"highly entertaining and a great choice for a family afternoon filled with laughter and a little murder mystery"

Returning to animation after the success of The Incredibles and Ratatouille, Brad Bird brings a new project to the screen under the newly minted Skydance Animation.

Set in a futuristic city where humans and aliens coexist, the story follows Ray Gunn, an ex-cop turned private detective who is hired to protect the famous and problematic pop star Venus Nova. While he’s babysitting her ahead of the release of her highly anticipated new album, a series of murders takes place. All fingers seem to point at Venus, but Ray Gunn, alongside his alien sidekick Eye-ra, set out to solve the mystery and bring the real criminal to justice.

Brad Bird is back, collaborating with John Lasseter on a great neo-noir sci-fi mystery. The animation in Ray Gunn is almost perfect. The set design captures the distinctive atmosphere of a 1930s/1940s detective story while placing it in a futuristic setting. The twists and turns are exactly the kind you’d find in a game of Clue, making for a highly entertaining film where the audience can have a good laugh while being surprised at every turn. 

Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson are the perfect choices to voice Ray and Venus. Their acting talent shines through their performances, giving an extra layer of depth to their characters.

This film might be geared more towards adults than kids, though the whole family can definitely enjoy it together.

My only remark is that the film doesn’t seem to stick to one purpose. It jumps between offering a veiled criticism of modern technology, where media and advertising turn the consumer into the actual product, and highlighting the persistent fear of those who are different, as well as discrimination against immigrants. Unfortunately, neither of these points is explored with enough clarity. As a result, the film’s message of acceptance gets diluted by the ending, and the story ultimately loses momentum.

Still, despite these shortcomings, as an animated film, Ray Gunn is highly entertaining and a great choice for a family afternoon filled with laughter and a little murder mystery.