2/5 style vs substance
  by Andrew Kirkpatrick
It's an interesting approach, but randomly throwing a bunch of symbolism around does not necessarily generate meaning.

3/5 A Sci-Fi Pilgrim's Progress
  by Brian Lueth (Chicago, IL United States)
If you're familiar with Caro's work (Delicatessen, City of Lost Children) you know exactly what to expect from him visually so I knew going into Dante 01 that it was going to be beautiful to behold and I was correct in that assumption. Dante 01's visuals are stunning, even for the obviously low budget Caro had to work with.

Unfortunately what I didn't expect was the tragically short run time and the underdeveloped, "Pilgrim's Pride in Space" storyline. Some of the back story is hinted at in the synopsis for this film and off-handedly mentioned in the film itself but nothing even remotely adequate enough to fill viewers in on what's going on. I mean, I'm all for making viewers think and draw their own conclusions but sometimes a little exposition can be helpful.

The acting in Dante 01 was fantastic; would you expect anything less from Lambert Wilson, Caro/Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon and the gorgeous Linh Dan Pham (Indochine)? Perish the thought! Caro has gathered together an exceptional cast of actors, breathtaking production and costume design and truly impressive practical & CG effects.

Dante 01 is a sci-fi fans wet dream but those looking for a cohesive story will be left out in the cold. It's just not here, this is French sci-fi at its best...meaning it's wonderful to look at and it'll leave you scratching your head. I could probably have gone on and on about the religious text/subtext but it's all right there for you to digest on your own, I found some of it effective and other bits just plain silly. No problem though, you'll get what you came for if you came for the visual style, Pinon or Cemetery Man's François Hadji-Lazaro because Dante 01's got `em baby!

4/5 Dante 01 ****
  by A. Bosch (USA)
I really enjoyed this French movie. There's something very un-Hollywood about well made foreign films (that's a compliment) and this one has it. The story is good and well-acted. I'd recommend it to anyone, especially people who enjoy foreign films.

5/5 A MUST for Sci-Fi fans
  by P. B Rubalcaba (Redlands, CA USA)
It reminded me of a millennium version of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This one is out of this world (no pun intended). Kudos to Lambert Wilson, who plays the role of St. George's. Riveting. The special effects are superb...and the suspense and support acting is flawless. Director Marc Caro has created a masterpiece. This is his first film in over a decade...a decade in the making. He's best known for The City of Lost Children, and Delicatessen in 1991. This is one of the "Dimension Extreme" classics, so labelled because of its intense and graphic nature. But that's what the new millennium is all about. He takes us to the doorstep of sci-fi in the second decade of the millennium. All 5 stars...no questions asked.

3/5 Unpredictable, but good
  by Simon Cleveland (USA)
Dante 01 is a dark and engaging movie and I still think about it long after turning off the TV.

I've discovered that good French movies are often hard to predict. I tested this hypothesis over and over again as I watched Martyrs, Them and High Tension. Not until close to the end do I find myself realizing the hidden meanings behind these types of movies.

Dante 01 is no exception. It starts on a remote ship - a space station for criminally insane - orbiting around a star. Soon, viewers witness new arrivals of a doctor and another patient whose role proves mysterious until the very end of the movie.

While the new doctor integrates with the others, the patient is left to fight for his own among the insane who by the way appear well organized and quite rational. After series of incidents the viewers discover that the new arrival possess the capacity to heal wounds and take away death.

The new doctor delivers new technology to the station - nanotechnology that once injected into a patient can genetically reprogram the DNA. Not all doctors are converted to this new technology and soon there is a rift between the ranks, rift that causes the end of the station's existence.

To shorten the story, the new patient becomes a favorite among some of the wild bunch who decide to protect him rather than hurt him. Fights occur between the doctors and among the two fractions of the insane and soon the survivors regroup to help their failing space station, which is falling apart and on a trajectory to crash on the surface pf the star.
And then the heroism and role of the new patient is revealed.

The acting is good and the story interesting. Movies in similar fashion:

) Event Horizon
) Sunshine
) Solaris