Varekai

In an second attempt of reaching a more mature audience, being the first one the very underrated "Atlantis: The Lost Empire", comes from the hand of veteran directors John Musker and Ron Clements a new version of Robert Louis Stevenson's book "Treasure Island". But unlike Atlantis that had and entertaining story with fun characters, Treasure Planet is a very poor film.

The movie is long and boring, and I mean boring to no end. The so called action sequences -very well animated, I must admit- don't help to activate the mood, they just keep you wondering "When this it's going to end?".

The character of Jim Hawkins doesn't evolves from being a James Dean wannabe -and there's nothing worst than a wannabe- he completely lacks of the strength and the charisma that a main character supposedly has. Same goes for the character of John Silver, he's way too ambiguous, so much that you don't like but you don't dislike him, you just don't feel anything for him.

When I heard who was directing this and how much they fought for this movie, I was very hopeful to see a good animated experience, but this was a complete deception -and it's weird considering that Musker and Clements had directed good movies like "Beauty & Beast" and "Aladdin"-

I'm just glad that I saw this not in the theaters but when I rented it.

It's so bizarre that it's beautiful; it's so illogical that it's funny; it's so dark that it's so sweet. That's The City of the Lost Children. The plot it's that the evil -and weird- Krank (Daniel Emilfork) kidnap children to stole their dreams due to the lack of his ability of dream. Or at least he did it, until it came One (Ron Perlman), in the search of his adoptive little brother, aided by Miette (Judith Vittet), a street smart orphan child.

In technical aspects it's a master piece. The decoration give a baroque sensation of always being in small places, yet it's a full city populated of bizarre characters as the story itself.

The acting it's great. I'm quiet impressed for the flawless french that Ron Perlman show us, he's just simply astounding. I cannot say less of Judith Vittet, that being a child in that time she was a tremendous actress. The two have a good chemistry as a girl mature as an adult and a grow up man with the innocence of a kid.

I can't say that this is a movie that everyone would like, because it's not. It have a little of nonsense that might be not of the like of all the public. And all the dark atmosphere might be a little suffocating. So, take the risk and watch it, and then decide: you love it, or you hate it.