Avalon (2001, JAP/POL) C-106m. *½ D: Mamoru Ishii. Starring Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Jerzy Gudejko, Dariusz Biskupski. Post-apocalyptic science-fiction film about a virtual-reality computer game that can really kill its players. Foremniak is one of the game's champions, but she cannot access the highest level and suddenly finds herself facing a competitor. Fatally boring sci-fi may have seemed avantgarde at its initial release, but when it comes to the important points in filmmaking (plot, characters, pace), it fails. The computer effects might catch your attention, the plot doesn't. It slows down to a screeching halt again and again. This was Ishii's first film after the acclaimed 1995 anime KOKAKU KIDOTAI (GHOST IN THE SHELL). Also known as GATE TO AVALON.