Julien Neaves, Caribbean Head Writer
Plot: Following the biblical Rapture a boy named Enji receives powers from a mysterious prophet and must use his abilities and the guidance of heavenly beings to uncover his destiny.
Context: When the average person hears about a film or TV project created by artificial intelligence (AI) they would usually respond with either suspicion or uninterest. And while the use of AI in creative projects remains divisive there are some interesting things happening recently in the Trinidad and Tobago film industry.
In a news article last month, Verena Boodoosingh, an AI film producer and writer, announced she is adapting her science fantasy novel The Circle Armor into a feature-length movie using AI tools. Also last month I reviewed Make a Living an animated short film creative by Trinidadian husband-and-wife team of Kevin Licorish and Jeanelle Frontin. It was one of 50 finalists in the global short film competition hosted by Runway AI called Gen48 challenge. And just this month writer/producer Dyland Thomas (who impressed with T&T action thriller Sacrificial) and Endyoor Studios AI division released three episodes of their experimental post-apocalyptic biblical sci fi fantasy webseries Era of the Beast. Which brings us to our review today.
Review: As a writer and creative myself I will admit that I am also somewhat sceptical about the use of AI in creative projects. But I was impressed with the work and creativity on display in Make a Living and again with Era of the Beast. With the latter project, I was drawn into the epic adventures of likeable hero Enji. The AI animation is solid, the character work is strong, the action is fluid and the voice work is top notch. At a point I forgot it was all AI generated and just allowed myself to get swept in this unique mix of Bible story, science fiction and fantasy.
The first episode of Era of the Beast is one minute and 30 seconds and serves to set up the story. The second episode, which is just under two minutes, explores Enji and his abilities. The third episode, which is just over four minutes, expands the story, features really cool action and ends of an intriguing cliffhanger. I enjoyed all three and I am definitely looking forward to more.
In Conclusion: If AI can allow our local filmmamkers to craft great projects like this that display their creative talents without the need for a massive budget, then that is definitely a good thing. And we will still have live action and animated projects. Those aren’t going anywhere.
You can check out the episodes of Era of the Beast by clicking below:
And you can check out more Trinidad and Tobago content below as well:
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.