00Dee Boned: Venison Jelly

This review contains minor spoilers.

If you were compiling a list of 3DMM's best animators, who would you have? Well, after you watch Venison Jelly, you should no doubt have Russel Stepan in there along with the likes of Aaron Haynes and Gorosaurus. From start to finish, Stepan shows off many brilliant animations and turns this into a lovable action flick, which at the same time, keeps you in awe when you see those stunning and fluent sequences. From the rotating cameras to the log-jumping and battling on cliffs, this is one of the best movies animations-wise. But as well as the eye-candy Venison Jelly offers, there are also moments where you can't help chuckling. The first thing I laughed at was when Dee Boned gets thrown out of bed, out of the window, and lands in his office via a chute, a reference to the start of You Only Live Until You Die.

But that is not what makes Venison Jelly like it is. What makes this movie so addictive to watch is the high amounts of brilliant, top-class action. It is so damn good that when the mayhem comes to a halt and Dee Boned decides to have a small chat with his enemy, you desperately wait for the action to come back. When you keenly watch Dee Boned chasing the culprit in the lumber building and then it suddenly comes to an abrupt end when they both get trapped in a log, starting a little chat, you don't care about what they are both talking about. You want more action. That is what Venison Jelly is best at, and that is what you want to see. That's not to say that the dialogue is all that bad, because it isn't. The witty lines are really amusing, but if I had a choice between that and the action, I know which one I would choose.

Music choices are almost as good as the animations, the only small complaint I have is that the 'Mountainboard Chase' music was played too quietly. Voices are also on top-form, with Russel Stepan, Robert Pavlinsky and Jaymond taking up the roles, and let's face it, the sound effects were awesome. Every crack, thud, splash, grunt and just about everything else was there and was timed pretty much flawlessly. So, with action scenes fitted in with eye-catching animations, some great music and brilliant sound effects, if you are looking for a brainless movie full of mayhem, like the JDR series, Venison Jelly is for you.

The weird thing about the 00 Dee Boned movies is that the reasons behind all the jaw-dropping action are all ridiculous. I haven't seen Rotisserie Chicken yet (but I will soon) but take a look at You Only Live Until You Die. What's the reason for the exaggerated action? Dee Boned has to wash laundry. It's not exactly what you see in the James Bond films, but it works so damn well. Why? Because it's silly and hilarious; you look at the scenes differently because it's plain stupid. It's just like Venison Jelly. Dee Boned has to chase the framer because of a silly sandwich, and that makes all the action sequences all the more enjoyable to watch. Would I be laughing at the chaotic scenes if Dee Boned was trying to save the world?

And if you think that's all, you're wrong. The scenery has been constructed extremely well, you will notice many of the small details Stepan has concentrated on, such as the way the pencils were made, there is THAT amazing silhouette scene, and there are some brilliant, exaggerated facial expressions. There is something in here for everyone, whether you want to improve your animating, want to find some inspiration, or you just want to have some fun with this movie. You really can't go wrong taking a look at Venison Jelly, with fans of the Dee Boned series finding and pointing out subtle references to earlier Dee Boned titles, and with new viewers admiring and praising all the action and, of course, the animations. Well done Russel, you have made a hell of a movie. You have finally shown what the Dee Boned movies should be like: eye-catching, action-packed and full of life.

Score: 95/100