This film answers the question of what would happen if the producers of Disney Channel comedy-adventure films were told to add cuss words and lots of punchy-fighty scenes to their work. Everything is generic about this film - soundtrack, incessant unstylized standard fight scenes, flat soundstage cinematography, dull voiceover narration, costumes from a thrift store. It is not fun, edgy, artistic, innovative, gory, exciting... No psychology, no drama, no jeopardy. What a waste of an opportunity to explore a character from a radical feminist graphic novel perspective. Could have been a punk rock Killing Eve meets Watchman/Sin City but no, we have a voice over providing character synopses in the where-are-they-now closing narrative. Don't bother.
Reviews
2 Reviews
The Tale of Despereaux
(2008)
Lovely, kind-hearted film that doesn't pander
18 January 2009
I'd be hard pressed to name a kid's flick I've seen in the last four years that can't be summed up by "a quest to find his true self." For once, the hero knows who he is, and lives by this truth rather than learning to define himself along the journey. It was refreshing to see a slightly less-linear film aimed at the under-10 crowd. There were at least 3-4 narratives to follow (mouse, rat, servant girl, and to a lesser extent, the royal family). The notion that one's actions and attitude can greatly affect those around you, in unexpected ways with surprising consequences, was a lovely lesson to learn, rather than the rote "value of friendship" moral. I don't quite get the Ratatouille comparisons, frankly. OK, the heroes are both rodents. And there is a chef. This film reminded me more of Big Fish, The Princess Bride, and Pushing Daisies with its small themes and seemingly meandering narrative, that all comes nicely at the end. And yes, the film was utterly beautiful.
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