Upfront, I'm a bit of an M dot Strange fanboy, so take my words with a grain of salt if you have to, but bear in mind I try and be fair in regards to film and how well it can entertain. And does it ever!
The strongest sell as always is the visual. M dot Strange seems to have mastered Cinema 4D and the accompanying tools, and it shows especially with the use of light. Prior animations have all taken place inside or within a dark atmosphere, and it's refreshing to see sun and shadows. Thanks to M dot's arsenal of characters already modeled (with slight retooling), this film was also finished within a year, which is a feat in consideration that most animated films take over 4 years, and this is just one man and whomever is willing to take the ride with him. How can anyone not appreciate that?
In terms of the story, the tried and true themes of oppression and rising against it return once more in M dot's work, but this time told in a very straight forward manner (no hidden meanings, plenty of characters talking with each other, clear motives, etc.). This thankfully doesn't take away from the mystery of the world we are thrust into, and part of the fun in film (to me) is deciphering the story as it unfolds.
The M dot fanboy within me would like to give the film a solid 10, but that would be unfair to filmmaking at large, so I have to give in what I think are faults. The lengths of certain scenes feel too long at times, sometimes making me sit forward and wonder if something was going to happen. At a little over two hours, some shots could have easily been slimmed down to keep the story going, and it would have paced a lot better with the rest of the shots which were spot on with editing.
Then there's the lip sync animation, which I recall being the bane of M dot's existence. Mouth movements are hit and miss, with painfully crafted motions that grab at your heartstrings, only to be balanced with audio and animation not lining up or jerky motions on the model. It's the least of the viewer's worries, due to animation as a whole is gorgeous, but the nitpicky will nitpick (hatters gonna hate).
...But that's pretty much it. We otherwise have a clever animation tale about children being a slave to "the man" with promises of a future, all leading to a climax that is nuts in the best of ways. M dot continues to impress with what he can do, and this film shows his continuing evolution. No, seriously, elements of all his work can be seen in I Am Nightmare, and it's quite the treat for fans to take in.
