Patema Inverted (2013) User Reviews

possible geometries

[ftudoric-224-18301 · 7/10 · 28 January 2015]

I was surprised at the scarcity of geometry explanations in the movie- and this was clearly intentional. Some people believed it was all "fuzzy" or "not thought through"- while in fact the picture is entirely coherent, and the authors leave enough clues to put it together- but they simply choose not to explicitly elaborate in the movie. Paradoxically, this basically pulls the movie away from a harder-core SF content, into the soft of the interpersonal relationships- this was probably their intent.

This is a typical "hollow earth setup"- of course, this was never Earth, but a space habitat/colony, entirely artificial (don't let the grass fool you, the skeleton is made of metal) - as suggested by the nearby planet with a debris ring orbiting it (possibly a consequence of the same gravitational catastrophe). Agee's world lives on the inner side of this shell, while at the very end the characters punch through the metal shell and reach the true outside surface of this habitat- where the collapsed building are scattered.The "inner sky is in fact a device/factory located at the nucleus of this spherical shell- that serves as a "luminary" for the inner crust world- a central sun. At some point, the two characters flee that surface which was getting warmer and warmer - the sun was switching on in the morning.

So the story could be like this: people were inhabiting this colony, on the usual outer side, with normal gravity. At some point, they decided they have to move to the inside of the shell, and use a central "sun" (which clearly had to be built beforehand with this purpose in mind) - but for this you either need rotation ( a la G. O'Neil space settlements) or some reverse gravity. When this happened, the buildings and the people on the outer surface were repelled into the sky- probably for a short while, until the experiment was terminated and the buildings collapsed back onto the ground. The only people that survived were those inside the crust of the colony, in the tunnels. Also, a group of people were permanently inverted - had a"mutation" that would pull them towards the outside of the planet, rather than to the inside. These were Agee's people. This is reminiscent of Christopher Priest's novel "Inverted world" - with the hyperboloidal gravity.

So the irony is: the actual "inverted" people are the "puritans" in Agee's city - that is why they fall into the real sky once exposed to the true, outer surface- while the tunnel people are the survivors of the "normal" humans, the ones that could live on the outer surface. Other inversions: Agee's surface is not the real surface ( "the real world" as the picture says), the sky is not real, the sun they see during the day is actually a machine, the stars are the safety lights of this at nighttime, the clouds are the smoke output of the nucleus factory, the people that reverse fall into the sky are actually Agee's people, not the others (which simply fall down)- so all the original expectations are actually inverted at the end: the "normal-looking" folks are actually the mutants, and the underdogs in the tunnels are the "original" = "normal inhabitants". Interesting that the movie did not want to emphasize all these nuances, leaving the conclusions for the spectators -as a SF fan, I am particularly puzzled.

Decent, but oddly paced

[wintersoldier-44268 · 7/10 · 11 August 2019]

The animation is stellar, no surprises there. Voice acting is great as well. Where this film suffers is pacing; it tends to get a little jarring from time to time, and the ending feels... incomplete. It just ends when it feels like it needed just that one last concluding scene where the plot is wrapped up and you just don't get that. But that aside, I had a good time watching this film, even though a lot of the emotion felt a little hollow. The cinematography was definitely what made this movie a film worth watching if nothing else.

My personal opinion

[toonbuggenhout · 8/10 · 11 October 2018]

Review based on: => Story: perfect(*****) => Design/ drawing style: love it (*****) => Music: weak at some moments (**) but in the action good (***)

{Btw: this ' * ' is my score from 1(*) to 5(*****)}

Big meh

[doomedmac · 7/10 · 5 March 2021]

I was really underwhelmed and disappointed by this movie, especially since the concept is so cool and interesting. Still, it's not bad.

Flip your brain like a pancake.

[proterozoic · 10/10 · 11 July 2014]

I used to be a fan of anime, a huge one too... but the more good live-action movies one sees, the less one is impressed with anime writing, plots and characters. I'm set for life on screaming 15-year-olds, thank you.

Then again, once in a while a concept anime comes along that just completely blows your wig off, and Patema Inverted is one of these. The main characters are a pair of 15-year- old... dang it. All right, it's not completely original, and sometimes even bad, like when it has an obnoxiously evil general right out of Gundam Wing for a villain. Fortunately, the central couple are very modest with tears and histrionics, which is all the more impressive considering the terrifying anti-gravity hijinks they go through (a "69" version of Castle in the Sky, to put it in very general terms).

