The Good
The movie reminds me of Miyazaki magic worlds and stories, and of his precious 2-D animation.
The recreation of the world of dreams is really amazing, so realistically oniric in narrative and visuals. I especially liked the repeating scene of the cop in the corridor, which is true onirism brought to life. However, all the scenes even the craziest ones, are incredible as they bring to life the feelings, sensations and awkwardness of the oniric world. That's so difficult to do!
The colours of the movie are eye candy, especially the ones in the dreams. In fact, there is a contrast between the glee and bright colours of the dream world, and the grey and subdued tones of the real world. However, when reality and dream start to merge we get a mix of both. I find this extremely interesting, because most movies would colour reality and dreams inversely, and that is very mainstream.
The plot is crazy, sometimes confusing, not enough grounded, but, hey, this is a movie about dreams, and you have to put yourself in your dreaming mood, and, like in a dream, you don't need the whole story to make sense, as dreams rarely do that. Said this, I found the story related to Detective Konakawa really intriguing and very well narrated, and his character very interesting. Also believable the character of the overweight childish scientist Dr. Tokita.
The So-so
The main female character, Dr Atsuko, is a very intriguing character, but, sometimes, the viewer doesn't fully understand why she is so cold in real life, and why, her alter ego is so warm and cheery. Moreover, we don't know why Paprika is the key to solve all the dream problems. Why is she not manipulated before the other scientists are being as involved as she is in the project?
I found shocking that semi-nude erotic scenes were easily shown, and then, you see the giant humans at the end as they do not even have a hint of genitalia! How awkward! My dreams show humans with all their bits!
The Bad
The most important down, to me, is the dubbing of the characters, both in English and in Japanese - Very dull in the first, just dull in the second. The actors seem to be reciting a text they were reading to themselves in a boring rainy afternoon...acting is a very different thing. That affects the tone and energy of the movie. If you have an action/thriller scene and the actors speak as if they were talking to their old grandma, there is a problem. Also, the lack o inflection in the talking of some characters makes those characters plain, especially in the case of Dr Atsuko. I also got annoyed at the voice of Paprika being so silly and childish, especially in Japanese.
The second down is that the scientific details of the "DC mini" are explained in a very complicated way, while a simpler approach would have made those bits less boring. They are realistic, as scientists speak like that, but this is not a documentary but an animation movie in which you don't need real mumbo-jumbo to make sense.
The Interesting
The references to some well known Hollywood and Japanese movies, both in posters and the "sweding" or recreation of some scenes in the dreams. However, the most intriguing reference to me is the mention of the short animation film of the 1940s "Dream Kids". I don't know if Paprika (the original novel on which the script is based) has a connection of any sort with that movie or not.
Truly trippy and enjoyable. Unforgettable oniric scenes.
