Okay, so it's not like I'm five years old, or anything. I just thought I'd take a break from serious films, and go all light-hearted and kiddy for a while. So, when I wasn't grounded by my mum or playing with Lego, I decided to see a film or two with the girlfriend (ewwww... girls). These films ended up being 'Gnomeo and Juliet' and 'Tangled', both animated productions. After watching them, I thought I might tell you all what I thought about them. Now read on, or I'll give you a dead leg. ;) First off, it's Gnomeo and Juliet.
'Gnomeo and Juliet'
This film, directed by Kelly Asbury, is based on good ol' Bill Shakespeare's classic tragedy 'Romeo and Juliet', as the name suggests. Replace the cast with gnomes, and cut out the really nasty bits, and there you have it. But if I must give a rough synopsis, here it is: Two households (of gnomes), both alike in dignity, in fair Verona (Drive) where we lay our scene. We have the Montague gnomes (The Blues) and the Capulet gnomes (The Reds). As you expect, there's some ancient grudge going on between the two families, not only involving the gnome residents, but also involving the feuding inhabitants of the houses themselves, Miss Julie-Walters Montague and Mr Richard-Wilson Capulet. Gnomeo finds Juliet when wondering about doing nothing in particular, they fall in love, and try their best to stay in love when their corresponding family members want to kill each other. The plot tries to stick to the Shakespearean story line as much as possible without making it really sad and emotionally deep, including the kerfuffel between Benvolio,
Right, now for the good bit.
I wouldn't say I hated it, because in all honesty I did not. It was nice to watch it, and it makes you feel happier than you were before you watched it. But it's not good enough to make you think "God, I'm really glad I watched that". In fact, instead of watching the film, just go out for a night out to the pub or to dinner or something. That way, you won't be left feeling like you could have used the money/time more wisely. My first issue with this film is the idea of it's birth. I want to know which came first, the idea for the movie, or the movie's name? Because I would bet a limb that the name came before any plot ideas. And that is backwards. Allow me to explain what I mean. I think a guy was trying to come up with an idea for a movie with gnomes in it (after all, Disney have thought of every other outcome, using people and creatures, I guess inanimate objects are next on the list). After a while, he had a 'Eureka' moment. BAM! Gnomeo and Juliet. Job done. Kettle on. Then he just dished out the roles of the characters from the play to his army of clay comrades and the job was a guddun. Although, surely the idea is to spend ages coming up with a really nice story and then eventually deciding on a name after your months/years of writing the story have ended. Or am I just old fashioned? ;:)
Secondly, there's the comedy. Tell me, my beloved readers, have you seen the trailer to this film? If the answer is no, then I suggest you do so. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3_5nEAM7yw. If the answer is yes, then you have seen all the decent comedy. All the good stuff is in the trailer, which leaves the rest of the film for interval time between the funny bits. Now THAT'S a movie I wanna see. ¬__¬ Or not. Without a notable funny element to it, it runs a tad dry, especially with all the stiff competition out there (we seem to be in an animated movie Renaissance at the moment). So on this aspect, it falls short.
The plot is not even worth mentioning, being a gnome version of my favourite Shakespearean play. The plot is Bill's. The visuals are okay, and are as you'd expect from modern CGI. There are some scenes that are good in 3D, but not enough to pay the extra. No, no. This film is for people that like friendly animated productions, such as kids, old women and people that refuse to grow up. These people have no need for substance in a film; just give them a happy ending, and they're gay as Christmas. Sadly, that is not me, and so it missed the mark here. But I'm sure some will really enjoy it.
In summary, the film is okay to watch, but it's not unmissable. If you've read/seen R+J, it's painfully easy to know what happens next, which makes it more boring than it needs to be. The comedy is a joke, but can be forgiven.
Feel-Good Factor: 8/10
Story: 4/10
Visuals: 7/10
Humour: 5/10
Soundtrack: 7/10
Final Mark: 6.5/10 (Saved from the <5 mark by Elton John's music on the soundtrack).
'Tangled'
I am a Disney fan. Who isn't? The animation and the ever-sweet musical numbers take us back to the days where we had nothing better to do than to watch 'Pocahontas' or 'Beauty and the Beast' on VHS. Nostalgia is a beautiful thing, and apparently Disney have noticed this too. Their new baby, 'Tangled' is a movie that tells the often-forgotten tale of Rapunzel, a tale by the Brothers Grimm. A bit of related trivia for you: According to the LA Times, Tangled is the most expensive animated film created to date, and the second most expensive film EVER. How about that, eh? So here's the story. A girl with hair embodied with rejuvenating and reviving powers from the Sun is kept up in her tower by an old woman, posing as her mother. She uses her hair to keep herself young. A thief crosses Rapunzel's path whilst trying to escape capture, and they end up going on a journey to find Rapunzel's real mother and father (unbeknown to our characters, the King and Queen of the land). That is a VERY brief synopsis, okay?
Okay.
I was hoping that this movie would fill me with the same nostalgia that I get from watching older Disney films, or visiting my home town of Nuneaton, or playing with those gooey alien-in-a-pod-with-funky-jelly-stuff-inside things. I was hoping that I'd want to find songs from the soundtrack afterwards on YouTube because I liked them so much. I was hoping that I'd be able to write a positive review, singing Tangled's praises until your eardrums could take no more. Fortunately, it did make me feel this way. Let me make a claim. I think that 'Tangled' is one of the best films I have ever seen. It was put together masterfully. The funny bits were really funny, the sad bits were really sad, and the whole thing flowed beautifully. This... this is like old Disney with better visuals. The characters are REALLY likeable, the story is classic, with some twists to avoid making it predictable. The soundtrack is as good as any top Disney film (Lion King - eat your heart out), with beautifully-written songs that may well prove to be timeless. And the ending... well, I won't spoil anything. But let's just say that I'm still smiling after two weeks. ;)
I hardly need a summary for this review. If you do like Disney, go and see 'Tangled'. If you don't, give it a try anyway. I think it has enough going for it to be able to ride along all on it's own without the need for the Disney tag stabilisers. It's an awesome movie in it's own right. I think I might go and see it again. ^__^
Feel-Good Factor: 10/10
Story: 8/10
Visuals: 9/10
Humour: 9/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Final Mark: 9.5/10
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