Films to see

Otherworld or Y Mabinogi, as it is called in Welsh, is an interesting attempt at making tales from Medieval Wales into a modern film, but it is quite difficult to see what exactly the creators were trying to achieve, and overall, the film is a failure.

The film starts and ends in live action in modern Wales, and the middle is animated and tells the story of the Four Branches of The Mabinogi. It skips parts of the tale, which is understandable. It manages to stitch the remainder of the story together quite nicely, and the film music is good. However, the symbolism present in this film seems a little forced, and the live action bits are made into too much of an unnecessary drama.

The other main issue is that the story might seem a bit confusing if you haven't read the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, and if you have, then you'll probably be disappointed with the film because you imagined it differently and because they skipped all the best bits. At first, it seems like all the not-so-child-friendly bits have been skipped, which would make sense in an animated film, but there is a short love-making sequence thrown in near the end plus some naked skin (all animated), and the topic of possible pregnancy is discussed in the live action end scene, making it into something far from a children's film, though probably also just as far from a film for mature audience.

Think what you want about Otherworld, but I sure don't know what to think. If you like The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, and you still decide to watch this, then prepare yourself for a disappointment.