David Bowie is joyous as Lord Maltazard and Robert DeNiro is, well, downright regal as The King. Jimmy Fallon, on the other hand, is more of an annoyance as Betamache. Madonna as Princess Selenia is virtually unrecognizable but is perhaps the strongest and most delightful of the voicing actors. A film that starts as live-action and segues into CGI animation with a superb cast of actors providing voice-overs for the animated characters, quickly loses its luster at this point despite the stellar voicing cast. She brings a gentility and serenity to the character that warms the heart. Mia Farrow, whose big screen presences is a rarity is delightful as Grandmother. With boundless energy and imagination, he is captivatingly charming as the 10 year old Arthur. But this is a give and take situation and in exchange for Selenia’s help in finding the rubies, Arthur ends up helping Selenia and the kingdom fight off evil insectoid invaders.įrom racing Ferrari’s, dueling forces atop a spinning record player (yes, a record player that plays vinyl LP’s) Ferrari’s, and slip and slide down a river running through a straw, the adventures are as grandiose and splendiferous as the Minimoys are small.įreddie Highmore, whose irrepressible carefree spirit invigorates “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Finding Neverland” is no different here. Joining forces with Princess Selenia and her rotund little brother Betameche who looks much like a deformed troll, they battle the evil Lord Maltazard for the cache of rubies. Passing through a metallic iris, Arthur is transformed into a teeny, tiny little kid with spiky colored hair and really cool shades (compliments of CGI technology) and begins his journey through Minimoy and quest for the rubies. Thanks to Grandfather’s meticulously detailed clues and quotes, and some help from spirited African tribesmen who can only appear on the night of a new moon, Arthur finds himself transported down into the Seven Kingdoms of the Minimoys. Oh, and did I mention Minimoy just happens to be underground outside Arthur’s house? If Arthur can find the rubies, he can sell them and get the money for Grandmother to buy back their home. It seems that fantastical stories and tales don’t pay the mortgage and Grandmother, deep in debt, was unable to pay her bills.Īrthur, an avid student of his grandfather’s water-colored journals, realizes he has the ability to save his beloved home and Grandmother for, as Grandfather wrote, there lies a king’s ransom of rubies deep in the land of the Minimoys, an African tribe who grow to be no more than one inch high and who comprise a world of trolls and fairies and other little creatures living harmoniously with nature. But that special kind of magic can be fleeting and life can turn on a dime as Arthur finds out when an unscrupulous real estate developed shows up at the door taking title to the property due to foreclosure. Picket fences, rambling vines and flowers – the scene is enchanting, idyllic and magical. Arthur lives with his grandmother in a quaintly large home that looks if plucked from a picture book. And the fact that his world traveler grandfather who disappeared in presumably the deepest darkest corners of Africa, penned a beautifully illustrated journal of his travels, only fuels Arthur’s own imaginative fire.
She can tell a story that evokes such fascination and awe that it makes one belief these imagined far away places have to be real. Wildy entertaining and a tad on the eccentric side, Grandmother has one of the most vividly enchanting imaginations around. And now I want to know where the $80 million was spent because it certainly wasn’t on this film.Īrthur is loving lad whose greatest champion and greatest love in life is his grandmother. A charming story helmed by the wunderkind responsible for the unparalleled imaginative insanity and techno-kaleidoscopic stunner “The Fifth Element”, I was certain that Besson’s imaginative visionary interpretations would effectively translate into live-action/computer animation project such as this one. As with the recent “Charlotte’s Web”, I have waited with bated breath and excited anticipation for the release of Luc Besson’s latest directorial effort, ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES.
0 kommentar(er)