The movie opens with the sight of a large city over radio transmissions. The voices begin to talk more quickly, then transition into an outright panic, and then, we see the buildings detach from the ground and fall up into the sky, in ruins.

Patema is an adolescent girl born after this tragedy. She lives in an tunnel community deep underground, and likes to explore the "forbidden zone" - an uninhabited area where for some reason, all the EXIT signs are on the floor and railings attach to the ceiling. One day, she finds a colossal vertical shaft and notices that in this shaft, dust motes travel up.

She decides to follow the motes and explore, and discovers a world outside, covered in grass and trees, where the sky is visible and the stars shine at night. It's too bad that gravity here is the opposite of hers, and she's basically clinging to the world's ceiling for dear life, with the sky waiting to swallow her as soon as her grip gives out. Then, things get wild.

Direction and visual design are superb, and exceedingly creative with the possibilities of inverted gravity, especially when two people - one inverted, one straight - clasp onto one another. In fact, maybe a little too good - there were points where I kept imagining streams of vertigo puke spew out of my face and fly into the clouds. If you're scared of heights, you will sweat more watching this than any horror movie.

Did you ever watch Memento and then spend a couple of hours thinking backwards or expecting to forget everything any second? This type of lasting head-job is something I got very strongly watching Patema. Hell, I'm typing this in Notepad right now and automatically wondering how many lines I can write before they come unstuck from the top of the window and crash down.

Without further spoilers, I give Patema Inverted the highest possible grade. I only just have one additional complaint: have any of these people ever heard of a rope harness?

Neat concept, if unremarkable execution

[blott2319-1 · 6/10 · 16 November 2021]

It seems like I've seen trailers for several different films/shorts that are about people who live in two worlds where their gravity is pulling each of them the opposite direction. It's a neat idea, and I liked how they revealed it in Patema Inverted. It made sense that the two societies would be afraid of one another, and view each other as outcasts. I found the friendship formed between the two main characters to be extremely charming, and it was enhanced by the fact that their relationship felt threatened because of the forces that are fighting to keep them apart. While it never felt like they had much agency in improving their lives, at least they bonded in a relatable way.

I did find that the villain in Patema Inverted was more than a little over-the-top. While I can tolerate some mustache-twirling bad guys, for some reason here it felt exaggerated a bit too much. Also, the resolution at the end came out of nowhere and didn't really make sense to me. I understood what was happening, but it didn't follow a logical pattern based on what I'd seen up to that point. But, this isn't a film that is constructed in our normal world, so I should give it the benefit of the doubt when it comes to standard rules of logic. When I allowed myself to let go of that kind of critical thinking, I did have a good time watching Patema Inverted. It is a neat premise, and they made a nice little movie based on it (even if it is not one I expect to return to any time soon.)

Upside down

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 7 December 2014]

Every other summary probably will choose "Upside down", but it does fit perfectly so why shy away from it. It's intelligent cinema that keeps you on your toes (reaching for the ceiling or floor, depending which side you're on). While there are a few things that can be considered cliché, it's not many things that will come with that tag or branding. So no worries there.

The animation is something fans of Anime will be used to, people who are used to Pixar and Dreamworks Animation might struggle at first though. But you'll get used to it. And if you let it, you'll like it too. Because it's the idea/story that counts and the movie is winning in that department for sure.

Missed opportunity

[Kronenbourg16 · 6/10 · 13 June 2021]

Loved the start of this movie and the great premise. Everything was developing nicely until the point where, during Patema's rescue, Patema grabbed the boy and they shot up in to the sky. Like.. What? How? The boy is heavier.. they should float gently down to the ground on the rules established by the movie thus far, but they shoot in to the sky. Then, when they get there, they find a city that seems to be inhabited, filled with lights and skyscrapers, but before exploring it for even a second, they find an aircraft made by the boys dad and use it come back down to earth. Eh? This 10-15 minute portion of the film was just too incongruent and jumped too many steps for me to continue taking it seriously.

It's still better than what Hollywood is pushing out, though.

Incredible, keeps you guessing, surprises you constantly

[zodreb · 9/10 · 9 March 2014]

I don't want to spoil anything but when I saw the concept of this movie I did not think much of it. I figured I'd go watch it on the strength of the fact that it won some award in Ireland. I just saw the North American Premiere and I was totally shocked by it. The only review I had read of this movie was that it was "OK".

Folks, this movie is better than OK, it is fantastic. It is not at all what I thought it would be and the concept of "inverted" is key here. They keep on changing what's real and what's not, and your idea of what reality is switches back and forth several times. They have a few really big reveals in the film that kind of blow you away. I don't even want to say what other movies this is like because it would give it away. But similarities aside, it still manages to be original and refreshing. Just be prepared to have your mind blown several times in the course of the movie all the way to the ending.

