Wonderful character development!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This movie is just about impossible to fit into a genre, and that's pretty much a good thing. If you've ever seen the Japanese movie Wild Zero (which is also awesome), then it kind of helps to understand this movie. It's a bit of absurd comedy, action/thriller, and horror. The great thing is how abruptly it transitions between the genres and yet still have it work.Any sort of breakdown of the plot would not really do it justice. The essential bit is a strange group of beings from another dimension invading a small town. But there's so much more in terms of sub plots and the film explores them just as much. The end is a bit of a let down, but the rest of the ride is just a ton of fun if for no other reason than it's so crazy.

This work could be the strongest contender for this title. It's incredible that the Poiraud brothers were able to find a bucketful of producers to finance their hare-brained project. Maybe because they feared to see where all the millions of Euros had gone, they didn't want to see the finished product before it opened in France in the summer 2004 and one could add in particular conditions. There were neither screenings for the specialized press in cinema nor trailers on the telly or at the movies. Personally, I remember very well when I went to see "Spider-Man 2" (2004) at the theaters. In the corridor leading to the room, I noticed a cover of the film but I didn't pay much attention at all about it. I didn't have the single inkling of the contents of the Poiraud's product. Anyway, their work was bound to disappear from the French theaters after a few weeks of screening. Commercial suicide in all its splendor which can be easily explained. How can you expect to make audiences flock to an amorphous story? At a pinch, the most curious ones might have been interested to have a look at it...I must admit that it's not that much bad. Okay, anyone who will label this movie as a masterwork will be a liar and at first sight one would like to hammer "Atomik Circus: Le Retour De James Bataille" and to relegate it to purgatory but there are some valuable plus sides one can save from this wreckage. About the title: is it a misnomer? Given the various ingredients the Poiraud brothers put in their dish, one could agree that it's a real circus they have concocted. And what about James Bataille? Actually, one doesn't see him for nearly the half of the movie. He has just a few lines to say and the moments during which he has the meatiest part of his role finds itself at the end of the movie, especially during a fight. It is funny when one knows that Bataille means "fight" in French.The outset of the film takes us to Skotlett, a lost dump where one wouldn't want to spend one's holidays populated with inhabitants with a redneck mentality. The tail end showcases a desert landscape which seems directly taken from "Planet of the Apes" (1968) or even a part of "Capricorn One" (1978), Peter Hyams' best effort. Between the two, two different subplots. On the one hand, Conchia (Vanessa Paradis) who is eager to take a chance in music. She's spotted by an unscrupulous manager Alan Chiasse (Benoît Poelvoorde) who's more interested in her look than her potential as an artist. On the other hand, James Bataille (Jason Fleyming) who strives to come back to Skotlett to find again her fiancée Conchia. Two conventional subplots which culminate with an invasion of aliens and it's virtually a rehash of the sci-fi of the fifties crossed with horror (there's blood galore and ripped bodies). If one plays the Poiraud brothers' game, if one accepts this unlikely mix of distinct cinematographic genres in a preposterous story, if one accepts this hustle of the narrative conventions, not taken seriously "Atomik Circus" is rather fun to watch. While reading the two subplots, one could detect something conventional in them but the directors try to thwart it through the unexpected like the alien invasion for instance. Also conventional is the final fight between Bataille and Chiasse transformed in an alien. You probably guessed the winner but the story isn't over and the predictable side of what follows is defused by an unexpected twist in the tail end.These qualities mustn't make the lover forget that there are negative points in the Poiraud brothers'UFO. First, problems of rhythm: sluggish at the outset but wild with the carnage caused by the aliens. Then, two-bit tricks to bridge some steps of the story are difficult to swallow and the Poiraud brothers aren't virtuosos of the camera at all. There is a lot of hand-held camera, an amateur side and sometimes they botch the job. Same remark for a scenario which is sometimes ill-conceived. (The first draft encompassed many other things which weren't tapped during the shooting).But if you're tired of walking safely in the landscape of French cinema, watch this mix of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Mars Attacks" (1996) as the press kit deemed it. It could have gained with a little more of attention and control. One last thing: the actors had fun by overplaying their characters who are real puppets. The cast includes Jean-Pierre Marielle who agreed to replace the sadly regretted Jean Yanne and I wonder what he would have done with his part. All of them said they really enjoyed the shooting and the vibe of the film and the set. You might also enjoy this film if you follow some of the possible instructions I mentioned earlier.

That's a lot of halves! This is just your average sci-fi/musical/comedy/gore/action French film! A very bizarre mix of different things that doesn't completely gel but has some interesting moments. Jason Flyming and Vanessa Paradis (that's Mrs. Johnny Depp to you) star as two lovers who are being kept apart by a angry father in a dusty small town that is getting ready to run their annual talent show competition. Then aliens attack. You can tell the directors were trying to go for that "all out" approach like a Peter Jackson flick, but they never fully succeed. The singing dog is nice though. Benoît Poelvoorde (the hit-man from MAN BITES DOG) co-stars as a sleazy talent agent and perhaps gives the best performance.

The finest genre-blend ever. An insane (in the best sense of this word) sci-fi / comedy / gore / (and more ) B movie. Both strong visual mastery and amazing human character in every shots. It is something totally new even if a lot of components are very familiar (jut like Tarantino's kill bill).The highly inventive rock'n roll soundtrack is gorgeous. This film is so creative that you could discover new pleasures even after 100 screening...It is just a pure delight from the first to the last frame.