Astartes (2018– ) User Reviews

5 minutes and forty seconds of awsome;)

[mouserd · 10/10 · 13 January 2020]

An excellent example of visual storytelling, not a single word as none are needed.

Actions are clear and tell all that is needed to be told here.

Excellent CGI, believable animation and heaps of atmosphere.

I think the only thing left is hopefully some studio or financier will support the full length film so we can get the rest of the story.

A one mans passion for CGI, filming and 40K knowledge

[Crimsonpig101 · 10/10 · 30 November 2019]

This isnt just an animated fanfic of Giant Space Marines curbstomping the enemy, its far more then this:

• A top quality CGI film
• There is no dialogue, it conveys its premise with imagery, sound and violence
• It has Giant Space Marines curbstomping the enemy BUT the enemy are no push overs, they use actual tactics but against Space Marines.. its simply not enough. These Marines are professional beyond the limits of a baseline human.
• One man storyboarded and animated this all.

Amazing Storytelling

[robertm-23739 · 10/10 · 9 July 2020]

I know next to nothing about the Warhammer 40K IP. I stumbled across this because of a Youtube recommendation.

Simply amazing work. The visuls are good and improved through the first 5 episodes--but it wasn't the visuals that captured me--it was the directorial/editorial skill.

It is simply a superb example of minimalist storytelling. Tight editing, strong emotion, essentially no dialog--everything just clicks. I didn't need to know the IP in order to be sucked into the story and experience. It didn't matter.

Captivating and awesome

[gregstewart789 · 9/10 · 15 May 2020]

This is a masterclass in cinematography, sound design and story telling. Without dialogue the mood is still clear and the fast cuts aren't there to hide shoddy choreography but to cram information into a tightly constructed scene.

Just spectacular.

One guy?! What the hell!

[Morejambo54 · 9/10 · 1 March 2021]

This is how movies should and can be made, every fine detail, camera angle and visual effects are on point. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of the episodes besides how short they are. If this man hasn't already been hired by a big visual effects company they're all losing. I don't even like warhammer but man was this cool. It tells a story without even saying words. Mind blown.

A directing talent emerges

[Retrocognition · 10/10 · 8 March 2020]

I was astounded by the sophistication of the directors storytelling eye, his economy of coverage. For someone who has no other directing credits. It's really impressive work. Forget the IP itself, or the actual animation and art (which is obviously beautiful, but plenty of people can make beautiful CGI, all you need is money and time) Far more interesting is the true skill in DIRECTING. Particularly directing action and staging. And temporal finesse. The editing. What he's leaving OUT for the mind to fill in is as important as the shots he does include. This guy need to know he's got talent. Don't get stuck in a CGI job. Develop this talent. Who ever gave this 4 stars is a stone cold cringe loser.

Flawless. Unreal. Confounding. Kickass.

[MechanicPluto24 · 10/10 · 29 July 2020]

I remember back around my 19th birthday when my friend showed me Astartes out of the blue, telling me it was a great Warhammer 40K animated fanfilm. I didn't know too much about the 40K IP, other than my friend being really into it, so I decided to take a look. Today, I have watched the Astartes series hundreds if not thousands of times, and it still brings tears to my eyes. It is not simply an amazing Warhammer 40K fanfilm. It is a truly phenomenal masterpiece of cinematography, CGI, and storytelling.

• Very little dialogue, still tells a very intriguing and in-depth story through subtle imagery.
• CGI, models, motion, and physics quality are second to none.
• Both the story's "protagonists" and "antagonists" are built extremely well, there is no one side overshadowing the other, no "heroes good because baddies are bad", everyone is highly skilled and intelligent.
• With CGI you can move the camera wherever and however you want, however the cinematography feels extremely realistic and grounded.
• The combat choreography and cinematography is outstanding and very cleverly thought-out.
• The suspense, mystery, and cliffhanger at the end leaves us yearning and begging for what comes next.

This is truly a perfect film and deserves so much more support. I thank this man so dearly for the passion-driven creation he has put forth.

Superb.

[tmac-94207 · 10/10 · 3 April 2020]

I will probably do myself no favours saying this but...I know very little about 40K. Yes I know about GW and the board games and miniatures, I've even played a Warhammer game over on the Xbox 360, it was pretty good, but I have no insight into any lore or the universe that the franchise occupies.

What I do know is that this showed up in my YouTube recommended and I preceded to watch. Wow. So glad I did because this was something else. It grabbed me from the off, there is something more going on here other than just great visuals. I'm not savvy in film/cinema speak but I'll say this then end my review, it gave me a vibe I very rarely get from films these days, short or no, and that vibe is mystery. It dripped with it. A touch of the Space Jockey if you will.

I'm off to read up on Warhammer things. To the creative behind this, don't pull a Prometheus.

A new benchmark for 40k

[joachimthome-43917 · 10/10 · 30 June 2021]

Astartes is a fanproject but is for now simply the best 40k cinematic experience created so far.

The 3D animation and cinematography is near perfect. The sound design is incredible.

The story, while being from the 40k universe , is still understandable enough for outsiders to not be overwhelmed.

If we will ever see something better or close to the quality of Astartes is so far unanswerd.

