Every once in a while there's a film that, for a variety of reasons, has not made it on my radar until a few days before release.
In the case of Kubo and the Two Strings, I'd like to think that's because of a shocking lack of marketing partnered with trailers that don't really do a whole lot to sell the film. As someone who follows reviews though, I began to hear of this new animated film from Laika (the stop-motion and story experts) that was the "best of the year".
That's a bold claim given how strong of a year we've had for animation. Kung Fu Panda 3, Zooptopia, Finding Dory, and hell even Sausage Party (even though it's a completely different beast) have all earned an 8 or above from me thus far. Granted I haven't seen everything animated this year, but still, it's been a healthy year for it and I was instantly eager to check out apparently the best of the year.
Kubo and the Two Strings may not have ended up being my favorite out of the aforementioned films, but I'll be damned if it isn't the most beautiful, in more ways than one. It's an animated adventure that you surely won't forget because so much of the imagery is imprinted onto your brain. The fact that, to some degree, it's all stop-motion animation is mind-blowing and I was consistently paying attention to as many details as I could....Kubo's hair, swaying grass in the wind, water reflecting light, Monkey's separate hairs, etc. It's a mesmerizing film to say the least.
"Alright, alright, alrigh -- wait...wrong line!"
Wish I would have seen it in 3-D...
Kubo and the Two Strings starts off strong and is never really anything but. There are some tried and true cliches I wish it would have challenged and the ending was a bit anticlimactic for me, but otherwise this movie sings. Immediately from the first five minutes you can tell that this is a little darker than some other animated features and it doesn't pull many of its punches. It's not quite in PG-13 territory, but I'd caution from bringing really young kids to it. Kubo lives with his mother at the top of a mountain above a city. His mother, due to an injury, is a vegetable for half the day and a loving mother during the other times. During the day, Kubo goes to town and uses his unique powers to tell exciting stories with his three-string instrument that controls sheets of origami paper. After making the mistake of staying out at night, Kubo is forced to go on an adventure with Monkey (Theron) and they eventually meet Beetle (McConaughey). The movie is a quick film and feels even shorter...for once I almost wish they would have allowed the film to be a tad longer, but even still that shows that the pacing is fantastic. This trio faces several entertaining dangers and their banter is humorous. McConaughey especially brings some jokes to the film and I appreciated how Kubo didn't turn into an outright comedy, but it still sparingly aimed for laughs. While the story may be far from unique, it's told well and it has real heart that's provided from a place of maturity. Again, this may go over little children's heads but for the older kids and adults in the audience, they'll greatly appreciate the real and sometimes somber approach that the movie takes.
Ugh...it's painfully gorgeous
Thanks to some great voice acting and character design, our characters are great. Theron brings some motherly Furiousa vibe to Monkey and McConaughey is funny and touching as Beetle. Art Parkinson is great as Kubo too and the three of them interact well and their performances are strong. Rounding out the cast is Rooney Mara and Ralph Fiennes as the villains and they're also great, but less impressive in their limited roles. The characters themselves though are astonishing because of their stop-motion animation. It's all I can do on paper (read: online) to try and explain how gorgeous and impressive this movie is, but it's really all for naught. You should just go witness it yourself. Especially the impressive action scenes where there's a lot of motion and movement. There was a lot of love and care put into each and every scene with an amount of detail that would make you think this film has been in production for over a decade. We always praise Pixar, and lately Disney Animation Studios, but it's time that we start including Laika in that grouping as well.
Kubo and the Two Strings continues a very strong animation slate for 2016 and I'm glad I prioritized it over a few other films during this busy weekend. It deserves your attention even if the marketing department doesn't believe the same. It's a deeper, thoughtful, entertaining, and absolutely beautiful animated movie that definitely does earn the right to be called "one of the best of the year".
CONS:
Features a few common cliches that I thought/was hoping it would challenge
Somewhat anti-climactic and quick ending for me
I wish it were longer!
WTF is the marketing department doing for this one? Fingers crossed that it doesn't bomb at the box office
PROS:
Memorable voice acting from all, but especially Theron, McConaughey, and Parkinson
Very good, thoughtful, and mature story that doesn't hold much back. There are definitely some well earned emotional beats
Some of the most gorgeous animation I've ever seen. There were true artists working on this one and they're masters of their craft
Solid, and sparingly used humor in a more serious story
Fun and impressive action sequences
The story grabs you immediately and that combined with the animation will have you mesmerized for an hour and a half
No comments:
Post a Comment