Epic

This was not a perfect film by any means, but looking back from 2022, it got a worse rep than it deserves. A couple of voice actors were chosen more for their fame than their actual VA experience, and it made the error of making the "bad guys" overly one-note/evil for evil's sake (which very much messed with the inherent theme of balance, not *total defeat of one side*, in nature) but it was beautifully animated, had a lovely score, a pretty decent plot and main characters, and a good message.

My third film for this Memorial Day weekend takes me out of the rated R woods and into one that is more magical and kid friendly. No I'm not on drugs, I'm talking about the movie Epic, Blue Sky Studios (BSS) latest animated installment. I'll admit that seeing the trailers last summer got me stoked at the potential for comedy, action, and a heartwarming tale. Yet like many movies I feared that I would be disappointed by the final product. What was the verdict? Read on to find out.

As the trailers promised, the world of Epic is a beautiful creation of art, computer graphics, and attention to detail. The animators at BSS do their homework when it comes to creating their worlds/characters, managing to capture the natural grooves, curves, and texture of nature's beauty. From the lines in the various leaves to the warped and horrific dimensions of rot, Epic's visuals are indeed some of the finest I've seen in a while. They don't stop there however, as the team took another step up to develop their creatures of fantasy. The denizens of the hidden world in the forest impressed me, as a beautiful blend of human anatomy and environment melded into a combination that I could only dream of. Of course like many movies, there was plenty of cookie cutting going on, especially in scenes where there were mass congregations or when the enemy swarmed the scene. Despite this minor flaw though, Epic's world is clever, bold, and magical.

Yet visuals probably isn't the main reason most will be seeing this movie is it? Many people may be going to take a young family member/friend to see a fun adventure. If that is the case, Epic is your movie of choice as the children in my theater were dazzled by what the movie had to offer. The comedy styles of Mub (Aziz Ansari) and Grub (Chris O'Dowd) might have been the most entertaining factor for the audience. Both Ansari and O'Dowd throw their two cents into the fray, one thinking he is a player, while the other wants to be a knight. Yet both are goofballs doing odd tricks, making silly faces, and performing mannerisms that the young and young at heart will love. Their voices matched the characters incredibly well for me, both giving the lines the perfect punch to leave me in stitches. Of course the other characters have some one hit wonders when it comes to making people laugh. A three legged dog, a clumsy professor and even Nod (Josh Hutcherson) have a few moments that are quite amusing.

Aside from two wisecracking slugs what else might grab the audience's attention? I would have to say the action/adventure of the movie was the next big factor. I can't lie it didn't meet my expectations, but then again it is a kids movie. Instead of the Lord of the Rings like battles, most of the fighting was limited to well-placed arrow shots, a few punches, and a couple of sword slashes. Again the younger audience will mostly think it was awesome, but don't get your hopes too high. When Nod or Ronin (Colin Farrell) fly birds is where the real excitement comes into play. Like a mad roller coaster ride, the audience gets to watch the majestic dance unfold as the airborne steeds navigate through nature's obstacles whilst their riders flip acrobatically to avoid danger. Overall the violence has been brought to a bare minimum, and parents won't have to worry about their kids acting out a beheading scene. Amidst the excitement though is a bit of sadness as well. For me I foresaw many things coming, but younger audience members might get a little upset at some of the sadder scenes in this movie. Some scenes even scared a few of the younger audience members, particularly those that involved the loud roars and creature popping out of the ground, so again be cautious when taking them.

Despite how much of this is geared towards kids though, there are still a few thing BSS did to entertain the adult audience. Mub's jokes have some adult humor in it, which will surely get some laughs, though not as many as Donkey from Shrek. Unlike most kid movies, Epic does a good job avoiding the annoying characters and keeping things in balance to avoid making parents want to slam their heads into the seat. However, it is inevitable for some lines to get ingrained into the minds of the kids, so expect some endless quotes to follow you home. The thing I found most adults will mainly love is some of the heartwarming moments in this movie. I'm not talking about a budding romance that we saw in Ferngully, but instead is more about reuniting and self-discovery amidst a chaotic world. Now you might find it cheesy, but for me I found it to be well done, and something I could experience in the real world, minus the fairies and small creatures. Yeah some of the dialog was a bit too forced, but not bad overall.

