Well, my feelings on Fantastic Mr Fox are very mixed, depending on what viewpoint I take. So I'm going to write two reviews, one positive, and one negative.Review 1: I liked the movie a lot. I especially liked the first half; the setting up of the characters, the style and feel of it. I loved the 'cool' vibe to it, and the fact that it opened with a relatively obscure, but awesome Beach Boys song. I like Wes Anderson's films, and this was instantly recognisable as his. I recently saw The Life Aquatic, and it was very similar in feel to that movie.
It departed from the book a fair bit, but this didn't trouble me as much as I thought. A lot of the Roald Dahl quirkiness still got carried through, and there were some really nice additions to the old story, one example being the nephew, Kristopherson. The look of the movie was really nice also-- apparently some painstaking kind of stop motion. For my enjoyment, 3.8/5
Review 2: I looked around at the kids in the audience, and felt bad for them. What the heck was this weird and boring film their mum had mistakenly brought them too? At the funny bits, they weren't laughing, because the bits weren't funny to them. The dialog was odd and adult--"I love you", says Mrs Fox to her husband, "but I shouldn't have married you". Mummy, what are those weird foxes talking about, and why am I not having fun?
So the typical argument that always comes here is 'well why does every animated thing have to be for kids? What's wrong with making something adults can enjoy?' Well nothing, but don't use a beloved kids' book as your starting point! Who will want to see it? Those kids!
Really what's happened, is what seemed to have happened with Where The Wild Things Are- it's made not for the kids who liked it now, but for the adults who liked it as kids. Sure, this will be great for those adults, but the kids who like the stuff now- they lose out.
I think one of the big reasons why I think Pixar do such a good job is because they try and bridge this gap, making films that are accessible and rewarding for both kids and adults. Not just by chucking in some 'adult' humour, but by putting in heart and warmth, the thing everyone will relate to. So, because this movie was aimed at to narrow an audience, and would have let a lot of people down, 2.5/5
2 comments:
"why am I not having fun?"
Yes. That was my kids experience of this movie, and where the wild things are.
Today they are seeing Alvin and the Chipmunks. I can't endure such things (so I'll sit in a coffee shop outside), but they'll laugh and laugh.
And, you know, isn't it weird to have Americans voicing such an obviously English tale?
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