‘Entergalactic’ Review: Fantastic Animation, Lackluster Story

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Photo courtesy of Netflix

This review may contain minor spoilers for Entergalactic: please read with caution if you have not seen the film.

“Entergalatic” was released in September, an exciting crossbreed of media that transformed Kid Cudi’s new album into a short animated movie. 

The animation style in the film is very similar to “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse,” using harsh lines and highly contrasting colors to display New York City as a beacon of light and possibilities for artists of all sorts. 

However, the story was simply lacking. The short film follows an upcoming comic book artist, Jabari, who falls head over heels in love with his neighbor, Meadow. Kid Cudi (Jabari) is versatile as ever and delivered stunningly as a voice actor, and Jessica Williams (Meadow) delivers a dreamy and enhancing performance. 

The animation style is beautiful, almost like a stop-motion dream, highlighted by highly saturated and contrasted colors. I feel like every single scene from this short film could be considered a work of art. 

However, I have a couple of critiques for the film. I understand that many animated styles use impossible proportions that represent unrealistic standards, but that does not stop me from being disappointed when I see a lack of body representation.

Every female character had an hourglass figure to the point they looked like they could not physically house organs inside their frame. Similarly, Jabari is insanely toned, and I just wish animated works like this included other body types. 

The score was fantastic, and Kid Cudi delivered an exciting vocal performance that compliments the short film. 

However, there was not much storyline to follow besides Jabari’s love life. I was rooting for him and Meadow to end up together the entire time, but there was not much depth to the narrative. Jabari has a short internal struggle about whether he should give into the corporate censorship of his comic book character or continue addressing the dark parts of society no one discusses. 

However, this was not fueled by the corporation he worked for but rather just an off-putting comment from one of his new co-workers. 

It felt like Jabari did not overcome a meaningful internal struggle since he was too focused on his love life, and his work was not the film’s central point. 

I remember reading Entergalactic was initially intended to be a short show with multiple episodes, which could contribute to some choppy transitions between scenes. The film is organized into various short chapters, but many of them feel off-pace, with some only being a couple of minutes long and some taking up most of the film. 

This led me to believe that the release format was not organized as well as it could have been, which may have been the root of issues with pacing and awkward cuts into the next chapter. 

Some of the animations are choppy, but I personally enjoyed that style. The transitions of Jabari riding his bike in the city streets are enchanting; the city lights transform the atmosphere into a beautiful dreamscape. 

The animations do an excellent job of capturing the character’s emotions at every moment, and I felt like I had a genuine attachment to Jabari and Meadow by the end of the film. This animation style provokes a certain feeling, and it’s a relaxing watch to wind down at night. 

Kid Cudi’s music does not make a dramatic entrance but rather complements the film as a background soundtrack. I appreciate the movie for what it is, a simple expression of beautiful animation.

Overall, “Entergalactic” felt like it did not have much subsistence to it. The animation style is captivating, and I would recommend giving the film a watch for that and the music, but nothing was astounding about the story. 

Rate: 8/10