One of the best things about getting to do this job is the opportunity to be exposed to so much diverse and unique art I would likely never otherwise have heard about. From indie projects to foreign films to beloved creatives’ return to the scene, it’s one of my greatest joys to have a platform to spotlight incredible work, and it’s always made better when production companies share that same passion. Incidentally, Deaf Crocodile’s remaster of Romania’s first animated feature film, 1984’s DELTA SPACE MISSION, was a visual feast of an opportunity.
The press release is full to bursting with energetic descriptions of the feel of directors Mircea Toia and Calin Cazan’s sci-fi clash between human(oid) and technology, and while all of them are equally unhinged and delightfully chaotic, it is Calin Cazan’s own explanation of their approach that really sold it for me: “Our story started from the idea of a Romanian poem from the late 1800s by Mihai Eminescu, ‘Luceafarul,’ which talks about the impossible love between Luceafar (Evening Star) and an emperor’s daughter. Then we slipped in the story of the relationship between the computer and the alien journalist Alma, linking the action to what we had seen in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.”
In the year 3084, Alma (Mirela Gorea) is an intergalactic journalist given the opportunity to visit Earth to cover a new and innovative launch of the Delta, a ship run entirely by artificial intelligence. When she convinces the crew to let her onboard to see the Delta’s control center, the ship’s “brain” soon develops an intense obsession with her that threatens to destroy all of humanity.
The potentially heavy tone of the story—what’s scarier than a supercomputer able to generate its own robot army becoming obsessed enough to pursue you across the cosmos? —is offset with a vibrant visual palette and delightfully episodic feel, and Alma’s adorable alien animal companion coming through to save her from more than one near-death scrape on a planet rife with natural threats even before she’s found by the Delta only adds to the sci-fi sugar rush Saturday morning cartoon feel of it all. The strongest standout elements for me, though, are the constantly fluid animation style and the color palette.
Watching DELTA SPACE MISSION unfold is a bit of a psychedelic experience. Even moments of stillness have an air about them that hints more at underlying vivacity that constantly builds rather than a sense of calm. Alma is constantly thrown into danger after her first encounter with the Delta, and the visuals and soundscape (driven by a synth score from Calin Ioachimescu) do a fantastic job of putting us right there with her. The film captures the best things about the types of animated stories we’ve loved throughout the years, dancing the line of fun and serious, never letting itself talk down to its audience or lose any of its bubbly energy.
As we inch ever closer to the reality of artificial intelligence and human interaction, such cautionary tales as DELTA SPACE MISSION’s feel just as relevant today as they might have seemed far-fetched then. Let’s just hope we can all keep Alma’s radically optimistic perspective that humanity will win out at the end of the day.
DELTA SPACE MISSION is out on VOD from Deaf Crocodile now, but if boutique blu-rays are more your speed, Vinegar Syndrome has you covered here. Whichever path you choose, you’re guaranteed a futuristic feast for the senses.
Tags: 1984, Animated Films, Calin Cazan, Calin Ioachimescu, Deaf Crocodile Films, Delta Space Mission, Foreign Films, Mircea Toia, Romania, Sci-Fi, Victor Antonescu, Vinegar Syndrome, vod
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