There is another movie called Upside Down that came out around the same time as this, maybe a bit earlier. I have never seen it but the reviews on it are terrible. These guys may not be the "original" upside down movie but they certainly did a great job with the concept, probably better based on the reviews.

Do yourself a favor and watch it, and do not read any plot synopses on it beforehand. Don't spoil the surprises.

Awesome!!!

[kristaps-729-656229 · 10/10 · 22 February 2014]

This is with out of doubt the best Anime movie i seen in years (Better then most Hollywood films.) This was awesome, for me this was a joy ride, that fill me with emotions and blown my mind. Since I am an artist in my own way I was speechless how detailed and beautiful was the drawings(architecture, character design and world design). Music was Great, Music definitely enhanced the film (Hopefully the soundtrack will come out soon, so I could add to my collection with other anime soundtracks). And Story was mind blowing, it dug deep in my mind even after leaving the cinema. It had great story (+) art and (+) music = Excellent film.

Fans of "Time of EVE" will definitely enjoy "Patema Inverted". I recommend for every one to see this film,

Great art, underwhelming script, bad plot

[cguldal · 5/10 · 16 February 2015]

I had high hopes for Patema Inverted. I set off allowing the plot's main point, that some humans experienced gravity in one direction while others in the opposite all on the same planet, all the artistic license it needed. The Great Change, which is the event that the film starts with, caused this separation among the humans. Not only humans, but their belongings also abide by these strange new physical laws (so my bag would fly off to the sky if I let it, while yours will fall to the ground, let's say). So already the amount of disbelief is rather large at the start. OK, fine. I let it be. I accepted all this as a possibility, no matter how impossible and unexplained.

The problem arose when things happened and they were not explored at all. In the beginning, we get a brief explanation of the "horrible experiment" that lead to the Great Change. At the end, after all Patema and Age have gone through, after their immense discovery that the sky and the stars are NOT what they seem, we are left with the same inane description of how things happened. We end where we ended. No mysteries are explained. Nothing develops. Not once do the teenagers tell anyone what they discovered above. It seems very important. It seems that all those people who "fell into the sky," all those "sinners" may be alive? We have no idea what is going on. We have no idea why they go up there and then come back down right away and then never tell anyone about it. We are left clueless. Forget about us, the poor people of Agai are left completely clueless.

Beyond the fact that the plot is, um, problematic, emotional development of the characters is underwhelming. We see most development in Patema, while everyone else remains somewhat the same. The "friendship" between Lagos and Age's father is left strangely vague (so vague that at times I wondered if they are trying to hint at a gay relationship!!!) The "villain" is entirely flat with a complete lack of real motive. We never get to understand him, not even that he is pure evil, if he is...

At times, the dialog veered into a direction that made me think that some greater meta philosophy was being hinted at, that this was all allegory and such. But no, not really. It was not there, or if it was, it was done so poorly that there was no way to make any heads or tails from it.

In the end, I focused on the comical elements in the film. The jealousy Nato feels and his constant grumbling was a relief. And the awkward inverted hugs between Patema and Age, who are 15 or so, was perfect for some chuckles.

Sometimes I wonder how you can go wrong with a good idea and great art, but here is a good example. I won't comment on the dialog because I had to watch it dubbed and I am sure it was a tad bit better in Japanese with Japanese voices, but the writing was shallow and, even if you forgive that, it made no sense at times. I kept thinking that something, anything, needs to make sense, and other than the teenage jealousy of Nato, nothing really made much sense.

Recommended only for those who love to watch beautiful animated scenes regardless of content.

When the sky is not the limit...

[Reno-Rangan · 9/10 · 29 July 2014]

Another direct-on-net release from the director of 'Time of Eve'. A very unique concept that resembles Hollywood's live-action 'Upside Down'. It should not be a reason to you to discard from watching. In fact a lot better than that and completely a different storyline. When I picked to watch it I did not think it will reach beyond my expectation, but it did. And now it becomes one of the top rated by me among a few others from the year 2013. Anime movie fans must not miss it.

Patema, a young girl who lives in the underground tunnels is curious about the outside world which is forbidden to enter. Her father, a pioneer who was disappeared trying to find a bridge between the worlds. One day while exploring on the danger zone she falls into a deep hollow pit. Wake-ups and finds in a strange world where people are upside down and to them she's. Meets someone who she can trust, and he saves her from falling further into the sky. The mystery about the inverted world and what cause it was told while Patema makes her escape while other men try to hunt her down.

