TL;DR – A fascinating combination of animation and music, all this a real purpose and theme that made it a intriguing work of art.     

Score – 4 out of 5 stars

Post-Credit Scene – There is a post-credit scene

Review –


Earlier this year I mentioned that back in the day Daft Punk created this animated accompaniment to one of their albums and that it was surprising that no one else had really explored this as well. That was at the start of the year since then we have had multiple artists combine an album release with a short film accompaniment. We have had the highs of Anima,The Bash Brothers Experience, and Guava Island. Well, today we get add another to that list with the truly fascinating Sound & Fury.

While there is a story referenced though some recurring moments, it is more a work that focuses on mood and theme. If I was to label it I would say it is a meditation on a post-apocalyptic world by way of Japanese animation and heaping of Mad Max car action and sheer absurdity all put to a rock anthem. This, I hope, will give you some idea as to just how weird this music video/experience is, but also how fascinatingly interesting it is.

There is a lot to parse when it comes to the animation as it packs a thematic punch at times, which is even before it segues into a dance party. Throughout the show there is a mix of animation styles and even a few live-action moments. There is black and white hand-drawn, 3D style computer animation, stop-motion, and many refrains on anime. This constant shift of style in line with the different songs means that you are constantly shifting focus and if one style is not gelling with you then it is going to change up soon.   

The overall theme is different musings on war and it goes to some really dark places, holding the camera just a few moments longer than you would usually do. This gives the film a lot more impact than it usually would as we traverse the wasteland created by humans. There were a lot of moments throughout Sound & Fury, but I think my favourite one was this story of someone skating through the dead city in a hazmat suit, it sucks you into this world with you waiting for the big reveal. Throughout the different episodes, we delve into the world of hate, greed, and gluttony, and the innocent people that are caught in the crossfire. This is really powerful stuff at times and it does not hold back.

All of this is of course set to Sturgill Simpson’s rock anthem which does a really good job of setting the audio feel and punctuating the action on the screen. To be honest, I had not heard any of Sturgill’s work before, so this was a really good introduction and I will be checking more of his music out in the future. Of course, all the music is in that rock genre, so if you don’t like that genre that could be a deal-breaker understandable. But I would still recommend giving it a watch for the animations. If you are a fan of rock then this is a show you will want to plug into your headphones and enjoy.

In the end, do we recommend Sturgill Simpson Presents Sound & Fury? Yes we do. The animation is interesting and visually engaging, the themes are important and fit the animation style, and it is all put together with a banging rock anthem.                                     

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Sound & Fury?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Sound & Fury
Directed by – Jumpei Mizusaki with Koji Morimoto, Michael Arias, Masaru Matsumoto, Arthell Isom, Henry Thurlow, Takanobu Mizuno, Elsa Nakamichi, Hajime Sasaki & Shinji Takagi
Written by – Jumpei Mizusaki & Sturgill Simpson
Based on – Music by Sturgill Simpson
Music by – Sturgill Simpson
Cinematography by – Naoto Oishi, Takanobu Mizuno, Jumpei Takatsu, Mami Takamura, Tomoaki Suziki, Elsa Nakamichi, so Nagata, Tomoe Nakano, Chen Yun An, Thibault Tresca, Masayuki Fuji & Chigi Kanbe
Edited by – Masaru Matsumoto, Henry Thurlow, Arthell Isom, Rachel Nathania Hoo
Production/Distribution Companies – Netflix
Starring – Chiyuki Kanazawa, Junnosuke Yonesaka, Yoji Mizusawa, Mash Shimizu, Shinji Kanazawa, Aiko Mizuno, Alto Tanaka, Yuri Uehara & Hiroaki Takeuchi
Rating – Australia: MA15+;