Move over Ayn Rand, someone else is kidnapping the world’s smartest people—and they are much more nefarious. Marion Cotillard lends her voice to the French animated steampunk adventure April and the Extraordinary World, an entertaining thriller full of excitement, intrigue and suspense that ultimately gets a bit too weird for its own good.
Cotillard stars as the title character, who barely escapes capture by a mysterious force as a young girl and grows up alone, continuing her scientist parents’ research into a powerful serum in secret. Now a young adult, she is thrust into a devious plot where she must escape government agents and other, more dangerous villains.
Beautifully animated and rich with creative detail, directors Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci bring the extraordinary world of April and the Extraordinary World to life in a mesmerizing way. Throw in a set of interesting characters—including a talking cat—and a winding, unpredictable plot and you have one pretty entertaining movie.
The movie unfortunately falters in the third act as the filmmakers take the story in an especially strange direction, one that seems out of left field even for a movie that is weird to begin with. While there is plenty of action and excitement throughout, the climax failed to hold my attention in the same way the rest of the movie did.
Nonetheless, if you’re looking for something a little different and unpredictable, April and the Extraordinary World is a satisfyingly fun adventure.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.