(2008)
2
Derek Armstrong
Movie fans love to skewer Hollywood for relying on proven entities instead of new ideas, but Delgo illustrates exactly why studios prefer the familiar. With a slate of alien species and otherworldly landscapes that were decidedly unfamiliar, Delgo failed to gross even one million dollars, making it the least profitable movie ever to open on at least 2,000 screens. Its blend of what we've seen (a yawn-inducing hero's journey) and what we haven't seen (an uninspiring alien world) turned out to be a toxic formula, winning no supporters and wasting a 40-million-dollar budget. A kindred spirit to Battle for Terra, which was released just a few months later, Delgo also presents us with an original sci-fi fantasy realm, hoping to wow us with "cutting-edge" visuals and nourish us with a message about different beings coexisting peacefully. But like Battle for Terra, it just doesn't have the resources to pull it off. By 2008, the quality of theatrical animation had reached such imposing heights, there simply wasn't room for movies with a notch less sophistication -- and Delgo is several notches less sophisticated. Neither is the B+ vocal talent very effective; the voices are recognizable without having any particular personality. (Most annoying is the title character's cowardly sidekick, whose shrill whines come courtesy of SNL castoff Chris Kattan.) While Delgo is undeniably a misfire, it's hard to fault Fathom Studios for trying to execute a concept it spent a decade developing. It's just that animated features have to be all or nothing these days. Either double the budget and force audiences to take notice, or halve it and release the thing straight to video. By going halfway -- and failing to set aside any money for an ad campaign -- Delgo ended up as the worst possible version of itself, both artistically and financially.
Delgo on AllMovie
Delgo (2008)
