Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Gene-Fusion the Movie

In the future, geneticists will be meatheads. That is where the bloodsport will be for the so-called “fusers” and their genetically grafted “fusable” creatures in François Brisson’s Gene-Fusion (trailer here), the animated adaptation of Jeff Amano’s comic book franchise, now available on DVD and VOD.

Eddie Leechur is the Vince McMahon of fusing. He and his burly bromantic frienemy Gorath kick-started Gene-Fusion with secret technology liberated from a Stargate-style alien’s pre-Colombian temple. Fifteen years later, that same evil Yax sends his winged deaths-head minions to kidnap four socially diverse orphans. Springing into action with his trusted fusable Bam, a handsome fusion of a gorilla torso, lion forearms, and a zebra’s hind legs and quarters, Gorath saves the kids.  Immediately thereafter, Leechur fast tracks them into Gene-Fusion's fuser training program in order to keep an eye on these Breakfast Club kids of the future. Evidently, their fate is tied up in his dodgy business down Mexico way.

There is simply no getting around the uninspiring quality of G-F’s animation. Frankly, it brings to mind the old school CGI video games but without nostalgic intentions. Still, Bam is pretty cool looking and Gorath’s hard-nose personality wears well. The kids however, are somehow both bland and annoying.

There is a sort of Transformers appeal in watching the Frankenstein monster fusables smacking each other black-and-blue. Yax’s flying Skeletors are another nice creation, but the storyline holds few surprises, while the meta-conspiracy does not exactly come together seamlessly.

Basically, G-F would make okay Saturday afternoon hangover viewing for those who can get behind Gorath’s bald badness. Animation connoisseurs though, will be aesthetically underwhelmed. Little more than a distraction for hardcore fanboys, G-F releases on DVD today.