Entergalactic: Promising More for Animation

Kid Cudi’s foray into film brings a stunning animated romance to dynamic life, leaving a struggling narrative in its wake.

In the contemporary cinematic landscape, it has only been until recent successes with Spider-Man: Into the Sider-Verse and Mitchell’s vs the Machines that discourse concerning the significance of animation has gained traction. It seems as of late the general public is finally treating animated films with the respect they deserve, not as a subcategory of film, but as a medium all it’s own. Entergalactic, a companion rom-com to Kid Cudi’s newest album of the same name, has ambitions of animated greatness made clear by its stylistic influences. Employing an animation style akin to Spider-Verse and following a plot most would see unfit for a “children’s film,” Entergalactic wears its inspirations on its hoodie sleeves while doing its best to push the medium of animation forward. Explicit sex scenes, substance use and more all make this animated film one unfit for children, which is a fantastic development for the medium. However, in embracing the creative possibilities tied with a medium desperate for new, adult stories, Entergalactic loses its footing and sense of originality with an uninspired plot that mistakes style for substance and music videos for narrative.

Following New York street artist Jabari and his relationship woes, the film immediately impresses with stylized visuals that bring undefinable feelings to life. No words could describe what Entergalactic presents in its opening minutes, with Jabari floating through a cross between New York city life and the boundaries of space on his way back to his new apartment. In other words, a precedent is set, this is a movie that wants to be animated, which, strangely, is somewhat of a rarity for modern day animated films. Look at cash grabs like the Lion King remake for a film that doesn’t need to be animated, just one that is purely for profit. Meaning, despite its shortcomings, Entergalactic deserves praise for its unapologetic use of the medium. Throughout the movie the audience is treated to changes in animation styles, comedic cutaway’s, typography interacting with the character’s world, shots impossible to bring to reality, and many other instances where the animation was used to its creative limits. This makes for an entertaining, eye grabbing spectacle, treating a grounded love story with the grandiosity and creativity of an alien invasion or interdimensional conflict. However, there are times where the animation seems to take over, where the film becomes lost in its own stylish creativity and crosses into self indulgence, thereby limiting the narrative power and scope of the story.

Jabari is the main character. He is a comic artist. He likes to smoke weed. He is played by Kid Cudi, who I’m sad to say does nothing to prove he is a capable voice actor, or that Jabari is capable of leading a film. The listed traits are everything Jabari is, and for an hour and a half we learn little more about this blank slate of a protagonist. He has a vague past that is never explained, which is significant when it is seemingly the reason he refuses to get with his ex, Carmen, or his new love interest, Meadow. There’s an internal conflict, but about what? Moral responsibility? The film certainly doesn’t paint Jabari as the heroic stoic with its various minute long sequences of Cudi’s tracks playing over party scenes that take up far too much of the runtime. Worse yet, any character development or narrative flow is lost due in part to these glamorous interruptions, what some will surely call examples of adult animation done right when they are really pacing killers. This has a ripple effect on the rest of the film, as suddenly there is not enough time spent between the two love interests (it isn’t until nearly halfway through the film until they speak for the first time). Scenes feel as though they come too late in the story, with the narrative weight floundering as a result. Character’s don’t partake in events that direct them towards the main theme of the film, with a line late in the movie being delivered with the subtlety of the animation making me think “oh, that’s what this movie is about?” The themes run weaker still because of the lack of consequences any character faces, which would prompt solid character development that is also missing. Instead, there is one major problem near the end of the film that could have been solved with a simple line of dialogue; a conflict that has the audience screaming “why aren’t they doing x? It would all be ok if they did!” In this way, the film feels unpolished despite the clearly professionally done, spectacular, and expressive animation, making for an animated rom-com that is, yes, certainly beautiful, but as deep as a puddle with ill-defined characters, entangled with a weightless story in terms of pacing and consequence, and missing the thematic resonance or emotional catharsis necessary to make the film worth engaging with.

However, Entergalactic still holds a significant place in modern animation. It is great to see animated movies telling a wider amount of stories, making this movie’s success simply the fact it exists. Entergalactic didn’t have to be great, as it’s impressive that it was made at all. Telling a story that, on paper, could easily be done in live action and is not typically seen in animated films (either for its explicit nature or themes of race in modern romance) promises more for the medium of animation. Entergalactic is therefore by no means groundbreaking as a film, but a breakthrough and important step for contemporary animation, and I hope to see more films like this one.