Arthur et les Minimoys

I've had the privilege of watching the worldwide premiere of Arthur and the Minimoys on Friday, December 1st 2006. French director Luc Besson (Leon, The Fifth Element) arrived at the "Yes Planet" theater in Ramat-Gan, Israel early afternoon, to attend the show. Right before the screening began, he asked the audience to open it's heart, and added something about the film being aimed mainly for kids. He was right.

Maybe it's that bitter 26-year-old guy in me that just couldn't let go of that aching sarcasm that prevented me from really enjoying this half CGI animated/half live action film. Maybe it's the fact that i've just seen so many similar products through the course of my life, that I found it heard to be excited or (god forbid) enthusiastic during this one. Whatever the cause, I couldn't help but reaching the eventual conclusion that Arthur and the Minimoys didn't live up to it's potential. If Besson had just moved one step forward with his imagination, if the twists had been just a tad more original, if the ending hadn't felt so quick and rushed - I could have had a much better time.

The plot line is easy to follow: 10 year-old Arthur, played by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate fame, lives in a small town with his grandmother, portrayed by Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby, The Purple Rose of Cairo). It's the early 1960's and Arthur, who is neglected by his parents, escapes his loneliness by hearing stories of his absent grandfather's journeys to imaginative lands. Reality, however, is grim, as Grandpa has been missing for three years and Grandma must raise a large sum of money in 48 hours, or her land will be seized by the local authorities. Determined to save the property, Arthur sets out on a journey to the land of the Minimoys, extremely small beings who live in his garden, in search of expensive rubies that can put an end to Grandma's debts. From here on out the story turns CGI, as Arthur is shrinked to the size of an average Minimoy himself. On his journey, he falls in love with princess Selenia (voiced by Madonna), befriends a rastaman underground dweller named Max (Snoop Dog) and faces the evil being referred to as "M" (David Bowie).

While the animation is colorful and filled with imagination, the plot moves so fast you don't have much time to really notice the details. Also, there are some supposedly subtle remarks about sex, marriage and corrupt leaders which I don't think are fully appropriate for kids.

Bottom Line, Arthur and the Minimoys is an OK ride, but nothing we haven't seen before. From the recent animated The Ant Bully, through the classic 1980's Honey I Shrunk the Kids, the famed story of King Arthur and even The Matrix - it's all homaged, if not copied, in this new entry.

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.

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.

People i don't know why they says this movie is not good, i think it is an excellent movie, and this is one of my favorite 3D Animated (oriented) movies i have seen recently, Kids will love it, so as adults and i like the ending too, i just can't wait for a Sequel, Nice animation, and funny tooo, DOn't believe in what others say, if you like movies such as "Flushed Away", "Jumanji", "Zathura", "A Bugs Life", etc, you will definitely gonna love it...... I don't wanna talk about the story because it might spoil the fun, Just go ahead and watch it, You'll thank me later for putting up this review, I hope IMDb will someday have better method of reviewing movies, and recommending movie's alike each other.

The movie in the theater was wonderful...however now we have watched the DVD and the children are quite disappointed as many of the funny scenes have been cut out...this is the first time I have seen this happen. For example the two kisses between Arthur and Selinia...the dance with Max...when the parents are digging for the treasure...the part where the buyer tries to steal the treasure....the part where the coconut breaks and Arthur asks Selinia for the string on her top for him to climb...when they were almost kissing and Selinia's brother said she had to wait for the next ten years....when they are sleeping in the flower and Selinia wakes Arthur has his arm around her...these are just a few of the scenes the children have noticed on our first viewing.