As for the voice acting, I think that it was a great cast to pick and that the characters represented a lot of images their actors portray in other media. Hutchinson is naïve, youthful, and rebellious, Pit-bull has the persona of a big boss toad who likes to run the show, and Beyoncé has a side that is caring and nurturing. Regardless, Epic has a lot of positives that I think will wow and amaze kids. The "exciting" battles, the lovable characters, and the cute comedy are certain to entertain a lot of people, but Epic still needed some fine tuning before coming out. My scores are below: Animation/Adventure/Family: 8.0 Movie Overall: 6.5-7.0

When you're vying for a slice of the kiddie-dominated box office and your competition is a couple of sequels/prequels with established (and popular) characters, having a moniker as suggestive as Epic is a great way to improve brand awareness. The downside is you instantly set the expectations level quite high, and anything less than, erm, epic, seems like a missed opportunity. Beautifully designed and action-packed, this motion picture from the creators of the Ice Age franchise boasts impressive visuals and exciting set pieces – ultimately creating a tiny forest world that is endlessly inventive and always fun to watch – yet struggles to make an impact where it truly matters: with the story. This environmentally-focused tale is at times too morally forceful and employs blatant cop outs to wrap up its various strands of plot, whilst the main group of players are unoriginal and overly reliant on stereotypical characteristics. The voice cast – including Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler and Beyonce Knowles – are all fine without being memorable, with Christoph Waltz's irreprehensible villain and Aziz Ansari and Chris O'Dowd's crowd-pleasingly hilarious slug/snail combo proving to be the standouts. Epic is a solid family film and has enough to warrant a visit to the cinema during the school break, but sadly it never lives up to its title.

Whenever I saw this movie was on TV, I would just keep scrolling until one day I decided to DVR and watch it with my toddler. I actually really enjoyed it. Sure, there were some cheesy parts, but there was no over-hyped romance either. The story concluded with an older daughter reuniting and connecting with her dad - which is a great lesson for kids. The animation is not "wow" level like Tangled or Moana. The voice actors did a great job, and again, the story itself is really good.

This is without a doubt the most fantastic visual animation I've ever seen. It brought to mind i) nature scenes on Pandora in "Avatar", ii) lush vegetation jungle scenes from "Up!", iii) the whole valley turning green at the end of "Princess Mononoke", and iv) the infinitely graded colors in "Oz the Great and Powerful". (I watched it in 2D, and don't know what 3D is like.)

But visually it outstrips all of those. The plants are real ones we're familiar with (not imagined ones); scenes are incredibly detailed (not one fern but tens of them, not one blossom but hundreds); biological growth and decay is of individual plants seen up close (not a very long shot across a whole valley); and all the vibrant yet subtle colors appear in nature (not a fantasy world). Vegetation unfurls and extends as we watch, and it all seems perfectly realistic and believable. We see the whole process of burls developing on live trees in just a few seconds over and over. We see growth meristems probing for the best direction and expanding little by little. And we see the slight shifts in color that signal the beginning of more decay or more growth.

All the animation effects technology has already conquered --fur, musculature, waves, droplets, rain, crowds, flying, moving cameras, etc. etc.-- are also deployed virtuosic-ally in the places the storyline calls for them. From my aged (about 60) perspective, it seems suitable and enjoyable for all ages (although it's rated PG) ...and not because adults will see a different film as they understand the more salacious meaning of double entendres - there aren't any. There isn't any notable music nor abstract visual patterns nor references to fairy tales either, other things frequently associated with animations.

The story is decent too. It's a seamless melding of realities (such as a brusque taxi driver) with fantasy (tiny beings riding hummingbirds?). It proceeds organically, eventually incorporating pretty much everything that happened earlier (even things that appeared to be already completed or even unrelated). The typical joke is mostly visual, developing slowly over many seconds - no one-liners here. There are not a lot of the ironic jokes that have been prominent in many recent animations. (In fact this movie is often relegated to "kids film" or "family film", which makes me feel a little silly for enjoying it.) The ending is positive but not saccharine -- there's resolution ...but not of everything.

Comic relief is provided by a tag team of a snail and a slug. A typical gag is something about "eyes inside your head" or "everybody hide in your shell" (slugs of course don't have shells). I found it adequately funny (but not laugh out loud funny). Humor is a very personal thing though, and I suspect some of the more "with it" young adults will find it painfully unfunny.

The flights, the fights, the falls are gripping. This is edge of your seat stuff. And the tiny perspective casts familiar things in a new light: a mouse becomes a threatening giant, and a looming doggie kiss would mean serious injury or even death. Pick a theater with a really big screen and a newish projector, and sit toward the front. And if you're an animation aficionado plan to attend more than once. Also, sit through the end credits, as the level of detail and imagination in the background visuals --often throwaways or repeats, but not here-- is astounding.