BoOzy' OS and the Cristal Gem
Written and directed by J.K. Arsyn, ‘BoOzy' OS and the Cristal Gem’ is an animation short that sees its protagonist BoOzy’ OS joining a film festival to seek the prize, a crystal of unimaginable power. However, in his path is the villain Mari' OS, who also wants the crystal for his own nefarious reasons, and a race to the finish line ensues where the crystal awaits the arrival of whoever comes first.
The first word that comes to mind after watching the film is ‘interesting’. The character designs are unique, and there is a concerted effort to make fun of established franchises such as 'Super Mario Bros.' and 'Avatar', as well as several Disney animation movies. The conflict between the protagonist BoOzy' OS and antagonist Mari' OS is well developed, and there are also some notable side characters that we are introduced to along the way.
Being a student film, there are obvious technical shortcomings, but Arsyn makes up for them in cinematography and design, which are colourful and kinetic. There is an obvious effort to cram so much story into this five-minute short that one has a hard time following it, but Arsyn balances the narrative with the visual flair in such a way that he is able to pull this off, most of the time.
The final act deserves special praise as it has several surprises that make the whole story better. In addition, the film is extremely violent as well, with decapitations, deaths and people turning into skeletons, and the way in which the fair maiden is beheaded at the end is particularly gruesome to watch. Arsyn has thus made a film that combines adult themes with animation in a meaningful way, that does not feel tacky or cliched but rather experimental. In addition, the sound effects are quirky as well and together, the audiovisual flair of the short is undoubtedly the beating heart of this endeavour.
Colourful, lively and weird in a good way, ‘BoOzy' OS and the Cristal Gem’ is different enough from similar genre films to deserve some positive recognition. Clunky animation design aside, J.K. Arsyn should be applauded for trying to do something different. Whether he has succeeded or not in this regard is up for the audience to decide, but one thing is clear; ‘BoOzy' OS and the Cristal Gem’ is both funny and original in enough measure to get a thumbs up from us.