Un mostro a Parigi

A very enjoyable kids' movie which pays homage to other 'monster'-classics like Frankenstein, The Phantom of the Opera and King Kong. A feast for the eyes and a classic story with a twist in which losers become heroes, heroes become villains and a monster turns out quite different to what we expect. Well not really, because all monsters are misunderstood gentle souls and greedy ambitious people always turn out to be the real monsters. The story is accompanied by beautiful songs. I regret to have seen the English version because I just know the original French chansons must be even better. My 4 year old daughter, 11 year old son and I loved it and my wife quite enjoyed as well. Certainly not a waste of money like some of the other reviewers said.

Having seen the preview and admired the cityscapes, I was disappointed to see that here in Israel the movie was strictly a matinée feature and dubbed into Hebrew. No showings for us folks who work during the day and would prefer subtitled French. I picked up a pirated copy, which turned out to be dubbed into English. I found the opening tribute to early French cinema a little tiresome, but I have no problem being patient while a well-deserved tribute is made. Then as the archetypal Parisian characters were introduced, I found the portraiture amusing. There was a long wait before the title character appeared and before the first song, and I found the first song less interesting than the later ones (although that may be intentional). The dance movements were nicely animated although a little sexy for a children's movie; overall I think the movie seems to have been conceived under the philosophy of "something for everyone" rather than "everything for kids." After a while, the stereotyped characterizations wore thin and there seemed to be less compensation for those of us missing 3D. I actually fell asleep during the big chase sequence near the end, which I suppose was some kind of a roller-coaster ride for the 3D audience. By the time it was over, the movie had evidently achieved everything it wanted although not always a lot of it at the same time.

The Computer-Generated Imagery is absolutely fabulous: it creates a fantastic and wonderful atmosphere kindly inviting the spectators to immerse themselves in the Paris of 1910, partially submerged by an exceptional flood. There is a lot of poetry and tenderness.

In the original version, the main characters are interpreted by Matthieu Chedid (better known under the pseudonym -M-), François Cluzet, the delicious and well-known Vanessa Paradis. The songs are beautifully interpreted with two versions of 'La Seine'. The first one is without -M-, with slight and voluntary low spirits. The second one, with -M-: this time Vanessa Paradis offers us an interpretation full of vitality and charm!

As a synthesis: a major cartoon for all the family. 6/7 of 10

Un mostre à Paris, AKA The monster at France (2011) Is an insanely fun adventure for all the family! The introduction was like nothing i had ever seen - So powerful and teary eyed... Sean Lennon really knows how to pull a heart string with his melodies. (His dads jeans really shine through) My jaw dropped when he sang "La Seen" I cant say the kids felt the same xD i was head over heals at the sight of the beast and his beauty, Tres Bien! My critiques lie with the Raoul and Luciles relationship. Are you kidding me Dreamworks? Toxic love is definitely a No Go, No Show. Don't worry, i'm not heartless! The green man and his wife were a lovely couple, they really represented the French Romance the movie was missing! This movie is an overall hit or miss, if you don't get the jokes you've probably never read "Catch-22" Which is definitely the movies main source of inspiration besides "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and the classic sherlocks!

OK. First and foremost it's a kids film. On the whole all kids films are reviewed by adults on IMDb and therefore shouldn't be reviewed like Saving Private Ryan or the Green Mile. My 3 and 5 year old enjoyed the film, the characters and the music and came out smiling afterwards. Not as good as other children's films such as The Incredibles or Finding Nemo (larger budget I imagine), but certainly in the ballpark of Despicable Me or Megamind. Either way, lovely animation of Paris, interesting storyline, and for me it gave the adults enough to keep watching, or is that because I had a crush on Vanessa Paradis when I was 14?