Dead Space: Aftermath is the second animated film based on the Dead Space franchise,the first was the surprisingly good Dead Space Downfall. Whilst this entry into the franchise is not as good as the previous film, it is still enjoyable to watch and will please fans.
The plot of Aftermath revolves around four surviving crew members of the USG O'Bannon,a ship which becomes host to another Necromorph outbreak. They are rescued by Government officials and interrogated (rather brutally)in order to discover how the outbreak occurred. This consists of four flashbacks from each survivor, each one using a different animation style. These flashbacks are arguably the best segments of the film, each one has its own unique style which reflects the thoughts of the survivor.
The sections of the film which take place in the present use CGI which results in some rather poor facial expressions and wooden animation. It would have been more sensible for the filmmakers to forgo this CGI and make these segments using the animation used in Dead Space: Downfall.
The voice acting is pretty good and includes a solid cast including Christopher Judge and Gwendoline Yeo. When not animated using CGI, the characters look impressive and more realistic, however, as the film uses different styles for each flashback, the characters change their appearance which can be confusing for some. It's frankly ridiculous that Nolan Stross is a thin man in one flashback, then has a six pack in another.
One disappointment I had with the film was the lack of the Necromorphs themselves. They only start to appear about 3/4 of the way through the film and sometimes it's a blink and you miss it moment. Only three Necromorphs from the games are present, the rest are new versions which whilst suitably gruesome looking, don't have the same impact as the fan favorites. The film is suitably bloody and gory, even without their presence but I wanted them to have more screen time.
Fans of Dead Space (like me) will enjoy this film which does answer questions and plot holes from the original game. Viewers who haven't played the games will struggle to understand what is going one at times and in all honesty, the film doesn't really give an explanation. If you are prepared to deal with the poor CGI animation and confusing plot, you will find a decent animated film.
It's not as good as Downfall but Aftermath is a decent film that will please fans of the Dead Space franchise. The flashbacks are well animated, the voice acting is good and it doesn't hold back on the gore, regardless of the lack of Necromorphs.
The plot of Aftermath revolves around four surviving crew members of the USG O'Bannon,a ship which becomes host to another Necromorph outbreak. They are rescued by Government officials and interrogated (rather brutally)in order to discover how the outbreak occurred. This consists of four flashbacks from each survivor, each one using a different animation style. These flashbacks are arguably the best segments of the film, each one has its own unique style which reflects the thoughts of the survivor.
The sections of the film which take place in the present use CGI which results in some rather poor facial expressions and wooden animation. It would have been more sensible for the filmmakers to forgo this CGI and make these segments using the animation used in Dead Space: Downfall.
The voice acting is pretty good and includes a solid cast including Christopher Judge and Gwendoline Yeo. When not animated using CGI, the characters look impressive and more realistic, however, as the film uses different styles for each flashback, the characters change their appearance which can be confusing for some. It's frankly ridiculous that Nolan Stross is a thin man in one flashback, then has a six pack in another.
One disappointment I had with the film was the lack of the Necromorphs themselves. They only start to appear about 3/4 of the way through the film and sometimes it's a blink and you miss it moment. Only three Necromorphs from the games are present, the rest are new versions which whilst suitably gruesome looking, don't have the same impact as the fan favorites. The film is suitably bloody and gory, even without their presence but I wanted them to have more screen time.
Fans of Dead Space (like me) will enjoy this film which does answer questions and plot holes from the original game. Viewers who haven't played the games will struggle to understand what is going one at times and in all honesty, the film doesn't really give an explanation. If you are prepared to deal with the poor CGI animation and confusing plot, you will find a decent animated film.
It's not as good as Downfall but Aftermath is a decent film that will please fans of the Dead Space franchise. The flashbacks are well animated, the voice acting is good and it doesn't hold back on the gore, regardless of the lack of Necromorphs.