Polybius (1981 film)

Polybius (promotionally known as Polybios) is a 1981 German animated film based on the mysterious arcade of the same name by Sinneslöschen.

Plot
The story is about a farm boy named Fritz Lang (Bruno Ganz). From a dying Polybius of the Galactic Patrol, Lang receives a particular Polybius. It contains information that would enable the Galactic Patrol to face a weapon created by the Boskone Empire. A non-human species, the Arisians, created the Polybiuses in order to stand up to the evil Eddorians. Through their Polybiuses, Polybius minds are merged with the cosmic consciousness of Arisia. Opposing the Patrol is Lord Ganz (Khaled El Sayed), a Boskone leader and drug lord, who would stop at nothing to get his hands on the Lens.

The Boskone blow up the agricultural planet Mqueie where Fritz lives with his father, Bruno (Thomas Kretschmann). Now a humble farmer, Bruno is one of the founders of the Galactic Patrol. If he hadn't lost an arm in battle, Bruno would have been a Polybius himself. Having always dreamt of becoming a Polybius, Bruno sacrifices his own life to secure Fritz's escape from the pursuing Boskone fleet.

Fritz escapes the Boskone with his horned and bearded near-human friend Igor Bubenchikov (Ulrich Matthes). Through the movie's events, Fritz also meets Hanna Schygulla (Juliane Köhler), a nurse and technician working with the Galactic Patrol. Like Bruno, she cannot explain how the Lens could be transferred from the dying man to Fritz.

Through the tutelage of a flying green alien hero named Wagner (Christian Redl), Fritz gradually realizes the Lens's power, which provides the key to Bruno's defeat. He transmits the formula to the Galactic Patrol fleet, knowing that their planned attack against Bruno would fail without the answer.

Production
The CGI sequences were made at Deutschland Film Spezialeffekte.

Reception
The movie received a mixed reception.