Bilal A New Breed Of Hero Review

Bilal: A New Breed Of Hero (Rated PG-13)

(Video Review)

I was unsure what to expect from Bilal: A New Breed Of Hero, all I knew was that it was based on a famous figure from the Islamic faith and, that the trailer made it look like an appealing story of perseverance. Still, foreign-made animation outside of Japan, can be hit and miss, even independent American animation like Delgo turned out fairly poorly, and that was in production for over a decade, then again, maybe that was the bigger issue. Bilal is something special though, it's storytelling and animation are on par with the Big Three, DreamWorks, Disney, and Illumination, but the film's heart is a serious rival to those other folks. Bilal reminded me of an animated version of Braveheart or Gladiator, however, it is not just an animated historical epic, what sold me on the film was the feeling of Braveheart done Disney style. While it is more violent than a Disney film, with some scary imagery, it is also uplighting, constantly entertaining, and delivers a moral message that leaves you feeling inspired. While the theme of revenge is a motivator in the story, the film's main themes are compassion, self-worth, and inner strength. Some may or may not like that the film has a message, still, I enjoyed them as they were delivered subtly, and because they are also a very compelling part of the story.

I was surprised with Bilal given that most historical epics with themes of revenge, justify bloodshed and glorify violence for the sake of action-packed entertainment, as opposed to being a real part of the story, sometimes its disappointing that most movie violence is just window dressing to advance the plot and to give some cathartic thrills. Which I'm not against, I love some epic, entertaining violent action that serves no other purpose than to make you say, whoa... However, I tend to prefer when a story gives it's violence a greater purpose,  Bilal is that kind of film, there is plenty of intense action, that is very exciting and entertaining, but that is due to the story those scenes tell. It is thrilling to see swords clash in beautifully rendered combat, but the reason why it is so thrilling to watch those swords meet, is due to the motivation and reasoning for that meeting. This is why the film is so refreshing, it managed to be a rare case of having one's cake and eating it too. Which is how it should be, you have the cake, why would you not eat it? I mean I guess if your diabetic, I'm diabetic, so I probably shouldn't eat the cake, though it is a really good cake... Um, I have lost myself somewhere, one moment, please...

The film does a very good job from my research of staying true to the story of Bilal, in most aspects... Now I did say most aspects because, the importance of what the film leaves out is minor in terms of storytelling, but, it may not be minor if you follow the Islamic faith. Bilal is taught the faith of Islam in the film by the Lord of Merchants, however, Muhammad and Islam are never directly referenced, the faith is referred to as the movement, and Muhammad as the great and kind man who taught the Lord of Merchants this movement. I have a feeling the reasoning for this was two-fold, they were probably unsure how depictions or mentioning Muhammad would have been received, and I'm sure they also wanted to allow those who may not be interested in Islam to enjoy the film.

I think this may have been misguided, as it may offend some Muslim viewers, however, if it does get those uninterested in Islam to research, or at the very least appreciate it, then it may be a pretty fair trade-off. I am making the film seem a lot like those Christian message films, and it really is not, while faith is a major theme in the film, and it does not shy away from mentioning God, it never comes across as preachy. This is a film that is trying to tell a captivating and meaningful story first and foremost, while that story may interest you in the Islamic faith, it never feels like an advertisement for Islam. Bilal is simply an extremely well-made film, a highlight of this is the excellent pacing, there is quite a lot going on yet, it never feels slow, or like we sped through things. All of the important characters are well developed, and it's shocking that a film under two hours could cover Bilal's Childhood, Teenage and Adult years, without feeling rushed. As a matter of fact, the film actually feels like it's taking its time to tell a very epic narrative, that never feels overlong, too short, or leaves you wishing it would just end already. You rarely see animated films of this caliber unless it came from the Big Three, or Japan, it's also very rare to find animated films that feature tales of standing against oppressive laws and those who created them.

I never expected to see an animated film, that was not an Anime, tackle this kind of story so well, not to mention featuring one of the best battle scenes in recent memory. Seriously, that ending battle is insanely epic, not to mention Bilal's final duel which, just, dude... We all know that some films make us cheer in the theater, well, I was alone, in my house, and I was not only cheering, I was also screaming and clapping like a mentally challenged kid watching Saturday morning cartoons. In fact, I became that kid again, as I danced like a total fool during the amazing ending credits song, Warrior by Akon, which I have listened to on repeat ever since I saw the film. When all was said and done, I simply had to watch it all over again, few films are that good, but, Bilal is the rare film that is worthy of an instant repeat viewing.