Wings of Honneamise

Movie

CARL's TAKE: <<<Three stars>>>

Summary - In an alternate reality world a misfit space program is the laughing-stock of the military until one of its least important cadets has a chance meeting with a beautiful single mother. Her fringe religion and starry-eyed musings about space inspire him to volunteer to brave the mortal danger of the duct-tape-and-jet-fuel space program to be the first man in space. His enthusiasm drives the project to actually having a shot at pulling it off, thrusting him into the limelight. But does anyone really take him seriously? And will the country's enemies allow the launch to proceed?

Impression - a light-hearted, refreshing look at a world very different but very much similar to our own.

Review - Right from the beginning, Wings of Honneamise has you chuckling at the apathetic hero and his seemingly suicidal mission. But past the sideways glance at society, this movie really has heart. Incredible attention was paid to every minor detail to produce a world where nothing from wine glasses to razor blades were exactly the same as they are in our world. You get pulled into the fantasy world so deeply that it all makes a clever kind of sense and you see the story play out unburdened by previous conceptions or opinions. You're so entertained that it isn't until afterward that you start to get the subtleties of this very original work.

VERDICT: I was lucky to catch this one in theatre. But I'm sure VHS and DVD are just as crisp and colorful.

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