DVD Talk Forum - Daft Punk: Interstella 5555

Interstella 5555 is a VERY cool disc. One of the best I've stumbled across in a while. It is apparently Daft Punk's album "Discovery" turned into an anime film by Leiji Matsumoto.

I have never been a fan of Daft Punk's music (with the possible exception of the song "Tha Funk" many years ago) and have never been a huge fan of anime (with the exception of Miyazaki). I rented Interstella 5555 with fairly low expectations, figuring it'd be a change of pace that would keep my attention for an hour. The music seems a bit cheesy at first, but it really grows on you. The animation is great--it's like watching a Voltron marathon while imbibing heavily in your favorite mind-altering substances.

My attempt at a plot summary:
The story follows a blue-skinned alien rock band who is kidnapped by a spaceship and brought to earth. There, the aliens are brainwashed, their skin is cosmetically altered, and they are made to appear human. Then they become the most popular band in the world (the band name "Crescendolls" must sound cooler in French or Japanese?). Despite the success, the band is held captive and unable to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Luckily, soon after the band was kidnapped, the alien planet was able to contact a hero in a guitar-shaped spacecraft who follows them to earth and attempts a daring rescue. It turns out that he's not only an intergalactic hero, but he's also the band's biggest fan.

The video is clean and crisp. The 5.1 and DTS mixes seem clear and will keep your feet tapping to the beat. I honestly haven't explored the extras all that much, but there seem to be lots of storyboards and other extras that may be of interest to others.

For a movie with no dialog, Interstella 5555 is surprisingly easy to follow. It is much more than a traditional music video extended over a full-length album. I've now watched Interstella 5555 several times and the music that seemed a bit empty at first sounds much richer and interesting. I will probably either buy this disc for my collection or buy Daft Punk's album "Discovery" because this has really grown on me. I'd recommend it to anyone at all interested in anime, Daft Punk's type of dance music, or anyone like me who just wants something different.