The Inventor

9/18/2023

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/the-inventor-review-too-generic-yet-still-satisfying/ "The Inventor cannot escape its script's creative limitations and generic messages, but it remains a somewhat interesting viewing, full of humorous moments and pure audiovisual beauty. The fantastic stop-motion animation stands out, but the 2D sequences are just as, if not more, captivating. Alex Mandel's score is crucial to the film's entertainment levels, along with the vocal performances of the cast, especially Stephen Fry as Leonardo da Vinci. Apart from a few more sound mixing problems, Jim Capobianco doesn't disappoint, but I'll be waiting for a deeper, more memorable sophomore feature film." Rating: B-

3/13/2024

I was quite nervous at the start here when I saw how many production companies were involved - it looked like a recipe for a mess. Well it isn't. It's certainly an amalgam of animated styles featuring everything from flat 2-D drawing to complex technical sketching and some stop-motion characterisations that really worked quite quirkily. It's the briefest of potted histories of the life of Leonardo da Vinci. We start in Rome where his sponsor - Cardinal de Medici - is constantly firefighting for him with Pope Leo X who wants him to do something a little more useful, and not dissect dead bodies in the middle of the night! It's that latter habit that sees him flee to the relative safety of King Francis I of France. The King wants the maestro to build him a castle, or a new city, or some fancy