Review: Bilal: A New Breed of Hero

A gorgeous, mature dramatization of the life of one of Islam’s most prominent early figures.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS BELOW)

Who was Bilal ibn Rabah?

For people without knowledge of Islam or the Quran, this question would likely have been difficult to answer until now. Beyond his status as the first Muezzin to recite the call for prayer (for non-Muslims, that’s basically a Muezzin’s main responsibility), the film seeks to expand the scope of Bilal’s importance by focusing on his fight against slavery and discrimination. With that in mind, much of A New Breed of Hero will feel familiar to anyone who saw The Prince of Egypt 20 years ago. This is neither a compliment nor a criticism, but simply an unavoidable coincidence due to both films’ protagonists dealing with similar weighty themes and being key historical figures for popular religions. However, perhaps the most concise impression I can give of A New Breed of Hero is that how much you enjoy it can almost definitely be predicted by your feelings towards Prince of Egypt.

For instance, the former isn’t a musical, despite mentioning the beauty of Bilal’s voice in the on-screen text just before the credits. I ultimately think this is a smart decision, not least because it helped to reduce the number of direct comparisons I made to Prince of Egypt. Limiting the use of music allows Bilal to devote more attention to exploring its themes, and the one scene where its lead actually sings becomes particularly memorable and poignant for how great it contrasts the rest of the film. Pressured by his wealthy master Umayyah to entertain houseguests, the enslaved Bilal gives an unaccompanied, fragile performance, recalling his late mother. Having been murdered by the same men who sold Bilal and his sister into slavery, the loss of his mother is continuously felt and grieved alongside the loss of his freedom; A New Breed of Hero isn’t subtle about this parallel, as regular flashbacks depict a young Bilal being told the importance of “removing chains”, literally and figuratively, before one can do great things. Nevertheless, it’s an emotionally resonant and powerful motif and confirms that even with its religious origins, the film’s subject matter is demonstrably heavy. As mentioned above, it’s pleasing to find that the team behind A New Breed of Hero have put so much consideration into how to examine themes, and there’s an impressive variety to the methods the film employs to provoke thought from its viewers. In addition to the flashback sequences with his mother, other scenes regularly alternate focus between Bilal’s words and actions, which drives the concept that freedom is integral to humanity home without feeling overly repetitive.

It should, therefore, be obvious that this isn’t a film to be watched for pure escapism. Despite this, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the smooth character models and captivating desert backdrops, and the art direction as a whole shows just how far computer animation has come since the (largely hand-drawn) Prince of Egypt. On a less positive note, the story frequently advances by years, and occasionally decades, with little indication. I found myself disoriented by this approach, and would’ve appreciated some form of visual cue, or even simple text on-screen. Meanwhile, by the second half, I felt as though the screenwriters were content to simply depict sequences from Bilal’s life without explicitly connecting them, which causes the film to lose focus. While it continues to eloquently examine its themes as discussed above, not enough time was dedicated to providing a clear motive for this. Many early scenes demonstrate people’s dedication to ‘idols’ (literal figurines) for the perceived benefit, or to money, but the film never fully establishes the analogy between this and religious worship. As a result, when Bilal begins to mention his belief in a single God as a challenge to Umayyah’s control, the effect is akin to storytelling whiplash. Similarly, there’s an extended battle scene that’s visually stunning, but the epic tone it strives for isn’t earned enough by prior events to come through as the filmmakers intended. There’s enough happening here to make a coherent plot, but the script, unfortunately, doesn’t connect the dots as well as it needs to.

OUR TAKE

Overall, A New Breed of Hero is a promising step towards animation gaining even further global acceptance as a medium for diverse storytelling. I’m thrilled that the Saudi Arabian team behind this film felt that it was the best way to deliver a story that will probably be unfamiliar to non-Muslims and that so much care has been put into its visuals and thematic discussion. The heavy consideration of morals may not be for everyone, but this is a thoughtful, informative watch for anyone with an open mind.

 

Score
7.5/10