Filmmaker Luc Besson is famous for both his stunning visuals and his not-that-great story lines. But in every movie there is at least one scene that becomes a classic, so his contribution to movies in general is not to be underestimated. The fantasy CGI tale Arthur and the Minimoys based on his own books is his latest project and I must sadly tell you that it is not a good movie. Unlike films like Shrek, Finding Nemo or even Robots it is strictly for children and I guess adults will not find that much to enjoy.
The story begins in the real world. Ten year old Arthur finds out that his back garden is populated by miniature creatures called Minimoys. In order to save his grandfather's farm he must go to the world of Minimoy to find the treasure his granddaddy buried there. Unfortunately that world is dominated by the evil Malthazar and Arthur has to team up with a princess and an her annoying brother to reach his goal.
Let's start with the good. The movie actually starts off in a nice way. Mia Farrow as Arthur's grandmother is fragile, sympathetic and even comical. Young Freddy Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland) is experienced enough to carry off his role convincingly. His entrance in the Minimoys world is very well done and all the tiny fantasy creatures look great. Princess Selenia is perhaps one of the most beautiful CGI creatures ever created on film. Okay, we have at least one great Besson moment!
But in the Minimoy world all goes wrong. For the viewer that is. Starting as a lonely nerd, Arthur is suddenly able to do all kinds of heroic stunts. That's a bit illogical. In true Arthur fashion he pulls a sword from a stone and that seems to give him great sword fighting skills. But that scene comes too late. It doesn't explain all the things that happened before. When the princess and Arthur team up the story gets blurred. Arthur wants to find the treasure, that's clear. But what is the goal of the princess? Does she want to kill the evil Malthazar? And why doesn't she do that when she finally meets him? And what is the thing about getting married in two days?
There are a lot of loose ends in Arthur and the Minimoys and that makes the ultimate feeling very unsatisfactory. It is clear that director Besson had to skip a lot of pages from his novel in order to make a film out of his book. The explanation why Malthazar is the evil person he is, is very thin. The interaction between Arthur and the princess could have been a lot better and more screen time would certainly have helped. I guess children will like the movie though despite the lack of real funny moments. The best scenes take place in the open field , when the three heroes must travel over the river to cross the country. But most of the scenes were 'shot' in caves and this gloomy look doesn't make the viewer more happy. Too bad, but I think Arthur and the Minimoys is an expensive mistake.
The story begins in the real world. Ten year old Arthur finds out that his back garden is populated by miniature creatures called Minimoys. In order to save his grandfather's farm he must go to the world of Minimoy to find the treasure his granddaddy buried there. Unfortunately that world is dominated by the evil Malthazar and Arthur has to team up with a princess and an her annoying brother to reach his goal.
Let's start with the good. The movie actually starts off in a nice way. Mia Farrow as Arthur's grandmother is fragile, sympathetic and even comical. Young Freddy Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland) is experienced enough to carry off his role convincingly. His entrance in the Minimoys world is very well done and all the tiny fantasy creatures look great. Princess Selenia is perhaps one of the most beautiful CGI creatures ever created on film. Okay, we have at least one great Besson moment!
But in the Minimoy world all goes wrong. For the viewer that is. Starting as a lonely nerd, Arthur is suddenly able to do all kinds of heroic stunts. That's a bit illogical. In true Arthur fashion he pulls a sword from a stone and that seems to give him great sword fighting skills. But that scene comes too late. It doesn't explain all the things that happened before. When the princess and Arthur team up the story gets blurred. Arthur wants to find the treasure, that's clear. But what is the goal of the princess? Does she want to kill the evil Malthazar? And why doesn't she do that when she finally meets him? And what is the thing about getting married in two days?
There are a lot of loose ends in Arthur and the Minimoys and that makes the ultimate feeling very unsatisfactory. It is clear that director Besson had to skip a lot of pages from his novel in order to make a film out of his book. The explanation why Malthazar is the evil person he is, is very thin. The interaction between Arthur and the princess could have been a lot better and more screen time would certainly have helped. I guess children will like the movie though despite the lack of real funny moments. The best scenes take place in the open field , when the three heroes must travel over the river to cross the country. But most of the scenes were 'shot' in caves and this gloomy look doesn't make the viewer more happy. Too bad, but I think Arthur and the Minimoys is an expensive mistake.