 SonicVision (2003) I had a lot of fun watching SonicVision, yet it was impossible to ignore that it's designed to be a lot more fun if you see it while under the influence. Under the influence of what, exactly? It doesn't matter. SonicVision has animated sequences to trigger the best possible response no matter what drug you've chosen, including the best drug of all: life. Produced by the American Museum of Natural History in conjunction with MTV2 and circulated to planetariums and museums as a means of drawing in folks who otherwise would never go to a planetarium or museum, this mind-bending 3-D animation film takes you on a journey that feels alternately like a "Sonic the Hedgehog"-speed rollercoaster and a serene spiritual awakening, all set to a stellar mix of mostly recognizable songs compiled by Moby. Why planetariums and museums are so desperate to court the drug culture, and have been for decades, is a complete mystery to me, though admittedly, even before I started doing drugs, these are the only kinds of things that would lure me in. I went to this one totally sober, so the druggie content was pretty damn funny, since it was in no way transcendent to anyone not on drugs. There was a trippy "blow-your-mind" freakout for the lysergic enthusiasts; a corny montage featuring a Hindu-looking hand that suddenly sported a Zippo-like flame from one finger, for the potheads; a completely ridiculous robot rave scene for those on ecstasy, a couple of chattery epiphanies for the meth kids, and on and on. The one thing that wouldn't be recommended would be going in drunk, because a couple of the rollercoaster effects feel mighty real. The animation was created by a number of top-of-field teams, and it fills the dome, rotating and swirling, speeding up, spacing out, chilling out, speeding up again, and ending up in a barrage of colors and lights better than any fireworks display outside of Gandalf's or any hallucinogenic trip outside of, perhaps, Dennis Hopper's. The music is totally perfect and well-chosen, though I'm sure some will dismiss it as "obvious," because it is – it's as obvious as the entire experience, and it feels terrific! Afterward I could only imagine these corporate-types hovered around a computer while one of the animators was working on a scene, shouting "No, no, make it look more like you've been smoking pot!!!!" Which is exactly the opposite of what my fucking boss always says to me!
Review by Heidi Jewelry |