Reviewed by Jason Meckes

Although he seldom shows us the depths of his artistic capabilities, 3dmm.com Bulletin Board denizen Fat Puppy is more than just another pretty avatar... or Harris-tar, it would be more appropriately titled. Still, though his 3dmm works might be few and far between, Fat Puppy knows every in-and-out of the program, and has the skills to make his efforts shine. The problem, I assume, is that he is such a directorial visionary that he over-complicates his works, and thus struggles to finish. Avengeance was released in trailer form in 2002 to moderate appeal, though it didn't show much more than the key scenes of the movie done so far. After not touching the movie for months, the unfinished version was later released, though largely forgotten, as most unfinished works are. Unable to find a copy on any other major site, it would seem that one of the few, rare full files lie on my harddrive. Hopefully this review will help it grow in numbers.

From the very beginning, we can tell that we are in a world that we do not fully understand. Secretive entrances, security precautions, basically all of the dead-giveaways of important secrets. It isn't until the beginning action is over that we get the hint that this secret and the action to sabotage it are most likely politically oriented. Our 'hero,' the foremost character of the film, seemingly manages to survive a sticky situation in the introduction, but just how is left to our imagination. Before long, though, he finds that he didn't escape scathe-free at all, for legions of security guards surround his home, ready to attack as the movie comes to an abrupt halt. As much as I hate to spoil the ending for you in this review, the ending can be said is a spoil in-and-of itself. Just as we start to become engulfed in this espionage-esque, intriguing plot, we are left with nothing more to further quench our thirst for information. In retrospect, my mind has trouble comprehending an unscheduled ending, and tries to finish the story itself. Did our hero yet again survive against all odds out of our view, or did he finally fall victim to the tyranny he was earlier fighting against? I came to the conclusion that he was done for, and that his efforts had seemingly been in vain.

With just a small bit more effort, Avengeance could've possibly been made into a short. Albeit, this short would not have probably followed the director's earlier vision, but at least it would've been a complete story. Consider, if you will, that the hero dies, and his efforts have been for nothing. That, in itself, is a story. Although he knew inside that there was no way he could've toppled this government, he tried anyhow. Futility illustrated. Still, there is something to be said of chosen futility - courage. He knew he wouldn't win, but at least he did something. An apparently grim message has very light, uplifting undertones. As an added twist, the director could've had some fun showing a last scene of the rubble that now is the factory-or-plant which our hero destroyed. Maybe power would now be lost on the satellite communication that kept the evil government in power because of this; a good closing shot for this would be the presidential building unaware of the people now surrounding it, or the missiles now being aimed towards it. Maybe instead a sticker on the rubble displays how the facility gave life-giving power to all of the hospitals in the region he was trying to get to revolt. There's a completely new, dark undertone altogether! As I was saying, with just a little more planning, knowing that he couldn't finish the entire movie, Fat Puppy could've morphed Avengeance into something short, but undeniably sweet.

The animation is well above average, especially for it's day. I will be honest, and I'm sure even Fat Puppy would agree with me, that one shot stands above all of the rest, and that is where we have an aerial view of the facility blowing up. The smoke changes color in reaction to the blasts, entire sections implode and fall in; it's a very detailed scene. But that's not to say it's perfect - many improvements could still be made. Flying debris, smoke and dust/sand clouds, an actively vibrating camera, all these and more would've really added to the scene. Other great scenes smell of a distinct look the director was looking for. The loudspeakers (I assume) overshadowing the intruder as he enters the facility, the fluid-moving camera entering the boss' room, the rapid movement of the camera gracing over the firing line at the end, all of these told me that Puppy had though long and hard about how he wanted this movie to look before hand. Whether or not that is the case is not an issue, the fact is that it actually looks like a lot of thought was put into even the animation and cinematography, both as active and moving as the vibrant musical scores overtopping the movie.

Still, Avengeance sits largely unfinished. Much of this review was therefore based on speculation and raw fantasy. This, though, might have been for the best. Avengeance got me thinking. Out of just it's ridiculously short runtime, this movie got me thinking about political motives, possible outcomes, even entire short films. And then I think further, isn't that what the movie would've tried to accomplish in the first place? To entertain through it's twists and turns, most brought about by our minds running wild with it. It dumbfounds me to say it, but perhaps Avengeance Unfinished accomplished in it's 2-3 minute runtime exactly what it would've aimed to do in a finished version of 10 times the length. Heh, in today's time-precious world, maybe this is a godsend. Technically, I feel that this movie, as it is, earns a very decent 7.5 on my Unfinished Scale. But the fact that it entertained my brain for 15, 20 times longer than it ran, I'll bump it up another notch.

I just want it to be known that I really, really want Fat Puppy to get back into 3dmming. He's a very talented individual, and there's always more entertainment in his works than you would probably pick up at first glance (Even in the 2-Minute Competition). Please continue 3dmming, we need you very much.

Community service over,

8/10
Highly unfinished, yet highly suggestive of finished forms. A rather deep 3 minutes of mixed footage