Netflix has just released the next amazing film from French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. This sci-fi comedy, like Jeunet’s earlier works, is meticulously crafted. In his cinematic fables, Jeunet adores combining the whimsical and the spooky. This French vision on an AI-run planet adheres to Jeunet’s distinct flair. Fans of Bigbug may be on the lookout for similar timepieces. This list will pique your interest while entertaining your thoughts.
Amélie (2001) – Not Currently Available To Stream
Bigbug and Amélie share many stylistic and tonal parallels, making it one of IMDb’s highest-rated female-led films and Jeunet’s most recognized film. However, Amélie is set in a magical Parisian neighborhood where the titular character dwells. Where others may only perceive the mundane, the innocent protagonist chooses to see the enchanting.
Amélie covertly helps everyone around her because it makes her happy, but she is alone. Until she meets a young man who collects old photographs. This film, like Bigbug, is a fantastic escape into the wonderful and everyday.
Brazil (1985) Stream On Apple TV+
With Monty Python, Terry Gilliam made a wonderful directing debut. Gilliam, like Jeunet, has a distinct vision for his films. Both films are set in an Orwellian society where people fight bureaucracy and over-automation. The set designs and sophisticated machineries are clever, and they were all designed before the advent of computer graphics.
Several members of the Monty Python team, Jonathan Pryce, and Robert De Niro are among the cast members of Brazil. It’s no surprise that there are both dramatic and comedic scenes with such a group. This film, like Bigbug, offers a grim warning about what could happen, but it also has lovely moments of what optimism can be.
Delicatessen (1991) Stream On Apple TV
This film is unquestionably not rated. The first full-length feature by G. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is set in a post-apocalyptic France where a butcher sells the residents as merchandise. Despite the film’s terrifying premise, it provides an excellent insight into the director’s enchanting technique.
All of the tenants in Delicatessen, like the communities in most of Jeunet’s films, are a joy to watch. A former clown replaces the building’s missing maintenance man and falls in love with the butcher’s daughter, according to the plot.
Mars Attacks! (1996) Stream On Amazon Prime
This is a delightful spin on 1960s Topps trading cards, and it’s one of Tim Burton’s best sci-fi/horror films. Despite having a completely different plot, the tone and humor are very similar to Bigbug. As President and First Lady of the United States, Jack Nicholson and Glenn Close star. The plot centres around how humanity would react if aliens arrived on the planet.
One of the themes explored in both films is if humans are truly smarter than other lifeforms. Both are amusing and entertaining depictions of the battle between who humans are and who they wish to be.
Robot & Frank (2012) Stream On Hulu
This lovely story is likewise set in the near future and appears to be an Odd Couple-style comedy at first glance. The comedy follows Frank after his son gives him a robot as a babysitter, starring Frank Langella as a retired jewel thief and Susan Sarandon as his favorite librarian.
Except for the fact that his dementia causes him problems, Frank recognizes that teaching the robot how to aid him in a burglary could be useful. This film explores how technology may operate both for and against us, a concept that was also explored in Bigbug.
The City Of Lost Children (1995) Stream On Amazon Prime
Jeunet’s dark fantasy is set on an isolated island where children are disappearing. An wicked scientist who lives on a rig off the coast of the island kidnaps the children and removes their dreams. Meanwhile, a circus has arrived in town, and the Strong Man joins forces with a gang of mischievous children to foil the kidnappings.
The Strong Man is played by Ron Perlman, and the outfits were designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Every element, as with Bigbug, has been meticulously considered, and the camera work is breathtaking. The camera follows fleas and cyborgs through the streets instead of robots.
The French Dispatch (2021) Stream On Apple TV+
In many aspects, Wes Anderson’s picture 2021 differs from Jeunet’s work. Both writers/directors, however, share a number of characteristics. Throughout their films, they frequently rely on the same performers. Many of Anderson’s favorite actors appear in The French Dispatch, including Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray.
They also have such distinct visions of the fantastical worlds they build. Both seek the unusual and strange in an otherwise everyday world, from dress to camera angles to color palette. Bigbug takes place on one block of a fictional future town, while this film takes place in a fictional French village.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Stream On Disney+
This Marvel movie bears no resemblance to Jeunet’s most recent work. However, there’s something about the design and comedy in both films that resonates with me. Color palettes and gleaming technologies in the films both highlight extraterrestrial locations. Director Taika Waititi injects levity and humor into his debut superhero film, much like Jeunet does in his.
In comparison to the first film in the Thor trilogy, this sequel is significantly different. Cate Blanchett stars as Hela, the all-powerful goddess of death. The action is constant and over-the-top, unlike Bigbug. Both are, however, aesthetic delights and a lot of fun.
Wall-E (2008) Stream On Disney+
It’s difficult not to draw parallels between Bigbug and the Pixar classic Wall-E. There are robots with personality in this animated sci-fi comedy. After humans have abandoned the world, Wall-E is a clean-up robot. The small robot has a charming personality and a fantastic sense of physical humor.
Wall-E received six Academy Award nominations and is well worth watching (or rewatching) as a relaxing film. Wall-E has a family-friendly G rating while having a few scary and distressing tales.
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) Stream On HBO Max
Based on a Roald Dahl story, this dark fantasy musical is a must-see. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was released to great acclaim in 1971, and it is unquestionably one of the most rewatchable films of the decade. Five youngsters are given a tour of the factory in the film, and Willy Wonka warns them that there will be surprises around every corner, but nothing harmful. And, like the robots in Bigbug, who all look to be benign at first glance, appearances can be deceiving.
Gene Wilder, who is known for his quiet and nuanced comedy, plays Willy Wonka to perfection. The chocolatier who attempts to come across as saccharine sweet, like the Yonyx robots in Bigbug, has something odd about him.