''The sky eats all sinners.''

Initially I laughed because few scenes looked so funny, like a kid walking on the street having a hydrogen balloon in his hand. In the other end the story narration was pretty serious, so I put back my concentration to the movie. Falling in a hole and finding yourself in a different world is what basically inspired from the fairy tale 'Alice in Wonderland'. We could have expected that from Studio Ghibli, but this one was completely a science-fiction and that is what this director is famous for. The concept was not the fresh, the story created around it was. The animation was only a little disappointing in few parts. Art was great and I don't know what is the framerate, but the motion was not smooth, especially in the slow motions. Other than technical aspect, it can be enjoyed by anyone without age limit.

The end twist totally changes the perspective of the story that involved in the earlier. A nice solution, but it will not explain in detail the experiment that caused the world split with two opposite gravity forces. In my opinion, it is fine for not binding it to thoroughly on the science. As it now, everyone can understand it, even the common people. You know everyone can't be intelligent like who are, entertainment is the notion and this movie serves it well. I thought after the legend Miyazaki's retirement, the anime industry may fall behind, but his son and especially this filmmaker looks very promising and a few others I have noticed. We usually see quite a lot animation movies every year, but not that much anime movies. It is limited, so don't miss the opportunity if you get one for this movie.

Humanity

[sonumahto-23300 · 10/10 · 20 September 2019]

It's an amazing movie because it's story line is incredible...

descent anime

[reallyevilboy · 9/10 · 23 September 2014]

It's been a while since I've seen a descent anime movie. I sometimes think my expectations have been too high.

This is a movie set well after an accident that inverted gravity for a lot of the world causing people to literally fall into the sky. Years later the survivors of this accident live in two worlds below and above ground. Each world fearing the other.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I felt it was brilliantly executed and the massive twist at the end then took me ages to work out. The credits were nearly coming to the end before I went "OMIGOD!!" as the meaning of the ending suddenly occurred to me.

Great!

Very original and overlooked Anime film

[TwiZone · 9/10 · 24 May 2015]

In the midst of rehashed Hollywood story lines that we have seen a million times nowadays, it's nice to see something as original as "Patema Inverted" as far as the premise and scenarios go. It is a very interesting and mind-bending take on different groups of people who are affected by gravity in a different way. It also features nice chemistry between the two leads, breath-taking and detailed animation, one of the nicest end credits songs I have ever heard and a great twist ending that I did not see coming, along with the other twist that happens earlier in the film. If you are looking for something totally new and fresh, definitely check out "Patema Inverted."

Original concept, not so original plot.

[stagedlined466 · 5/10 · 28 March 2015]

I love GKIDS. Bringing us some of us the best foreign animated films. They are responsible for distributing; The Secret of Kells, Chico and Rita, Ernest and Celestien and many more. So naturally when I heard of this movie I didn't think twice to give it a rent.

First off I love the idea of the inverted people. There is so much creativity in the animation. The characters are pretty likable as well and the character animation is actually very expressive. However although the concept is unique the plot itself was lacking.

It's the same generic dystopian society that hates people who are different because... reasons. That part of the movie is what what keeps it from from being a great movie. I think it should just been a more simple story and not about a big government conspiracy.

Incredibly underrated; slow start but incredible finish

[a-gordon-2374 · 10/10 · 15 April 2021]

Don't read any spoilers for this movie, just watch it if you like anime. I think this is better than most other anime movies out there, including many Ghibli movies.

It does start off a little slow, and the music is pretty mediocre, but if you keep watching you will be surprised how good this movie is. Make sure you pay attention to the small details, and it will all make sense. Watching it a second or third time, you notice things you didn't the first time you saw it! That's all I can really say. Give it a try, you may love it. The story is just fantastically done.

Really intriguing

[brigitte-johnson · 10/10 · 28 July 2015]

This is a real "head-turner", but not sideways! You'll be guessing half the time where the people in the scenes are and when you know where they are, you feel bad for the people in the scenes who are not where they are supposed to be. It's a great film that makes you think about alternate worlds, what a different environment might do to the people who live there, and what authoritarian regimes can do when they manipulate your perception. I enjoyed every puzzling minute of this and -- although I was unhappy with the open ending -- understand that the puzzle must go on for the movie to make sense. The normal person inside of me does wish there were a follow-up so that I find out how all works out for Patema and Aigee. The creative person inside of me, however, likes being left with this new feeling of dizziness!

