Though loosely based on the 14th century poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, 2010’s Dante’s Inferno was directly inspired by a video game of the same name (developed by Visceral Games and released by Electronic Arts).
Having survived the Third Crusade, the brave knight Dante (voiced by Graham McTavish) now must descend into hell to save his beloved Beatrice (Vanessa Branch), whose soul has been claimed by Lucifer himself (Steve Blum).
Aided by the poet Virgil (Peter Jessop), Dante fights his way through the nine circles of hell, but will he fall victim to his own sins and weaknesses along the way?
With six different directors lending their talents to the project, Dante’s Inferno is always interesting to look at; I especially enjoyed the filmmaker’s interpretation of the 2nd circle (“Lust”), while the 3rd circle (“Gluttony”) was as gross as it was visually exciting (Dante faces off against Cerberus, the Hound of Hell, who at one point swallows Dante whole). The film is also incredibly violent; each circle features an action sequence, and copious amounts of bloodshed.
Yet as impressed as I was with the movie’s style, I was never emotionally invested in its story; it always felt like I was watching someone else play a video game (which makes sense, I guess, taking into account its inspiration). In addition, the final segment, when Dante battles Lucifer, was a major let-down (it was the weakest portion of the movie, when it should have been the strongest).
Fans of the video game and anime in general will find a lot to love about Dante’s Inferno. As for me, I only liked it, and not as much as I hoped I would.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
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