Ray Gunn Review: Brad Bird’s Retro-Futuristic Animated Mystery Was Worth The Wait!

Brad Bird has spent nearly three decades trying to bring Ray Gunn to the screen. Known for Ratatouille, The Iron Giant, and The Incredibles, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker has finally found a home for his futuristic mystery at Netflix.

Set in an alternate future, the film blends old-school detective noir with jet packs, aliens, futuristic technology, and a distinctly retro aesthetic. At the center of it all is Ray Gunn, the last human private detective, who is hired to protect famous pop star Venus Nova when a scandal threatens to destroy her career and potentially her life.

Sam Rockwell was Bird’s first choice to play Ray Gunn and it’s easy to understand why. He brings both heart and charm to the character dedicated to doing the right thing, even when no one else will. Then there’s Scarlett Johansson as the starlet with a secret who forms an unexpected bond with Ray. Despite a volatile reputation, she manages to be both likable and vulnerable. Their bond through the film really draws you in.

Beneath its retro-futuristic exterior, there are subtle drum beats throughout Ray Gunn of prejudice and what happens when corporations are willing to do anything to control art. These ideas make the film feel like its building toward something even bigger, though some of them are still unexplored by the time the credits roll. Maybe that’s a story for a sequel.

It’s stylish, strange, ambitious, and packed with the kind of imaginative world-building that Brad Bird is known for. After nearly 30 years in the making, Ray Gunn proves some ideas are worth waiting for.

Ray Gunn opens in select theaters with a limited 70mm run beginning December 4 before arriving on Netflix December 18.