What has Brad Bird been building up to all along? That sentiment has almost become trite, because how do you even go about singling out anything from all the rest in his acclaimed filmography? Some would say he peaked with his 1999 masterpiece (and feature debut) “Iron Giant” … even though he was, in actuality, a hired gun on that film. Or how about originals “The Incredibles” or “Ratatouille,” two instant Pixar classics all about the importance of giving both family and artists room to flourish? Even the infamous flop “Tomorrowland” remains undeniably personal to the director, to the point that he chose that over the opportunity of a lifetime in what turned out to be “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
More than any other contender, however, the long-gestating “Ray Gunn” best fits the bill. Originating over 30 years ago (one of many details we learned during a recent press day), this genre-mashing passion project lives up to all of its hype and plays like a melting pot combining every one of Bird’s greatest inspirations into a savory stew. An old-school noir film and a retro-futuristic work of science fiction at the same time, a hard-boiled detective story and a heart-on-its-sleeve romance, and an act of outright defiance amid an environment actively hostile towards original and ambitious ideas — yeah, it’s no wonder it took this long for Bird’s ultimate dream to finally be realized.
At the end of the day, though, it’s not the mere existence of “Ray Gunn” that feels so miraculous; it’s that three full decades of mental fine-tuning and fantasizing and second-guessing have done nothing to make this feel any less vibrant, propulsive, or imaginative. Eight years after his last directing effort, Bird has returned with a vengeance. And the wait was entirely worth it.
The world-building and characters in Ray Gunn are among the best of any Brad Bird movie
“Welcome to the future,” blares a larger-than-life, “Blade Runner”-like hologram in the opening line of dialogue in “Ray Gunn.” This is the city of Metropia, the sprawling, shining, and occasionally seedy jewel of this 1939 world set in an alternate history — one where humans walk side-by-side (though certainly not hand-in-hand) with a motley populace of aliens. Inhabiting this stunningly well-realized setting are private dick Raymond Gunn, brought to rich and vivid life by the voice talents of Sam Rockwell, alongside his perpetually-aggrieved sidekick Eyera (Tom Waits), a three-legged E.T. with a gift for sleuthing and hiding in plain sight. (This is only one of two Waits/Rockwell team-ups this year, of course, preceded by Martin McDonagh’s upcoming “Wild Horse Nine.”)
After an energetic opening sequence neatly establishes our dynamic duo as dogged investigators, the main plot begins innocuously enough. A suspicious client arrives, hat in hand, to put them on the scent of his allegedly philandering wife. Lies, betrayal, and uncomfortably public (and violent) spats with a self-destructive starlet follow. Before we know it, we’re plunging further into a labyrinthine plot filled with twists and turns … and, eventually, scandalous acts of murder involving a seductive femme fatale.
You’ve got to hand it to Brad Bird: He knows exactly how to fill a living, breathing world with the most compelling personalities, and both aspects rank among his very best here. Ray may be beset by money troubles and a less-than-sterling reputation, but his compulsion to do the right thing always wins out. As his partner-against-crime Eyera eloquently bemoans early on, they’re “the only honest players in a crooked game.” Naturally, that game soon embroils them both in one heck of a ripping good yarn.
The highlights of Ray Gunn include dazzling animation, action-packed set pieces, and Scarlett Johansson’s performance
Despite tackling so many Big Ideas and utilizing so many tools of the trade to do so, “Ray Gunn” almost risks lulling viewers into the kind of comforting rhythm that only the best filmmakers around are capable of conjuring — whenever it isn’t overwhelming our eyeballs with the year’s most dazzling animation, that is. Right from the outset, the sweeping vistas of Metropia and the dizzying action set pieces unfolding throughout its winding alleyways and futuristic skyscrapers are practically designed to overload the senses. Brad Bird never even tries to tamp down expectations for his decades-in-the-making feature. Nor should he, mind you, as viewers will soon find out for themselves.
That said, it’s somewhat of a fraught proposition to discuss the exact plot specifics of “Ray Gunn.” This is a film where the journey is truly meant to be experienced as it unfolds, as Ray and Eyera and their many associates hustle to stay one step ahead of each other (and us) in their race to untie the knot of mystery at its heart. With the sole exception of a bizarrely telegraphed “twist” that we spend half the 119-minute runtime waiting to be addressed, the script takes us from one setup/payoff after another with the effortlessness of a Hitchcockian thriller.
But it’s no spoiler to say that, among a loaded ensemble cast (including Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Kathryn Hunter, and more), Scarlett Johansson stands out as the embattled pop singer Venus Nova. Whether it be acting out in paparazzi-fueled rage or trading silky-smooth dialogue in moonlet scenes or singing her heart out in extravagant musical numbers, Johansson anchors a surprising amount of the action. And she’s fully up to the challenge.
Ray Gunn is Brad Bird’s love letter to crime noirs, sci-fi, and human artists
“Ray Gunn” is a grab-bag of influences and inspirations. Like many a neo-noir, this particular premise involves a pair of down-on-their-luck private eyes caught up in a murder mystery, with tendrils snaking all the way up to the city’s elite high up in the sky. If that calls to mind “Chinatown” or “The Big Sleep” or any number of Raymond Chandler adaptations (after whom our title character is obviously named), all the better. But there’s also an entire other genre to service, as well, which brings us to its assortment of crime bosses from outer space, a subplot about illegal trafficking of alien tech, and an underbelly rife with crime and prejudice (directed exclusively towards the second-class cosmic visitors).
On paper, none of this should come together as well as it does; in practice, “Ray Gunn” seamlessly blends various tropes of crime noir with classic sci-fi themes and brings out the best of both. This is best represented by our two main protagonists. Ray and Eyera’s buddy-comedy dynamic isn’t anything we haven’t seen in countless “Perry Mason” episodes or Humphrey Bogart movies before, but co-writers Brad Bird and Matthew Robbins correctly intuit that we needed a strong dose of familiarity to ground such a fantastical world.
But, more than anything else, this is a film celebrating the inherent humanity of art. Don’t overlook the Herculean efforts of composer Michael Giacchino’s toe-tapping score, Erik Smitt’s immersive and kinetic cinematography, and especially the sound design of Ben Burtt. Much like our misfit heroes, these are reminders that nobody can do it alone.
/Film Rating: 8 out of 10
“Ray Gunn” releases in select theaters on December 4, 2026, followed by a Netflix release on December 18, 2026.
