If you love film, you likely have been to a repertory screening at some point in your life. The chance to watch an older movie, on the big screen, with a crowd as in love with the opportunity to watch a movie in theatres, maybe for the first time, or maybe to recapture that sense of wonder of when you first saw it. The idea of repertory showings of movies still exists, but it’s also become corporatized through Fathom Events and their annual TCM series. That’s not inherently a bad thing (it’s how I finally watched “Vertigo” and “Jaws” on the big screen), but it also takes away some of the pleasure of going to an art house theatre like Atlanta’s The Plaza, which constantly has older films on tap, as well as special showings; my experiences with “The Crow” and “The Shining” there are unmatched.
This year, I’m going to lean a lot into my favorite genre of all-time, science fiction, for this year’s entries in this series. Films I haven’t seen. Films that are overdue for review. And I’m even going to try to watch some classic TV series I haven’t before. Our bookend filmmaker had to be a fitting one, and though he’s most known for horror, John Carpenter has done plenty in this series, starting with our first film for 2026, his 1988 satire, “They Live”.
Next up, I go back into Afrofuturism with the 2015 animated film, “Battledream Chronicle”.
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
“Battledream Chronicle” (2015)- A-
There’s something about science fiction that just pops in animation. Obviously, a big part of it is that you’re not held to limitations of physical actors, but also, one can make the world you create as expansive and vibrant as possible. There is a lot in Alain Bidard’s 2015 film, “Battledream Chronicle,” that will feel VERY familiar to people who have watched any degree of anime, but it still has some interesting images and ideas that I really dug watching this film explore.
The visual language Bidard is pulling from is anime, “TRON” and “The Matrix,” which also summarizes his screenplay’s influences, as well. In this film, people are plugged into a virtual universe called Farandjun. In the year 2100, this world is where business is largely held, as the real world is not really feasible. Unlike “The Matrix,” however, everyone is where of their confines, but we still have technology holding individuals captive- an artificial intelligence called Isfet. A young woman, Salim Nadir, is trying to bring the other virtual nations together to help destroy Isfet, but the combat they must go through is something that not only threatens their virtual existence, but their physical existence, as well.
“Battledream Chronicle’s” animation is not top tier for the medium- it feels like a feature film made with a television budget- but I do enjoy the style of the film, and the dreamlike nature of the world. This isn’t a filmmaker trying to present a virtual world akin to the real world in animation, but creating a new world of its own, with its own ideas and rules. There are times when the narrative delves heavily into formula- this does feel very inspired by “The Matrix,” in particular, with the battles the characters are put through basically inspired by “TRON”- but I enjoyed the way it played out. The film is considered a work of afrofuturism, and it does have themes of breaking out of oppressive worlds towards a freer world afterwards- which I’ve found is a big part of the subgenre- although “Battledream Chronicle” does not feel as unique in its makeup as previous works I’ve seen like “Neptune Frost,” “Space is the Place” and “Welcome II the Terrordome.” Having said that, this is simply another vision in an expansive form of narrative storytelling, and even if it isn’t the most original piece of filmmaking in the genre, it is an entertaining and enlightening one. I’m glad I took the chance to see this.
Previous “Repertory Revue” Films
“They Live” (1988)
“Starship Troopers” (1997)
“Welcome II the Terrordome” (1995)
“Battledream Chronicle” (2015)
See Brian’s list of 2009 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2010 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2011 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2012 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2013 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2014 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2015 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2016 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2017 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2018 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2019 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2020 “Repertory Revues” here.
See Brian’s list of 2021 “Repertory Revues” here.
See Brian’s list of 2022 “Repertory Revues” here.
See Brian’s list of 2023 “Repertory Revues” here.
See Brian’s list of 2024 “Repertory Revues” here.
See Brian’s list of 2025 “Repertory Revues” here.
