Surrealist French animated sci-fi from the hand of Moebius, one of underground comics' most revered figures. Plodding but beautiful, it's generally best appreciated as an idea showcase and not necessarily a coherent story.

Like a lot of his works, it's often inaccessible and tangential, more concerned with spotlighting the intrinsic weirdness of alien life than with shuffling the plot along. That slow, nonplussed tempo can be confusing, especially as a rescue party takes their time to splash about in a swimming pool and enjoy drinks while their quarry, a stranded young boy, fights nature alone on an uncharted planet. None of the cast, universally blasé and dull, seems overly concerned or motivated to chase their fates, and that irreparably wounds the big picture.

Even the artwork, upon which many earlier Moebius works have hung their hats, seems rushed and incomplete. It does capture the general tone of the old master's trademarked style, but none of his precision or smooth, elegant linework. An interesting experiment either way, but not one I'm in a rush to revisit.

This is a visually stunning film and you wouldn't expect anything else from Laloux and Moebius. However the storyline felt quite condensed at times and like there was a vast universe of characters that couldn't be properly explored. That said it is a thoroughly enjoyabe watch with a real sense of otherworldlyness.