That all these statements are no overexaggerations should everyone check out for themselves. Your expectations will not be disappointed.

Orgasm for the senses

[powerofberzerker · 8/10 · 7 April 2020]

There is a story here; a story about how awesome (yes, awesome) and ruthless the space marines are. It functions great in the last part as cosmic (Lovecraftian) horror. The rest of the parts are just a thrill ride of incredible directing, animation, cinematography, sound design, action, and style. The only problem is that the first parts are slightly worse when comparing to the last one as they are really short and their art/animation quality is a bit less detailed. There are a lot of dark shots where, when you are watching for the first time, you might not know what is exactly happening. Also, this is clearly for the fans of the 40k universe, thus someone who is going into this completely blind probably won't understand a thing, but they will enjoy it nonetheless.

Everything you needed

[leonidask-63418 · 10/10 · 16 March 2021]

The creator immerses you within the warhammer 40k universe in a story that is brutal and aesthetically pleasing. We need more from him and bound to get it now...Good call Games Workshop.

Why make something great, not great?

[andrivg · 6/10 · 30 October 2021]

Originally I rated 10 stars, but after Warhammer got their hands on this animation and changed the soundtrack, it didn't have this awesome, mysterious, captivating feel to it anymore.

It was good enough for GW, and it'll be more than good enough for you to.

[petesperandio · 10/10 · 7 August 2022]

Tl;dwr - Astartes is short, to the point, and pretty much perfect.

A fan creation in an established franchise getting notice and praise from the people officially in charge of that franchise is fairly rare. A fan creation in a franchise that is good enough to draw people into the fanbase due to its quality is even rarer. A fan creation that does both of these things, AND gets the people that officially run the franchise to outright hire the creator(s) is something else entirely. As you may or may not know, Syama Pedersen, the man who created Astartes, was hired by GW to work on other projects for them. The last time I remember that happening was with Alexander Velicky, a modder for Skyrim who created the Falskaar mod. Bungie was so impressed with his work that they hired him. That was back in 2013. That should tell you everything you need to know about Astartes.

For the Emperor

[diogolaforga · 10/10 · 3 January 2023]

This is one of the most powerfull animations you will ever see. It doesn´t hold your hand and not a single word is spoken, everything is conveyed with imagery alone and it´s excellent.

The attention to detail, the direction, the animation, the action, everythibg is really top notch, so much so, that it can put to shame most of what Hollywood spits nowadays as entertainment.

Coincidently, Warhammer is one of the most rich universes created and it is ripe for a cinematic experience, if well done, naturally.

I´ll just say that Warhammer has gained one more fan purely because of this.

I have bought over 30 books and fell in love with this universe.

Emperor bless the creator of this animation.

Science run amok - arms race

[ozairkazi · 10/10 · 24 August 2022]

When will you discuss blood black nothingness and honor for nobility in heaven for it? This is amazing for those that can afford steel and carbon fiber as well as unobtanium compilation. If you can comprehend it in accordance with emp human neutrinos and gravitational waves? Brilliant - prophet.

Amazing

[andreasarvidsson-57016 · 10/10 · 3 September 2021]

Best 40k CGI so far.

Bolt and blade, faith and fire!

Tour de force of action animation

[delaynomore · 9/10 · 9 February 2024]

This is close to flawless if you like action animation.

The animation itself is beautifully done. The marines are true to their design. The enemies are interesting.

The sound is superb. I can feel the heavy footsteps of the marines. I can feel the bullets tearing through the enemies.

But the piece de resistance is the action sequence itself.

The director perfectly chroreographed the action sequences. The action is fast, economical and brutal. It really sells the idea that the marines are fearsome, tactical fighting machines.

Furthermore the action is creative. There's more than a few setups where the action sequence is new to me and I didn't expect it to unfold that way. No copy paste action here. Just carefully thought out action.

As I was watching this, I wondered to myself why the big studios can't do something like this. I fell off my chair when I later learnt that this was done by one person.

This is a tour de force by one seriously talented director and animator.

Breathtaking!!

[clarkmartin · 10/10 · 21 March 2024]

Astartes is from start to finish a blast to the senses, a tour de fource. To think that this was made by one person is mind-boggling. Not a wasted scene, or frame. From the moment it starts we are thrust into the setting, and taken on a journey through the Grimdark universe of WH40K, where there is always conflict. The minimalism speaks volumes for itself and adds to its mystique. It really needs to be watched, and will sit rent free in your head for years to come, thinking about the meaning of many scenes. Truly this is not only peak 40K but peak entertainment. Because in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

My first 10

[hoochiehogback · 10/10 · 14 November 2023]

In order for me to give something a high rating (8 or above) I usually let it percolate after multiple viewings. If I can't bring myself to watch it multiple times, that either means it's bad or just cliche. After watching this multiple times and knowing close to nothing about War Hammer 40k I can safely say this is an utter masterpiece. It's perfect in every way, the only critique I can come up with is that it's woefully short. I realized if the quality were maintained for hours on end it would still be too short. It tells an engaging story with little dialogue, leaving me wanting to know more about every single character in this world. This mini series successfully stole my imagination and kidnapped me into this world.

It gets at least a 10.