More then meets the eye

[WeAreLive · 10/10 · 2 March 2018]

Young teenage girl Patama discovers a world where people are inverts (the opposite way the person is standing) the world above want to have peace with the inverts. But when Patema goes up to the the world above she meets a boy called Age and its up to him and her to stop the evil invert leader and put things right.

Anyways this movie definitely is arguably one of the top 5 or 6 best anime movies I have ever watched. The story was great the voice acting from Robbie Daymond, Michael Sinterklaas (i think), Richard Epcar, Patrick Steiz and Cassandra Lee Morris was excellent not even one miscast.

The music is very memorable and beautiful. However the ending could have been better if they would have found a way for both the inverts and the normal people to stand on the same ground.

Another thing which never made sense was how on earth was a single scream from the main boy supposed to shatter the ground. He is not Echo Echo from Ben 10 or Banshee from X-Men.

But other then that this is definitely a heartful movie. It is very educational and has good morals to learn.

Overall: Must watch do not miss.

A swashbuckling adventure

[emfiliane · 9/10 · 9 December 2015]

If you enjoy movies like My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki's Delivery Service, this film is for you. The only way this isn't a Ghibli movie is that it wasn't made by Studio Ghibli! Every bit of their whimsy, adventure, romance, and quiet moments of introspection comes through in spades here, and while light-hearted, it doesn't shy away from the darkness. It may be a movie aimed at kids but it has everything many adults would love too; even the animation felt like Ghibli's.

The two world premise is very well thought out and done here. I heartily recommend, I doubt anyone will be disappointed.

The English voice acting is pretty good, if not on par with the Japanese. Definitely watchable.

Misleading Hype

[ObviousPrime · 4/10 · 4 June 2018]

A friend of mine recommended the film to me, so I had quite high hopes. Especially the concept of it seemed very promising. Sadly, this basic idea about reversed gravity was about the interesting thing about the movie, except the animation and music, which were quite beautiful at times. However, depth and congruity of plot were very disapointing.

The villain is too plain, Patema's and Age's "love" rushed and over the top, Porta's too predictable - not a single character is really interesting. Congruity is violated several times, e.g. when they semi-discover the secret behind the stars; they don't even seem to care and head right back, without a plan, unarmed into the hands of the army of the villain..I mean, comon. The theory behind the setup is also merely scratched upon, barely explained, hardly congruent - wasted potential.

All in all, I really don't understand the overall score of 7.4 out of 10, the top 1000 voter's rating (6.0) seems more realistic. Since I was actually pretty annoyed by the films flaws and wasted potential, I will swim against the stream giving 4/10.

Gorgeous opening, nice movie

[chacham · 8/10 · 15 June 2015]

There are two peoples, with gravity working oppositely on them. The camera shifts views often enough to express the perspective of the main character emoting on the screen. This sounds hard to pull off in a movie that switches so often, but it is done beautifully.

The story involves fear, exploration, and trust, with some very nice scenery, and slowly but surely unfolding story. When the end happens, you're ready for it, but it's not what you expected. It's a twist, but not a major twist.

The main bad guy is just plain evil. Well, actually, he's insane, or jealous, or something. His character is not fleshed out well enough, and he comes off as just an evil crackpot dictator. It's too bad, as it is he that drives a major part of the story.

The end in anticlimactic. It's a twist, and it fits, but it left me wondering, is that what i watched this for? It really isn't worth it, that is, if the end was all the movie had to deliver. However, the story, the visuals, and the connections make this story well worth watching. I'd give the first half 10 stars easily, but a little less overall.

Perfect

[vahiiid-01453 · 10/10 · 21 June 2022]

It's a perfect anime with an exceptional song that give you a happy and excited mood. Watch it as soon as possible. I give it 10 score because it makes my day better than before with its ending song.

Should watch

[narendrkumarspl · 10/10 · 12 September 2021]

The story is good but some times it gets confusing but thats the point things start to get exciting I looked yhis movie overall.

A lot of heart, intriguing story, excellent effects

[Aegelis · 8/10 · 11 August 2022]

Thoughtfully crafted adventure that offers a new perspective on our surroundings, on people, and our purpose. World(s) building is well done, situations were realistically decided on the whole. A bit of comedy were sprinkled in for fun. There's a level of complexity that goes beyond a typical story, I'm glad to see the 'easy outs' were often met with appropriate resistance.

Some of the plans were a bit of a stretch, there were moments of slowness, and the ending could've used less "huh?". Tightening up the loose ends and being a little punchier would've helped the re-watchability.