Arthur et les Minimoys

'Arthur et les Minimoys' is a charming little children's adventure film. The world of the Minimoys is well created and it is the animated sequences that are much more fun than the acted sequences even though Mia Farrow and Freddie Highmore keep the latter sequences alive while the rest of the actors don't. There has been some nice creative input behind the making of the world of Minimoys. The animation is lively, the vibrant colours and detail are fascinating, the characters are lovable, especially Princess Selenia and her brother and the voice casting (that includes Madonna, Harvey Keitel, Jason Bateman and more) is great. The adventure with Arthur, Selenia and her brother is fun and engaging. How often do you get to see characters sleeping on a cosy bed of pollen, straws being used as a water supply or figures dancing on a moving LP disk? The romance between Selenia and Arthur is well handled. Moreover the film balances the comedy, fantasy and adventure feel very well. Overall, 'Arthur et les Minimoys' is a cute little fun film. Clearly, Luc Besson's intention was to make a children's film and he has succeeded in making a nice one.

That is personal opinion of course. There are things to admire about Arthur and the Invisibles but the flaws that are brought up by those who didn't like the film are valid. The best thing is the animation, which is great, with lots of beautiful colours(bright and colourful as well as dark and foreboding) and detail. The music fits very well too, the fantasy elements sparkle and the adventure ones rouse while it is also in a style accessible to the target audience(family). The action sequences are reasonably fun, exciting and well and inventively animated, if a few too many, the film's lessons and messages are good and don't feel preachy, and there are a few amusing and sweet moments, the grandfather's journal was a beautiful touch. Most of the voice acting/acting is commendable, faring best are a very likable Freddie Highmore and a sinister yet suave David Bowie. Chazz Palminteri and Jason Bateman shine in bit roles, and Snoop Dog is hilarious. In the live action parts Mia Farrow is appropriately kindly and compassionate. Robert De Niro is quite good also though deserving of more to do. Not all the acting is entirely successful, Jimmy Fallon is annoying and Madonna trying to sound younger than she actually is takes some getting used to. Harvey Keitel is pretty wasted in an underwritten role that does nothing for his talents. The live action parts are rather awkwardly written and staged, and the narration feels out of place and not really that unnecessary. David Suchet though does do a nice job admittedly. The dialogue has its moments, but can feel trite and under baked, while the story can have a tendency to move too fast. With more room to breathe it could have been developed more and elaborated more on some its ideas, which were good ones that were at times somewhat of a convoluted muddle. The characters are likable but not much more. Overall, Arthur and the Invisibles' good points were great but with a stronger story and writing it could have been more. 5/10 Bethany Cox

If you're seeing this with your kids, my opinion is to ignore this review. However, watching as an adult, I found this movie annoying. The character and plot development at the beginning of the movie is first-rate. It's only after Arthur descends into the world of the Minimoys that the movie also descends in quality. At that point, the plot gives the characters only 36 hours to complete their mission. For whatever reason, director Besson goes into speed-reading mode with the plot. Mentally, I kept saying to myself "what just happened?" as scenes come and go like you're flipping through a magazine. Correspondingly, the character relationships lack depth - most importantly for me, how does the Princess go from barely tolerating Arthur to my-god-he's-my-soul-mate? Personally, I also found the celebrity voices intruded upon the characters - I kept picturing Madonna and Bowie talking to each other rather than the story's actors. As with previous Besson movies, the scenery is not just eye candy but integral to his story-telling style so he does not disappoint there. This is a good movie to see with children and I have no complaints there.

First of all, the rating of this movie doesn't do its justice. I just finished watching this movie and truly enjoyed the experience.

The story sets in the era of great depression in US. A brave young kid took upon himself the task of saving the family house from the aggressive developer . Though the backdrop of the story were presented in real world (verses animation), the main adventure and action took place in a fantasy realm done in computer animations. This contrast, while a unique and fresh take on movie making, brought its main criticism I guess. Some may find the plot defies logic and common sense because of the realistic premises. Others like me doesn't find it a hindrance but rather a nice change of pace and perspective.

Technically speaking, the animation was really nicely done and the world has a unique look and artistic touch to it. The flow of the story goes really fast and sometime I felt that things are all happening at too much an opportune moment. It is as if the big events in the world of Minimoys has been waiting just for the arrival of Arthur. It is the catch 22 of movie making I guess. On one hand you want to pack in all the stories and actions in less than 2 hours. On the other hand, you don't want audience feel like the world was just created in a hurry so you can tell the story.

The characters are all very likable. Especially the minimoys, even the bad guys has certain feel of cuteness to them. Some humor are lost in translation I guess consider it's done by a French director. Still there are nice touches in detail here and there that give the characters the kind of Charm and personality you may not find in the usual Hollywood characters. There are moments of awkwardness and disarray that made me burst out in laughters, which I find them to be a better kind of humor than most of the physical comedy in other animated movies.

In the end, this is the kind of the feel good movie that brings warmth and smile for the whole family. In the process, it takes you on a magical ride that filled with wonders and unexpected laughters. It defied some logics, broke a few physic laws, and filled some background stories in a rush. But it never dampened the infectious spirit, of a courageous young boy, who still wanted to believe in miracles and would never give up even in the most desperate moment. If you are like me, you would find yourself walk away with a little bit of that spirit in you.

I went to see this movie because of my wife. She read the books some time ago and really wanted to see the movie. I am not too fond of animations.

I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the story a lot. It was really nice to see something new for a change. There are not too many clichés in it, and the little acting that is in the movie is quite good.

I was a bit disappointed by the animations. I think they could have been a bit better. But then again, as I said I am not the biggest animation fan.

Parting comments: It's a movie for the family. There should be something in it for every age.