Arthur and the Invisibles (PG)
Mike:
Scott:
Scott: Tonight we are reviewing Arthur and the Invisibles
a tale about a young boy and his search for hidden treasure in a land far away.
What did you think Mike?
Mike: I think this movie was visually amazing, but a little lacking. All flash and not much substance.
How about you?
Scott: I liked it. I can see kids coming to this movie and really enjoying it.
There were a bunch of holes in the movie and it wasn't as well done as a Disney movie for example, but I liked it nonetheless.
Mike: Kids will probably like it, but I'm not sure if their parents will. The photography, animation and the voices were all great, but it felt like something was missing. Things I think were supposed to be funny, were not. The action blurred by, so many times it was hard to tell what was going on.
Scott: The movie covered a lot of ground in 1:42 and I think it glossed over a bunch of stuff. I imagine that is what you were missing.
Mike: Not just that, I wanted to care about the characters, real and animated, but I just couldn't.
Scott: There was an action packed scene as the main characters were floating down a creek that introduced 7 'life threatening' dilemmas and resolved them in about 5 seconds - I kid you not. We're in trouble because of this, no that's resolved. We are in trouble because of that, no that's resolved now too.
Mike: The story also seems to be a blend of a bunch of movies we have already seen.
Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Second Hand Lions and even Pulp Fiction were lampooned!
Scott: Don't forget Saturday Night Fever.
The star of the movie is Freddie Highmore as Arthur, a young actor with a noticeable British accent. An accent they tried to explain by his spending a year in an English boarding school.
He was in one of my all time favorite movies, Finding Neverland.
Mike: Freddie is charming and I still have good feelings about him as an actor from his standout performance in Finding Neverland.
Scott: The other story that was touched on was King Arthur, from the lead character's name to the sword of power used in the movie.
The love 'as a friend' interest to Arthur is Princess Selenia voiced surprisingly by Madonna. The whole movie I couldn't place the voice and even when I knew who it was I couldn't place the voice. To me, she sounds nothing like she does in the news or TV shows.
Mike: There is no way you can tell it is her without seeing the credits. I guess that's a good thing. At least she wasn't using her fake British accent!
Scott: True.
Mike: The other major character is Jimmy Fallon as Betamax. I'm sorry Betamache.
Scott: He and his multi-tool are around for comedic relief.
Mia Farrow shows up grandmother. She plays the role as you would expect in a children's movie: a bit flighty overly understanding.
Mike: There is a parade of famous people doing voices, but they are relatively small parts. Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Emilio Estevez, Snoop Dogg and even David Bowie are heard throughout the movie.
Scott: Snoop Dogg shows up as a club owner and his scenes are some of the funnier ones of the movie. Unfortunately, for you parents, there also is some questionable activities in those same scenes.
Mike: Snoop Dogg pretty much plays Snoop Dogg in the film.
Scott: Yeah, he's just a lot more flexible in this.
Mike: I was surprised to find that Luc Besson directed this movie. He is responsible for great films like The Fifth Element, The Professional and Le Femme Nikita. Unfortunately, this does not rank with those.
Apparently, there is a French version of this film, Arthur et les Minimoys. Maybe that is better?
Scott: Those are some good movies. The Fifth Element and The Professional I watch whenever they are on TV.
I think the movie plays well to children's imagination about what is out there in the world. Secret places with wild creatures and rich treasures.
Mike: I admit that it has some great messages for children about the importance of family and friends.
The art design is great. I imagine they are going to sell the heck out of some toys.
Scott: Yeah, but I couldn't stop picturing those troll dolls when I saw them. It reminded me of Mimi on the Drew Carey Show who collected those. It was actually somewhat scary to see a bunch of those in one place.
Mike: Ok so what do rate this?
Scott: I give this movie a 3 overall and a 4 for kid's movie. I enjoyed it and I think the kids will too. What about you?
Mike: I was a bit disappointed, because this had the makings of a great fantasy. I give it a 2.5 overall and a 3 for kid's movie.
