Theodor Seuss Geisel. Well known for his classic children's books written under the pen name of Dr Seuss. The Cat in the Hat, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and even Green Eggs and Ham. Many of his works have been recreated and honored in many form, and now a CG fim adaptation of Horton Hears A Who has worked its way to the silver screen.
The plot is simple; Horton is an elephant. A big blundering elephant, unpopular with adults, but good friends with the children. One day, Horton hears a high-pitched squeal from a floating speck, inhabited by little people called the 'Whos', who live in 'Who-ville'.
Setting himself the task of protecting these miniature people, Horton risks his already dangerously low reputation to save thousands of microscopic Whos.
The animation in the film is rather impressive. The characters looks and feel just like their book counterparts. The acting helped push the reality of the characters, and they felt very diverse - the mayor of Who-ville, Ned, voiced by the hilarious Steve Carell, has family problems throughout, which he solves during the course of the film; this makes the characters feel less like cartoon figures and more like real people.
If you're a fan of Dr Seuss' wacky worlds and feel-good stories, go ahead and watch the film! But if you're looking for a more serious adventure, consider something else.
Monday 24 March 2008
Sunday 9 December 2007
The Golden Compass (2007) Review
Being a great fan of Philip Pullman's legendary trilogy, I was expecting a lot of the movie. At the beginning of the film, I was a little let down by the narrated introduction. In the original book, we were told nothing, and the plot taught us; clearly New Line Cinema undermines our intelligence.
The film moved slowly from the beginning, but true to the book, and I was enjoying the film thus far. The choices of actors seemed reasonable up until then. The special effects were decent, but daemons did not change form as often as in the book - possibly due to the amount of models that would require creation.
Some things in the tale were without explanation - it would be best for somebody who had already read the books to watch this film.
The music did not particularly impress me. It was composed by a relatively unknown musician, Alexandre Desplat. Honestly, I'd prefer if he remained unknown. The song in the credits sequence was particularly awful.
On the subject of the ending, I was disappointed. A great deal of story was simply cut. Very important deal of story, in fact. I was shocked, however I hear it will be covered in The Subtle Knife, the sequel to The Golden Compass. Nevertheless, letting a character meant to be dead survive seems to be crossing the line in my opinion.
The final opinion? A badly directed film contradicting the base story, but still managing to be vaguely fun, while confusing you and being very clear. Yes, I contradicted myself a couple of times there. When you see the film, you'll get used to it. 3/5.
~Connor B.,
freelance reviewer.
The film moved slowly from the beginning, but true to the book, and I was enjoying the film thus far. The choices of actors seemed reasonable up until then. The special effects were decent, but daemons did not change form as often as in the book - possibly due to the amount of models that would require creation.
Some things in the tale were without explanation - it would be best for somebody who had already read the books to watch this film.
The music did not particularly impress me. It was composed by a relatively unknown musician, Alexandre Desplat. Honestly, I'd prefer if he remained unknown. The song in the credits sequence was particularly awful.
On the subject of the ending, I was disappointed. A great deal of story was simply cut. Very important deal of story, in fact. I was shocked, however I hear it will be covered in The Subtle Knife, the sequel to The Golden Compass. Nevertheless, letting a character meant to be dead survive seems to be crossing the line in my opinion.
The final opinion? A badly directed film contradicting the base story, but still managing to be vaguely fun, while confusing you and being very clear. Yes, I contradicted myself a couple of times there. When you see the film, you'll get used to it. 3/5.
~Connor B.,
freelance reviewer.
Welcome to Film Critic.
This is my new blog, where I will display my critique of relatively new films. I'm no professional, but I enjoy reviewing films, and hopefully I will prevent you from watching a clobbered together piece of crap this Christmas.
My first review will be of The Golden Compass (2007). This film is based on Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. I will watch this film in a cinema this afternoon and review it ASAP afterwards.
Good day,
~Connor B.
My first review will be of The Golden Compass (2007). This film is based on Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. I will watch this film in a cinema this afternoon and review it ASAP afterwards.
Good day,
~Connor B.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)