Hey all!
I know, I know, it's been a very dead week. Well, I'll be honest. I went to Youmacon! I'll put up a full on post about that in a little bit. Long story short, it was a pretty fun time. full of new friends and awesome people.
But before i get to do that I have to do a quick review of the Guillermo Del Toro produced animation, The Book of Life. I don't think I'll have many spoilers, so read on!
Pros:
I loved the aesthetics of the 'story worlds'. they were all unique. I particularly loved the Remembered World. The vivid colors and the cool Candy skull style was totally unique. I've never seen a movie do the Mexican imagery as well as this one did.
Secondly I loved the Mythology mixed into this one. The two Deities were very interesting and I loved the different worlds and the way the mythology was weaved into the story. I'm curious how much of the movie was based on the actual history of Dias De Los Muertes. I've always been fascinated by the holiday so seeing it in a movie was pretty cool.
The Cast did a pretty good job, can't really knock anyone for being bland or jilted.
Cons:
This movie had a lot of cripplingly painful cliche scenes. The overall romance was obvious from the very start and the writing was transparent as hell.
From the beginning I didn't like the animation of the 'real world' the overly cartoony characters made it seem like a pure kid's movie. It seemed like one of the weird Rubber characters of many of the Dreamworks animation movies as compared to the more realistic approach of Pixar or Movies lie Rango. I just couldn't help but notice how overly stylized the characters were, especially the one Security guard and his huge nose.
I could tell from the very beginning that Manolo would end up with Maria. I never thought any otherwise. It's also in the trailers so, that didn't help. I liked some of the little twists but it didn't create any real tension. mostly because I never thought the movie would actually let bad ever win.
I also Hated the decision to put modern day music into it. It felt like an extremely lazy cop out. Having a guy singing 'Creep' instead of actually writing a song that fits the scene made it feel shallow and rushed. it may have worked with a movie like Shrek, but you don't have a guitarist actually singing it as a soulful song.
Another little touch, I wish it was in Spanish. It was a very Mexican movie yet it felt like an American version of a Mexican film. I know it's a mostly Mexican cast and crew but it should have been Spanish.
There are multiple little things I was annoyed with. The Characters just being able to find and talk to the death goddess with no real hassle. I mean, are there only like 40 dead people? they seemed to find her remarkable fast. and Everything seemed to revolved around he main characters, just for plot convenience.
Final notes:
The unique visuals just can't pull this movie out of utter mediocrity.
Final Verdict: 47
Cool visuals, Cliche story
Now to find something else to do!
I know, I know, it's been a very dead week. Well, I'll be honest. I went to Youmacon! I'll put up a full on post about that in a little bit. Long story short, it was a pretty fun time. full of new friends and awesome people.
But before i get to do that I have to do a quick review of the Guillermo Del Toro produced animation, The Book of Life. I don't think I'll have many spoilers, so read on!
Movie Review: The Book of Life
I loved the aesthetics of the 'story worlds'. they were all unique. I particularly loved the Remembered World. The vivid colors and the cool Candy skull style was totally unique. I've never seen a movie do the Mexican imagery as well as this one did.
Secondly I loved the Mythology mixed into this one. The two Deities were very interesting and I loved the different worlds and the way the mythology was weaved into the story. I'm curious how much of the movie was based on the actual history of Dias De Los Muertes. I've always been fascinated by the holiday so seeing it in a movie was pretty cool.
The Cast did a pretty good job, can't really knock anyone for being bland or jilted.
Cons:
This movie had a lot of cripplingly painful cliche scenes. The overall romance was obvious from the very start and the writing was transparent as hell.
From the beginning I didn't like the animation of the 'real world' the overly cartoony characters made it seem like a pure kid's movie. It seemed like one of the weird Rubber characters of many of the Dreamworks animation movies as compared to the more realistic approach of Pixar or Movies lie Rango. I just couldn't help but notice how overly stylized the characters were, especially the one Security guard and his huge nose.
I could tell from the very beginning that Manolo would end up with Maria. I never thought any otherwise. It's also in the trailers so, that didn't help. I liked some of the little twists but it didn't create any real tension. mostly because I never thought the movie would actually let bad ever win.
I also Hated the decision to put modern day music into it. It felt like an extremely lazy cop out. Having a guy singing 'Creep' instead of actually writing a song that fits the scene made it feel shallow and rushed. it may have worked with a movie like Shrek, but you don't have a guitarist actually singing it as a soulful song.
Another little touch, I wish it was in Spanish. It was a very Mexican movie yet it felt like an American version of a Mexican film. I know it's a mostly Mexican cast and crew but it should have been Spanish.
There are multiple little things I was annoyed with. The Characters just being able to find and talk to the death goddess with no real hassle. I mean, are there only like 40 dead people? they seemed to find her remarkable fast. and Everything seemed to revolved around he main characters, just for plot convenience.
Final notes:
The unique visuals just can't pull this movie out of utter mediocrity.
Final Verdict: 47
Cool visuals, Cliche story
Now to find something else to do!
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