RPG: Metanoia: Movie Review

Is it really a surprise that it took our country this long to produce a fully 3D animated film? A country which boasts to have one of the best and most talented workforce especially when it comes to all things Information Technology? Not really because the local mainstream film industry is rife with so much money-mongering, immaturity and politicking that just making a deviation to what is popular is a sure ride to box office failure. How many romantic comedies and horror films do we get to see every year or even in a month? It's amazing how they can come up with new stories every single time (or are they even new). "RPG: Metanoia" makes us sad and excited at the same time. On one end, why just now? But on the other hand, it is a great achievement which can shift us into a new paradigm - a way for local films to progress once more. "RPG: Metanoia" may not realize it but it has a lot of responsibilities to partake in. Read on to find out if it succeeds or not.

Nico (Zaijan Zaranilla) is spending his summer playing Metanoia, the world's biggest and most popular MMORPG. Playing along with Nico are his friends Bryan (Jairus Aquino), Bobby (Aaron Junatas) and Mark (Basty Alcances) - all of them are playing hard and preparing for the upcoming Metanoia global tournament which will decide who the best Metanoia players are in the world. One day, Nico discovers the most coveted and hidden item in Metanoia - a helmet which gives its user god-like abilities. When Nico tries to use it during the global tournament, he ends up costing his team the win and also loses the helmet in the process. The bunch of friends soon discover that not everything in life is about virtual games as they start playing outside. Unbeknownst to them, the powerful helmet has fallen into the hands of a player out to use it for his own selfish purposes.

"RPG: Metanoia" is a first great step for 3D animated films in the country. It is near perfect - the storyline was certainly fresh and even the presentation was surprisingly almost world-class. First, the plot will surprise you. At first glance, it may seem that having a setting in a game world is cliche` - especially in our country. But just trust us when we say this, the story will blow your mind. Second, the presentation was almost right up there against Hollywood-produced films. Minus some jittery and laggy scenes, most were well-shot, well-directed and provides a sense of thrill and depth. We mostly loved the Filipino references like a longsilog breakfast, tricycles and even an askal. It's refreshing to finally see these things in a 3D animated film. The only gripe we have with "RPG: Metanoia" is the voice-acting. Sometimes, it just feels too much. Watch or hear how we dub cartoons and you will know what we mean. In the end, "RPG: Metanoia" is a pinnacle. It is a film to remember not because it was the first but most importantly, it shows that with the right amount of willingness, talent, hard work and good intentions combine into making a film we can all be proud off.

Rating: 5 reels





Why you should watch it:
- this is the first Filipino animated film and it's not a half-ass attempt to say the least
- world-class story, script and production
- a film we can all be proud off

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- voice-acting is reminiscent of local cartoon dubbing