In film festivals and during awards seasons, "serious and heavy" movies often stand out easily and become jury favorites, edging out entries with light themes-hence, animated features would be the first to go.
But the Metro Manila Film Festival is a different arena. Arguably the most popular film festival in the country, its competition rules and exclusive screening system encourage most local film producers to submit crowd-pleasers and family-oriented movies.
This year we have RPG: Metanoia, the first full-length 3D animation film ever produced in the Philippines.
Is it another token entry to attract the children and families who comprise a huge segment of the MMFF holiday viewing public?
RPG: Metanoia is about one summer vacation in the life of Nico and his group of friends who, as the title suggests, are deeply engrossed in MMORPGs (Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games), particularly the game called Metanoia.
When they receive news of an international Metanoia tournament, the group instantly takes the chance to win the global event. They're banking on Nico who has excellent online gaming skills but zero skills in real-life outdoor games and activities.
Things change when the group realizes that there's more than just a game. One strange but carefully plotted event suddenly puts the lives of the players worldwide in danger and it's up to the kids from the Philippines, who play in neighborhood computer shops, to save the world and bring everything back to normal.
Sounds simple, right? But what makes RPG: Metanoia great is the obvious passion involved in creating the film—from the illustration and animation, to the storytelling and dialogues, the musical scoring, and most especially, the minute details in the scenes.
The attention to detail makes the movie quite charming and almost sentimental.
The animated film makes us realize how Pilipinas, when seen from a different perspective—3D animation—can be so astoundingly 'Kay Ganda!"
There's beauty in everything from a fried daing na bangus, to the 'Bawal Umihi Dito' scrawled across the wall, to a sipa toy, and even the underside of a karag-karag jeepney stalled in the kanto near a neighborhood tindahan.
RPG: Metanoia embraces the things that are uniquely Philippines.
Although it's a film for kids, RPG: Metanoia does not dumb down its dialogue to make it sound like a fairy tale-because it is not. It is real life, in 3D animation.
The lines are humorous, witty, intelligent and reflective of how kids today talk to each other and to their elders. The delivery of the lines gives the movie excitement and character.
And that is why credit must also be given to the young voice talents, who gave life and emotion to the characters. Their various styles gave each player in the movie different personalities. It is amazing how this young bunch is able to convey feelings and show chemistry simply by their voices.
Pinoy talent also shines in the film's soundtrack. At par with those used in foreign animated feature films, the musical score fits every scene in the movie, whether it's humorous, action packed or nostalgic.
Songs used in the movie are also remarkable, with the APO Hiking Society hit "Bawat Bata" taking the lead in one of the most excellent parts of the movie, the Pinoy games montage (watch out for this in the movie and take note of the clever transitions between the games).
Of course, the real highlight of this movie is the animation. Although for us who have Pixar and DreamWorks movies as benchmarks, we can notice some movements that are not so fluid (as one friend puts it, it's kind of choppy). But looking at the movie as a whole, the animation is neither insulting (You call this 3D!?) nor disappointing (What a rip-off!).
RPG: Metanoia lets viewers enter two different worlds: the real world of the RPG-addicted barkada of Pinoy kids and the online world where all the 3D action happens. As mentioned before, the attention to detail is remarkable, as seen when the players are logging on to their online characters (It really looks like you're logging in an RPG).
The RPG world is meticulously designed to reflect not just the Philippine version, but also international servers.
And now, for the most frequently asked questions about this movie: will the 3D glasses really work? The answer is yes. The 3D glasses work well with this film.
Is it a smart choice for you to watch this MMFF season?
Definitely. Both children and grown-ups can get something out of this movie. Some factors will obviously appeal to kids and yet so many brilliant nuggets were obviously made with adult audiences in mind. This movie reconciles every kid's passion for computer gaming and every parent's nagging for their children to get out to play under the sun.
And the twist near the end? Simply hilarious and very Pinoy!
We hope this movie opens up new opportunities for Pinoy talents and possibilities for Pinoy cinema. The 3D genre allows us to experience settings and stories usually difficult or impossible to execute in live action sequences or with real-life performers.
Also, we are hoping RPG Metanoia changes the way people view animated features. No longer is it the childish lesser-version of live action films.
We applaud AmbientMedia and Star Cinema for coming up with RPG: Metanoia—a big leap in Philippine filmmaking.