The Derelict

An animated science fiction story.

Based on the story The Derelict from the book Renegades of Ophelia's World: The Pandoran Age Chronicles 5 by Dante D'Anthony, this interesting short film takes the viewer on a journey through space. The duration is approximately twenty minutes and the narrative involves a smuggler who is forced to disappear after a deal goes wrong. The audience follows him as he travels through space in a spaceship, eventually ending up in a bar. Two thirds into the film, the narrative switches to another story, with a different protagonist.

The mise-en-scene contains many elements that are often present in science fiction movies that take place in space. There are spaceships, extraordinary buildings, unknown planets, stars, robots, terrifying-looking creatures and strange clothing. Quite a lot of the action takes place inside the cockpit of spaceships, which is pretty cool. The computer animation looks good and manages to create a fantastical world.

Regarding the story, it does not stand out much and the adventurous scenes are limited. The biggest strength here are the environments and the characters, as it is amusing sitting back and admiring the look of the spaceships, planets and unearthly beings. The fact that at one point the film's narrative changes plot and main character seems awkward and unexpected.

The music is entertaining and includes opera, which makes the scenes feel more wonderous. Joel Suraci provides the voice-over and the result is effective.

This short film is intended to be part of the full-length movie The Magnificent Warriors of Dimension War One, which should be exciting, considering the creativity that was put into this project. Looking at The Derelict on its own, it deserves attention from fans of the sci-fi genre.