Reviewed by Ben Lee

This review contains minor spoilers.

I have mixed feelings about SATANIK. Part of me says that the ideas in this movie are great and tells me that the character development of Satanik and the Inspector were superbly done. The other part tells me that I was quite worried about most of the cast, and repeats to me how disturbing Satanik actually is. But then again, I suppose that was what Andres was aiming for, to develop Satanik's character to someone who is dark and, well, too insane. Nearly everything he does is too cruel to be true and Andres shows Satanik's cold-hearted side really well, for example, the conversation between Satanik and his girlfriend about how they met made me shiver. There are many other small touches which the director adds, like Satanik giving people slow, painful deaths, and they further emphasize how evil he really is and each touch just adds to my anger against Satanik.

But away from the rather disturbing things, let's talk about the comic style for a bit. This was very nicely done with simplistic sceneries to fit in with the comic-look. Anyone who says they are 'plain' or 'dull' really does not get the point of this idea. Do comics look 3D? No. Do they show off highly detailed pictures? No. SATANIK mimics a comic book, keeping the simplistic look, and the director really has done this superbly. The split-screens, which can be seen very often, have also been done extremely well. The director has obviously thought about the camera angles and how to display each scene. There is even a couple of comic references in the movie. Oh, and let me add that the soundtrack is terrific. Each tune fits with what's happening, and guess what, there's even a SATANIK theme tune! The whole movie was directed brilliantly, and Andres deserves a lot of credit.

But he's not the only one to thank. Jaymond is superb as Satanik, he really fits the part. He gives that extra bit to the character and helps to develop Satanik's character. Jon Barton was also good with the voices, backing up Jaymond as the Inspector. The characters have so much feeling in them and they actually have emotions. SATANIK is set in Rome, and this also helps. How? Well, since the events are taking place in a real place, the characters seem pretty real. Wonderful. But, despite me praising its ideas, I dunno, I just sat there in disgust when I see Satanik do something cruel and evil. I know that you're meant to give him cold looks and stuff, but I badly wanted the Inspector to hunt down Satanik and bring him to justice. The only major fault I can think of is that I (let me emphasize the word "I") absolutely hated Satanik's guts. Should I be hating the main character so much?

At the end of the day though, this movie is a must-see. All the hype has made me expect too much from this, but even then, I was still very impressed. Andres has made something which has stunned many people with this masterpiece, and although I flinched every time I see Satanik do something remarkably over-the-top, this is one hell of a movie. Top marks for character development, the director has breathed life into these characters, and you feel for them as you watch this great movie. Make sure you watch this, SATANIK will go down in history. You won't regret it.

Score: 93/100