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The Last Unicorn (1982)
whimsical, magical animation
This film holds special place in my heart; it is something I always relate to my childhood, therefore this review could be full of bias and nostalgia. It could, but I still believe it's one of the most wonderful gems of an animated feature out there. Full of whimsy and having such a magic feel to it, the characters, story, music and animation all shine with obvious strengths. Mia Farrow plays the title character of the unicorn with a wise yet somehow naive voice, as she experiences life in a human body and the emotions that go with it. She is supported by a host of wonderful supporting characters, some of which pass by in a flash (a besotted tree, a drunken skeleton to name a couple) but all are very memorable. The themes are surprisingly mature yet accessible to children of all ages. it deals with mortality, love and loss. There is little sugar- coating, and there are some true goose-bump rendering moments. The climactic scene with unicorns pouring out of the water and the fantastic choir of sound that goes with it always comes back to me as a great example of this. The music itself has a strong soundtrack by the band "America", the title song especially standing out. The animation has a touch of anime style to it, which suits all the characters very well imo. I believe it was partially animated by a Japanese studio, so that would explain it. Overall this film is something of a masterpiece. Some people dismiss this as being "too girly" because of the title, having not even seen it. I'd say that's a shame, since the theme runs much deeper than the object of a sparkly girly unicorn ever could, and you appreciate this and love this even more as an adult, as all good "kids" films should make you do.
Alien³ (1992)
disappointing, bleak...
...in comparison to the first two. As it's own movie this is a good concept and could have worked much better without the Alien franchise. The prison setting, these brutish characters and a sense of entrapment all lend well to a horror/thriller. But taking these established characters; Newt and Hick's, then dispensing of them in this film, was such a slap to the audience and renders Ripley's heroism pointless in Aliens! I understand they were trying for a different, bleaker tone; they succeeded, but it was just *too* bleak for me. The relationship set up between Ripley and Clemens was frankly all i could care about; (the other characters seemed so dislikeable I wanted them to end up as Alien fodder)and when Clemens is killed off barely an hour into the film I struggled to watch on. The struggle worsened when we learn that Ripley is carrying one of the Aliens herself, so how is an audience supposed to believe she can survive this, and how are we supposed to root for her survival when she is already condemned to death? By this point i was totally disengaged from all the characters so didn't care about the film at all. A few things that might appeal about this film though; it's got a grittiness that lacks perhaps in the former films. Some sort of realism that is successful and an atmosphere and lighting which does it's job well.
I just get the feeling they were trying for an idea which failed in this film. It seems like it could have been something great, but wasn't. I would say go into this film without Alien and Aliens in mind, but that's entirely impossible and that's why it's such a disappointment to me.
Treasure Planet (2002)
Underrated excellent film
I am shocked by some reviewers proclaiming this "the worst" of Disney's lot. Really? Were we watching the same film?
The animation, to begin with, was rather breathtaking in scope and imagination. There were appealing and interesting character designs; the central character I felt might have benefited from being less "bland", but others such as Silver managed to be appealing yet carry an air of the gruesome which was needed for what he was supposed to represent; as a believable villain, essentially. Also the character of Morph was cute and served the plot in some way. For that, he wasn't the usual annoying Disney sidekick fare. Emma Thompson and David Hyde Pierce also stood out to me; their relationship was entertaining and believable if somewhat predictable!
It was also a nice change of direction for Disney; a redeemable villain with no clear black or white sides, or a needed love interest to tie things up at the end. I think the strong point was the relationship that developed so well between Silver and Hawkins. Maybe it just doesn't touch some people, depending on your own personal experiences, but for me this was the heart of the film and made up for weaker points.
There were a few; including Ben the robot. He was pretty annoying and seemed to arrive too late in the game, although he had some moments. I also felt like the film ebbed a bit toward the end, but then the climax made up for that.
Honestly I don't have too many complaints to make about this film. So do yourself a favour and watch it!
The Wind in the Willows (1983)
Best version I've ever seen
...Well maybe I am a bit biased because I have such a ton of nostalgia for this movie. But I remember being six years old and constantly borrowing this film off my aunt, until she just let me keep it one day. I'm 25 now and all the songs and dialogue have stuck with me vividly ever since. The title song is beautiful, and the rest of the soundtrack is witty and catchy. The animation is perfectly acceptable and has a charm to it, but the main strength of this film is the great voice cast. Whenever I think of Toad, this is the one that comes to mind, wonderfully voiced by Charles Reilly. I thought he was hilarious and lively in his arrogance. Everyone else is just as wonderfully cast in their roles; special mention to Roddy Mcdowall, who is so heartwarming as Ratty. Badger is also a standout, though he is helped by his own song; "I hate company" which is a riot! I honestly can't say enough good things about this film! IMO it captures the spirit of the book best of all the adaptations I've seen. It has a real whimsy to it, and as I said before the theme song by Judy Collins is just beautiful and probably contributes a great deal of it's nostalgic charm for me. You could do far worse than watch this...I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on it. Definitely needs a DVD release pronto. And a soundtrack while they're at it!!