Bienvenue à Marwen

...somebody dares to think outside the box in this day and age. Thank you Robert Zemeckis for daring to push the envelope and revealing more of the ongoings in the human mind than most documentaries are able.

This is an extraordinarily grown up film - skilfully portraying the workings of the inner mind. Trusting the audience to stay in touch with their younger self, to receive the message, is a mind twistingingly daring approach to great film making.

Arguably skipping the BOATS (Based On A True Story) aspect and tweaking the script into pure fiction would have been beneficial to the broader audience. This for two reasons; the concept is strong enough to stand alone and all viewers could watch without prejudice. As it stands some viewers will carry a pre-conception as To how the story "should" be told.

However, the main reason for falling short of giving Welcome to Marwen a 10/10 is insecurity from this reviewer. The format is so fresh that there are few points of reference - this rating may well improve over time.

It IS a must see, also an invitation to grow up - and get back in contact with the; playful and curious approach to learning so many of us have forgotten.

The most original film I've seen in years. On top of that, basing this on a true story, they didn't feel the need to hollywoodise the lead character, instead keeping him intact with all his quirks, insecurities & awkwardness. The tea scene with Carrell & Leslie Mann is probably the most awkward thing I've seen since the English office series & it works so well. The doll sequences are spectacular, if a little too dominant of the film in the first half, but it's a minor quibble for what is very original, heart breaking yet comedic viewing. Well worth the price of admission.

Mark, after nearly being beaten to death, escapes into a fantasy world of dolls in a World War 2 setting he can control.

First off this is very slow and considered. The single goal of the story is to get Mark to attend a court date - that is it. But of course for him this is a herculean effort.

The characters are great, the action elements in the fantasy world are vivid and punchy and injects a bit of motion into a very sedate movie. Like "Sucker Punch" it gets a little bit repetitive as every problem Mark faces he retreats into his fantasy world.

Carell steps off the gas to give a heart felt performance, Leslie Mann does what she excels at: being desirable yet approachable. Merritt Wever holds it all together with an understated performance and she was my favourite character.

This isn't laugh-out-loud funny but it isn't as depressing as it might sound.

The only point I didn't like was that it framed Mark's attack as an encounter by strangers - which wasn't quite true. He was drinking with his attackers, otherwise they would know nothing about him. I felt like the writers were afraid an audience would lose sympathy for him if he knew his attackers in anyway. But I feel to the contrary: if some stranger attacks you just for being you there is little you can do about that - but if your actions put you into a situation that goes badly, then you are left wondering if it was somehow your fault, even if you are not to blame. Once I knew this I suddenly understood why the main character just couldn't move on and was stuck in a loop.

A very enjoyable, different film, a great watch but you will need patience and focus or this is going to feel long.

Ok I've read a lot of reviews calling this movie a disaster and such, but I have to say I really enjoyed this movie! There were definitely some plot errors and some awkward writing points but I really wnjoyed the story and the cinematography was beautiful. The transitions between the real world and the doll world were flawless. Please give this movie a chance and make up your own mind about it.

Mark was a high school classmate of mine and good friend. He had so much raw talent as an artist and made everyone laugh. The hate that wrecked his life was transformed into art like we have never seen.