When you first start watching an animated experience Entergalacticby musician and actor Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudimaybe part of your mind feels like you’re having some sort of cinematic déjà vu. The comic book style of animation almost resembles the vibrant world of New York brought to life in the 2018 sensational film. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Then, as you start to look closer, you discover that there is a distinctly grounded yet creative component to the story. Whether you consider it a TV release or a feature-length movie, the categorization matters less than how it all translates into striking animation that finds beauty in every day of adulthood.
Divided into chapters and also serving as accompaniment to Cudi’s latest self-titled album, which is also exceptional in its own right, Entergalactic focuses on two neighbors who begin to bond after a chance meeting. Jabari (Cadi) is an aspiring comic book artist who has just moved into the building and Meadow (Jessica Williams) is a talented photographer who is about to have a big show. That’s all you need to know about the story, as anything that’s pretty refreshing is not plot related. Like the scenes where Jabari rides around the city on a bike, the narrative wanders back and forth without really worrying about how it ends. There are conflicts that ultimately arise around what the two characters want out of their lives, but they all still remain masterfully measured. At times, it even feels like a series of music video vignettes that are then stitched together with an embedded backstory.
All of these moments create visual and emotional changes in tone that go well with the more patient development of the narrative. Particularly memorable sequences in which the city fades into the background as Jabari begins his bike ride into space offer a taste of a more memorable experience that he can return to from time to time. He is a cloud-headed man who also smokes. He doesn’t use it to create superficially trippy experiences that play out like jokes. Instead, he seems to be wading through layers of his imagination that transform the mundane of ordinary streets into places of limitless artistic potential. It all has a dark side that also rears its head from time to time. At one point, the artist’s worries manifest as a huge version of his creation that haunts him around the city and threatens to devour him. It’s a darkly comedic episode that doubles as a showcase of the fear lurking beneath the appearance of Jabari’s “man of few words” that he puts forth.
Throughout this, the story is also quite funny and loves to poke fun at the general aspects of life. Everything from being introduced to the dating app Stush, which ends up being a great jump in conclusion, to the awkwardness of the characters in expressing their feelings, turns out to be genuine, but never ostentatious. While a lot of stories try to say something deep or poignant about modern life by laying it all out, there’s something precious in just seeing a portrait of two people from a lifetime traveling through the poetry and traps of the world around them. In the end, it seems like a lighter melancholic encounter with a sweetheart, with both Jabari and Meadow often going their separate ways. It brings sweetness to every scene they share. From an initial argument over loud music playing late at night to discreet flirting and a more fulfilling relationship, there’s a simple truth to it all. The central montage effectively communicates growth and change without saying a word. The amazing animation speaks for itself as we see each of them completely embraced by the love for each other.
To be honest, there’s something surprising about how much of this all ends up leaving a mark. What could easily have been just a way to promote the album becomes a piece of art in its own right. There are a few more things that can be argued about in the final work. While the two main characters are great and have strong but understated chemistry, some of the rest of the star actors aren’t as good as voice actors as actors. Of course, this is a growing trend in animation, and Entergalactic by no means the most notorious offender of this, so it’s hard to pit him against general animation work too strongly. When it comes to said animation, there are some scenes where the characters seem a bit stiff and not as fluid as one might hope. They are short, ensuring they don’t compromise what remains a reflective work that can inspire awe in both her more explosive cases and her quiet emotional cases. It’s all about getting a sneak peek of two different but connected people making their way in a world where connection can be hard to come by.
The one monologue that Meadow delivers near the end on how to capture the moment captures all of this perfectly. While she talks about her own photo as a character, it works just as well as a thesis about what the story is aiming for. She then undercuts it with a joke that it was something she said because she was really hungry, a way to cover up her sincerity, but it serves as a steady description of a fleeting experience of life, quite profound. Life, whether we realize it or not, is a series of moments that can pass too quickly for us to fully understand, which makes it precious and yet so painful. As we then go through all the moments that Meadow and Jabari shared together, taking us back to where they first left, it’s impossible not to think of all of our own memories that might come flooding back. After all, in the vast cosmos of existence that we don’t fully understand, we all just want someone to eat a vegan burger.
Rating: BUT-
Entergalactic now on Netflix.
Source: Collider
