Blame...
I picked up Blame on DVD...
Blame is beautiful to look at, but, truly painful to watch. Blame was conceived as an experimental animation. It's supposed to be a "salvaged" data disc. There isn't a conventional DVD menu. The first entry is PLAY, the third entry is SCENE SELECTION, the fifth entry is OPTIONS/EXTRAS and the last entry is GALLERY. The remaining five entries all point to a loop of "file corrupted" eye candy, giving the illusion that the viewer is investigating an old corrupted disc.
There isn't a cohesive story. There are seven segments in the feature; six main segments and one "bonus" segment. It takes a while to gather any useful information. Early on we see the Silicon Creatures. Later, we see some of Cibo's experiment. Then, we see Cibo being released from confinement and sent out into the Megastructure to find Killy. Lastly, there is a statement from the Silicon Creatures.
Eye candy abounds throughout the feature, but, very little actually happens. There is no real resolution to any of the loose threads revealed during the feature. Many of the back story elements, revealed in the "Blame Glossary", an insert included with the DVD, are not immediately obvious or are not revealed at all in the feature. I tried to watch Blame a year ago, but, found it too painful to watch. After a year, I eventually came back to Blame. The visual nature of Blame would make it an ideal choice for an eye candy background. But, Blame is not recommended for casual viewing. I gave Blame a 1 out of 5.
According to the Blame Glossary...3,000 years have passed since the future was buried. Countless armies of machines are all that remain of human civilization. Without orders, they rebuild and build, swallowing up the Earth, Moon, and the entire solar system within the intricate steel and concrete levels of the Megastructure. Within the environment the silicon creatures have come to exist. All that has been known about them until now is their goal: Invade the Netsphere; eradicate all organics! Our only weapon is a salvaged data disc from the engineer Cibo containing information that might allow humans to restore order to the world.
Cibo: A brilliant net engineer. She was the lead scientist in the attempt to gain access to the Netsphere without the aid of Net Genes. With the failure of the project, she was punished and left to die in a hidden corner of the Megastructure. Fate brings her together with Killy and she joins him in his efforts. Her knowledge of the net is invaluable to anyone seeking access.
Killy: While his age and origin are unknown, his mission is. Killy wanders through the endless levels of the Megastructure in search of a human with intact Net Genes so he may regain access to the Netsphere and restore order to the world. Killy's age is unknown, but he is old enough that he can freely interact with many of the ancient machines that roam the levels.
Megastructure: It has been constructing itself for three millennia, with no end in sight. Nobody knows its true size, but it has enveloped a moon in its growth. humans have evolved differently on each level of the structure, as you go deeper, the species get older and smaller. Technological advancement varies from level to level as well.
Net Gene: Long ago a human-to-machine interface was developed to allow easy access to the internal workings of the Netsphere. These synthetic genes were passed from generation to generation and as the eons passed they became diluted among the isolated pockets of humanity. Now, with the technology of the past lost to the ages, finding original Net Genes is the only hope.
Netsphere: The internal networking of the Megastructure. The Netsphere runs all aspects of reconstruction and maintains order in the world. The safety of the system was compromised when it came under attack by Silicon Creatures from that point it was sealed off and only those with Net Genes could access it.
Safeguard: The main defensive line for the Netsphere. Safeguards came into existence around the same time as the first appearance of the Silicon Creatures. Both have similar physical make-ups but with radically different purposes. A Safeguard can readily detect any foreign entity attempting to access the Netsphere and eliminate it before damage can be inflicted.
Silicon Creature: The embodiment of chaos. Silicon Creatures came into being solely to ruin the structure of society, the Netsphere. As time progressed, they became more numerous as humans became scarce. Now they stand as the greatest threat to the scattered and poorly protected Netsphere.
Blame is beautiful to look at, but, truly painful to watch. Blame was conceived as an experimental animation. It's supposed to be a "salvaged" data disc. There isn't a conventional DVD menu. The first entry is PLAY, the third entry is SCENE SELECTION, the fifth entry is OPTIONS/EXTRAS and the last entry is GALLERY. The remaining five entries all point to a loop of "file corrupted" eye candy, giving the illusion that the viewer is investigating an old corrupted disc.There isn't a cohesive story. There are seven segments in the feature; six main segments and one "bonus" segment. It takes a while to gather any useful information. Early on we see the Silicon Creatures. Later, we see some of Cibo's experiment. Then, we see Cibo being released from confinement and sent out into the Megastructure to find Killy. Lastly, there is a statement from the Silicon Creatures.
Eye candy abounds throughout the feature, but, very little actually happens. There is no real resolution to any of the loose threads revealed during the feature. Many of the back story elements, revealed in the "Blame Glossary", an insert included with the DVD, are not immediately obvious or are not revealed at all in the feature. I tried to watch Blame a year ago, but, found it too painful to watch. After a year, I eventually came back to Blame. The visual nature of Blame would make it an ideal choice for an eye candy background. But, Blame is not recommended for casual viewing. I gave Blame a 1 out of 5.
