I guess you have to set your expectations. This is a live-action movie based on a 60's-era kiddie sci-fi TV show that used sophisticated puppets (SuperMarionation) for the action.
So...are you expecting "2001: A Space Odyssey"? God, I hope not.
As it is, I enjoyed this movie immensely. I'm sure it plays better on TV than it would have on the big screen (maybe the five people in America who saw it in a theater can comment). Sure, it has its flaws (too much like "Spy Kids"; too much of the action is childish--imagine that in a kids' movie), but I thought it hit a good tone. Big, silly, flashy (a color palette that is perilously close to garish), but somehow with a good heart. The special effects were quite good--in fact, I truly think they were more convincing than those in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".
For translation to live-action, I thought it was well done, especially Lady Penelope. The original Lady P. was simply the hottest puppet in world history and as such a tough act to follow, but I was impressed. Even Parker looked like Parker. Amazing. Loved the car, too. (Tin-Tin, played by Vanessa Hudgens in her pre-nude-photo days, isn't hard to look at, either.)
Well, if you've never seen the show and have no idea what I'm talking about (true of most Americans), you'd better skip this, because you'll never figure out what's going on and won't get any of the in-jokes ("Just like a puppet on a string."). But I loved the show; I have the original theatrical movies on DVD. And now I have this, too. Cool.
So...are you expecting "2001: A Space Odyssey"? God, I hope not.
As it is, I enjoyed this movie immensely. I'm sure it plays better on TV than it would have on the big screen (maybe the five people in America who saw it in a theater can comment). Sure, it has its flaws (too much like "Spy Kids"; too much of the action is childish--imagine that in a kids' movie), but I thought it hit a good tone. Big, silly, flashy (a color palette that is perilously close to garish), but somehow with a good heart. The special effects were quite good--in fact, I truly think they were more convincing than those in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".
For translation to live-action, I thought it was well done, especially Lady Penelope. The original Lady P. was simply the hottest puppet in world history and as such a tough act to follow, but I was impressed. Even Parker looked like Parker. Amazing. Loved the car, too. (Tin-Tin, played by Vanessa Hudgens in her pre-nude-photo days, isn't hard to look at, either.)
Well, if you've never seen the show and have no idea what I'm talking about (true of most Americans), you'd better skip this, because you'll never figure out what's going on and won't get any of the in-jokes ("Just like a puppet on a string."). But I loved the show; I have the original theatrical movies on DVD. And now I have this, too. Cool.
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