Arthur e il popolo dei Minimei

'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.

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.

Every now and then it's nice to be reminded of the power of the imagination; of what it was like as children to escape to other worlds and embark on remarkable adventures. Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles does just that and does it brilliantly with a mix of stunningly shot live action and wonderfully crafted, sometimes breath-taking CGI animation. It's a story which echoes, and affectionately pays homage to, many of the very best Children's stories. Stories such as The Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland and The Borrowers.

The tale's young hero, Arthur, is battling to save his grandparents' home from the clutches of real estate developers. His grandfather is missing, but handily he's left the boy a series of clues to a hidden treasure trove which, if it's found, could be used to pay off the money- grubbing developers. But this is no straight-forward, stroll in the park search. In trying to find the haul Arthur must unlock the passageway to an underground world populated by curious, minute creatures. The home of these "invisibles" is also in peril: in their case, because of a malevolent wizard. So, joining forces with an almost improbably beautiful princess, Arthur sets off on his perilous mission.

The cast list reads like a Hollywood Who's Who. Robert de Niro, Harvey Keitel, Madonna and Mia Farrow all feature. But it's the young lead who really takes centre stage. Freddie Highmore was Charlie in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a role he played well but I fully expected him, as with a plethora of child actors, to then disappear into fresh air. But Highmore comes alive in this movie; both when we see him in the flesh, and when he's voicing his animated incarnation. Besides Highmore, Mia Farrow, as Arthur's scatty grandmother, is utterly charming and David Bowie makes for a very creepy, yet nicely understated, evil wizard Maltazard. The look of Maltazard's henchmen exemplify the darker side of Luc Besson's previous work but their idiocy prevents them being too terrifying for smaller children.

The film isn't flawless. Jimmy Fallon's Betameche, while surely popular with the film's younger viewers, at times borders on the unbearably annoying; while the casting of forty- eight year old Madonna as Princess Selenia seems a little odd. Her performance is perfectly adequate, but in effect she spends most of the time flirting with a schoolchild. Strange.

But the gems in Arthur and the Invisibles far outshine any minor negatives. Mixing live action with CGI could quite easily look messy and unconvincing but, quite simply, it works and while there's always a danger of such a tale descending into saccharine sludge, thankfully that doesn't happen. Arthur's quest is a joy to follow; it deserves to be anything but invisible.

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.

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