flatscreen. It
also has documentary on the movie’s production, a sketch gallery and a
commentary by director Clive Smith.
The Second
Disc contains more sketches, workprints, and the Canadian version of the movie. Unfortunately, I think this version of based
on a recorded TV airing, and the quality is absolutely dreadful. Still, it’s nice to have it. Another cool feature is the inclusion of the
Nelvana cartoon “The Devil and Daniel Mouse,” which was an indirect inspiration
for the film. The script is available on
DVD-ROM.
Another nice part of this DVD Release is its
packaging. I normally don’t like
cardboard DVD cases, but I liked this one enough not to cut it up and fashion a
new one out of a blank plastic box.
Refreshingly, the slipcover uses the original movie poster as a opposed
to some photoshopped eyesore. Inside,
the case features great artwork from Mok’s in-universe concert posters. Also included is a very nice booklet that
provides some great behind-the-scenes info.
Overall, this DVD is highly recommended and is a must-have for fans of
this movie.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
OPENING NARRATION: The War was over… The only survivors were street animals: dogs,
cats and rats. From them, a new race of
mutants evolved. That was a long time
ago… MOK, a legendary superocker has
retired to OHMTOWN. There his computers
work at deciphering an ancient code which would unlock a doorway this world and
another dimension. Obsessed with his
dark experiment, MOK himself searches for the last crucial component… a very
special voice.
[Omar is singing
scat while practicing guitar]
ANGEL: You really have a way with words, Omar.
OMAR: Hey, I’m rehearsing.
ANGEL: So we play one song. One of your song’s, of course.
OMAR: Of course!
ANGEL: So if we did two songs, one could be mine.
OMAR: …Yeah, ok…
ANGEL: Omar…
OMAR: Angel?
ANGEL: I’m gonna trust you.
[Omar strums the
theme to “Dragnet” and Angel sticks her tongue out at him]
STRETCH: Mok?!
Don’t let him get us! He’ll put a
heck on me!
DIZZY: Hex, Stretch, hex.
STRETCH:
Ooooh! Ooh, two of them! That’s even worse!
ZIP: Yeah?
ANGEL: W-we’re
here to see M-
OMAR: [sarcastically]
MOoooK! Great to see ya!
ZIP: Heh-heh, but, uh…
OMAR: Nice place you got here. Kinda cozy.
ZIP: Uh, uh,
thanks, uh…
OMAR: Hey, Mok, baby,let’s talk some vinyl. What’s the deal?
ZIP: Uh, listen.
You got it all wrong. I’m not… [bumps into Sleazy]
OMAR: [to Sleazy]
Oh, hi! You must be Mok’s brother!
SLEAZY: No, but uh…
OMAR: No? But you
look so much alike!
ZIP: Uh, well, uh...we are brothers, but uh…
OMAR: Like I said, let’s bottom-line it, Mok!
ZIP: I’M NOT MOK!!!
OMAR: You’re not?
ZIP: No.
OMAR: Sorry. [turns
to Sleazy] MOOooook!
OMAR: That’s it.
Party’s over. Let’s blow.
ANGEL: Slow down, Omar.
Let’s give it a chance. We might…
OMAR: Come on, it’s a waste of time to creep around this
depravo’s mansion escorted by two of mother nature’s finest freaks.
TOAD: Three…
OMAR: Huh?
TOAD: Three!
OMAR: This one talks in numbers.
ZIP: [looking for
Dizzy] I spy with my little eye something that begins with…fat.
DIZZY: So you wanna play rough, eh? That’s what I was afraid of. These hands are lethal weapons. I could paralyze you.
ZIP: Oh, no you don’t.
[Repeating what Dizzy said] Remember,” violence is not the answer to
anything.” Hey, Toad, this one’s got
lethal weapons.
TOAD: [sarcastically] Whooah, keep him away from me.
QUADHOLE: Ok, you punks…
OMAR/STRETCH/DIZZY: [sarcastically]
Freeze.
QUADHOLLE: What are you doing in a public fountain?
OMAR: We give up, Quad, what are we doing in a public fountain?
QUADHOLE: Ok, wiseguys.
Into the car. Now.
DIZZY: Why?
QUADHOLE: That’s a 419.
B&F. Bathing felony. You’re lucky I’m not running you in for a
431: Improper swimwear.
OMAR: C’mon, Dizzy, I’ll get the evidence.
QUADHOLE: Oh, no you don’t. I’ll
get the evidence.
OMAR: Naw, I’ll
get the evidence. No, you get the evidence.
QUADHOLE: No, I’ll
get it.
OMAR: Naw…
QUADHOLE: I’LL
get it. You. Into the car. [walking toward the fountain]
Trying to con a law officer, eh.
Well, let me tell you one thing, buddy.
That’s a 637, and this time I’ve got you red-handed. Someday you’re gonna thank me.
OMAR: You’re absolutely right. [drives
off in the squad car] THANK YOU!
QUADHOLE: [angrily]
You’re welcome.
MOK: [having just
been pestered by some bureacrats] Wars have been started for less! Gentlemen, when I want your opinions, I’ll
give them to you!
ZIP: Hey, boss, um…can-can-can you tell the difference
between good and evil?
MOK: Zip, try to realize there is no longer black or
white, good or evil. We’ve evolved
beyond that.
ZIP: Um…but Uncle Mikey says we should…
MOK: We all must have our own personal view of right and
wrong.
ZIP: But-but-but is what we are doing evil?
MOK: Of course
not. Remember, Zip, “evil” spelled
backwards is “live,” and we all want to do that.
ZIP: Well, yeah-yeah, but-but-but Uncle Mikey says that,
uh…
UNCLE MIKEY: [on TV] So until next week, boys and girls,
goodbah and be good.
ZIP: Goodbye, Uncle Mikey.
MOK: Zip, Zip, Zip…no Santa Clause, no Tooth Fairy, and no Uncle Mikey.
MOK: She can sing or she can scream…but she still pissed
me off.
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