The Worst Film Ever

Best movie ever!

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

RPG Metanoia (2010) is a quite a special one. It is made out of praiseworthy intentions and it tackles present time life issues in an imaginative way. An interesting slice of life film largely about game addictions, this animated feature allows us to see some culture and daily lives of Filipino through the child gamers.Regarding the animation, it is pretty decent as the first (full CG) in Philippines. The creators of this animated feature are realistic in their visual and demographic choices yet still able to maintain the charms of its people. Although the depictions of game addicts could be an exaggeration, it is quite original and amusing to watch.What's more interesting is that there are many other characters, not just these child gamers. Some of their parents including their older friends are involved in some ways and there are also plenty of other symbolic characters from the game servers in the animated feature itself such as the Koreans and virtual pets.Another thing I can't help to notice aside from the message of this animated feature is that the minority, female characters does stand out even though at first RPG Metanoia (2010) seems to be a male-only; most of the characters are male and only wanted to play MMORPG games, especially the latest one! May, the only girl in the group is quite friendly to play with the boys outdoor and even helped Nico to be confident to play outside more, effectively reducing his game addiction. Nico's mother is also lovely and encouraging; I think she says a lot of wise stuffs as well but I have no idea what due to language issues and it is based on my own comprehension, of course.In the end, RPG Metanoia (2010) is satisfying as it has a sweet story with a great concept. Learning what's important and what you could be missing in life is certainly one of the best, if not the best message you can get out of movie. If you wanted to watch something foreign and different than the ordinary, you can consider giving this animated feature a chance as it is not bad!

A montage sequence in RPG: Metanoia reminds one of the days when the erstwhile hi-tech Nintendo Entertainment System (aka the family computer) fell victim to frequent blackouts and kids of those days had nothing else to do but go outside and play patintero and other such games. Kids playing real games is a strange scenario in a movie that's supposed to embrace and capitalize on the popularity of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). But it's a good thing, right? It may actually inspire the revival of Doctor Kwak-Kwak. Or maybe not.It's actually this clever dichotomy done well that partly helps in making Metanoia become more than just the Philippines' first 3D-animated movie, moving sprightly between humorous scenes that involve an unnamed local barrio and a virtual world with pleasing visual styles. (Of course, if you're expecting something on par with Hollywood, screw you.) It also features adorable characters brought to life by vocal performances from Zaijan Jaranilla, Eugene Domingo, Aga Muhlach, and a few former Going' Bulilit tykes. Jaranilla voices Nico, an online-gaming geek who's never good in any real-life activity and chooses to dwell in the titular virtual world with his friends. As he puts it, it's the only thing he knows how to do well, so why not take it seriously? Things change when a malevolent program takes over the minds of virtual users, and render them in a zombie-like trance. It's up to Nico — Zero in Metanoia — and his gang of ragtag tweens to destroy the virus and save the world.Metanoia engages with its inventive display of the local pop culture and surprisingly heart-tugging moments while not losing sight of its narrative. While it drowns in a wee bit too much mauling on believing in oneself (okay, we get it already) and the climax gets a bit preposterous, especially when it tries to explain the origin and mechanism of the virus, director Luis Suarez guides the film with a sure hand. It's an endearingly winning, creative piece of effort in a time when those qualities don't even seem to matter.

The story of "RPG Metanoia" is very current and relevant. It tells about Nico and his friends who are computer-game addicts to an RPG called Metanoia. When an evil force that was destroying the world of Metanoia also threatens the real world, they need to forget their personal differences and band together in order to beat the common foe. I liked the very real Filipino characters. I liked how the relationship of Nico (voiced by Santino himself, Zaijan Jaranilla) and his parents (funny to imagine Aga Muhlach and Eugene Domingo voicing them) was portrayed. The gang of Nico was also very realistically scripted, like how I remember playing with my neighbors back then, with the misunderstandings and getting back together as playmates. I liked how they had a Chinoy (Filipino-Chinese) guy in Nico's gang. I liked how they had a girl character May teach Nico and friends about outdoor activities, as well as play an important role in the RPG also. I liked the characteristically Filipino imagery like Vigan houses used in the virtual world, the Moriones mask as the evil guy's avatar, the Filipino street games like Patintero, Tumbang Preso and Shato, etc. I liked the underlying message of warning to kids about addiction to computer games. (My 7-year old got that lesson!) The Filipino musical score by Ria Osorio and Gerald Salonga is also outstanding.I also liked the international scope of the story, as we see the involvement of several foreign Metanoia characters in the virtual battles. There appear to be plans to distribute this to foreign countries, as the subtitles for the Korean and Japanese dialog were in English, instead of Filipino (even my 7-year old did find it odd though). I think we can be proud to have this film represent our country in festivals abroad.OK, first of all, there is no point comparing this film to a Pixar, or even to a Dreamworks film. After all, this only the first full-length 3D computer-animated film from the Philippines, so we have to cut it slack for its pioneering efforts. The animation quality is certainly more than passable, the best of local animation I have seen. This is an action film that requires a high level of sophistication in order to pass muster, and "RPG Metanoia" does so with flying colors.

People keep complaining about the stagnation of Philippine cinema but they fail to support films that break the tiresome mold. This is your chance to make a difference. RPG Metanoia may be the first Philippine 3D animated film, but do not let the format nor presentation deter you from watching this movie.It has so much depth that I have not seen in a Filipino movie, or in any animated film, for a very long time. It is an adept social commentary on the emerging role of technology in changing and shaping the modern Filipino middle-class family, and it manages to depict the nuances of the often misrepresented subculture of computer gaming with such newfound clarity and wit.At its very heart, Metanoia is still a fantasy adventure movie, yet it explores its overarching themes with almost child-like wonder and a wistful touch of nostalgia of summer days spent playing outside on the street under the searing heat of the summer sun with neighborhood friends.The movie has a lot to offer even to those who are indifferent to the finer points of subject and plot. The 3D rendering may not be the best- in-class but it can go head to head with most offerings from Disney, Pixar or DreamWorks. Any perceived lack in rendering is more than adequately compensated by the sheer genius of the action sequences. The battle scenes are breathtaking, and I often found myself forgetting that I was watching a Filipino film because of the very high level of quality and detail that was worked into the choreography of the fights.If you're a parent who wonders why your kid spends all of his time in front of the computer, watch this movie. If you grew up playing piko, luksong tinik, tumbang preso, langit lupa, and other Filipino street games, then you definitely have to watch this movie. If you're tired of seeing cliché antics, tired comedy routines, or overdrawn dramas that persistently ruin any form of evolution in Philippine cinema, then this movie was made for you.I, who have never been a big fan of Filipino films, went into the theater expecting to be disappointed, but I exited the theater a proud Filipino. This movie is a work of achievement that not only rivals, but far surpasses most of the multi-million dollar budgeted Hollywood animated movies.If I have to sum up the movie in two words, it is this – Awesome. Epic.