I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t seen a Hollywood movie in the theatres since Quantum of Solace. I’ll also be the first to admit I felt like I was seeing another “Bourne” movie that held as much flavor of Bond as watered down Kool-Aid. I’ve become disappointed with the ‘Wood crowd as they seem unable to put anything of value on to the screens that really interests me. I’ve been a bit put off from the political thrillers that wished to thrust turgid torrents through my throat. I’ve been sitting to the sidelines waiting for something original, something interesting. Anything that has a bright spot within the scripted scenes.
I first saw the trailer for “Coraline” and was immediately interested. I’ve long been a fan of the Tim Burton-esque film making. Hellboy II was a visual and action packed buffet that I couldn’t stop feasting from. That idea of a cracked mirror that bends and spins new worlds out from within the frame captures my interested from the get go.
I feared that “Coraline” would be this dark tale of despair that sent you careening on a rollercoaster ride of rancid rapture. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned into a fantastical journey into the mind of a girl caught between her mundane existence that threatens to bore her to near death and a new shiny world of supposed perfection that calls to her in the midst of moving from Michigan to the Somewhere beyond the Nowhere.
The entirety of the characterizations are pretty straightforward. Mom is distant and stern while Dad is an overworked writer for a gardening magazine. Mother edits and together they’re an oddly functional team. Coraline Jones is of course an only child along for the ride. She has friends back in Michigan whom she yearns to see again. You get the sense this family will endure some tests as the film goes on.
They move into an eccentric pink house divided between several tenants. Two old biddies that are has-been performers from the stage live downstairs with a bevy of dogs, past and present. At the top of the house lives an old circus leader who now trains mice to perform a bevy of tricks and talents. There is of course an odd boy to bother Coraline and in the end also help teach some good ole’ fashioned lessons.
His macabre entrance had me wondering just what type of movie I had taken a risk on. As the film continued there was a small part of me that yearned for a few more of those moments.
There is a deep story here that for me was never fully explained and it might be helped had I read the Neil Gaimen tale that inspired this film. There were some moments I wish had played a little different and after thinking a little more I got the sense some regular tightening of the onscreen story could have been in order. My friend Matt was with me on the adventure and said the movie, “…had some real pacing issues — I think they went to the “other parents” maybe one too many times. Needed some judicious editing in the middle.”
Yes, there are two worlds that the character Coraline Jones vacillates between, unsure of what she really wants. There is the alleged perfect life with a family that loves every second or the real family that cares but is not perfect. As a guy who works with kids at church I can imagine all the great conversation this movie could inspire. I’m a simple guy, what can I say.
This leads us to the other side, where as a children’s movie it succeeds on nearly all fronts although some of the images and how they play across the screen could lead to some nightmares for the younger set. The payoff for this movie is the characters. This is not technology where you can see the pixelting pixels. The moments are as real as you allow them. Stop motion combines with many different animation technologies and it definetly succeeds here without pushing that fourth wall out too far. The depth of imagination that went into this would light up any child’s creative senses.
There’s an undercurrent of “Alice in Wonderland” woven throughout the story, even featuring a few moments that were nearly spot on with the original tale that brought a geek powered smile wide across my face. It is a nice tip of the hat without being too much sledgehammer to the head confirmation and lends to creating some great moments on screen.
If nothing else, go see Coraline for the beauty that the filmmakers were able to cast upon the canvas. As the openings scenes started up I heard gasps of wonder from several in our crowd. That initial gaping awe fades as the story beings to spin across the screen, pulling you into the moments. Go in with wanting to discover your inner kid again and the movie will probably be much more enjoyable. There are some pacing issues and there’s some parts that retooling details could fix.
On my facebook status I heralded this movie as, “A must see movie”. Despite my old friend’s cold splash of reality, I stand by my opinion. Of all the movies in release right now I wouldn’t change where I stand. “Coraline” is a richly colored adventure of discovering the true meaning of family, love and friendship that if you allow it to wrap around you a little you just might find something in it for yourself.
I can only hope the DVD release will include five million hours of behind the scenes features as this film would probably send me into a geek induced stroke of awesome.
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