Grade For Kids
Grade For Adults
Some children’s films can touch a special nerve, spinning a yarn that engages and entertains viewers of any age. Other movies are decent, but are for youngsters only; a distraction of sorts while their parents are elsewhere at the mall, finishing up some chores or shopping. “Epic” falls into the latter category. It’s a perfectly competent film, but one that won’t do nearly as much for adults as it will for their children.
The story is a strange hodge-podge, combining elements of “Ferngully” (if anyone remembers that flick), “Avatar” and even “Star Wars”. Deep in the forest live miniature warriors called Leafmen, who fly around on birds and battle the villainous, nature-destroying Boggans. All seems lost when the Queen of the Forest (Beyonce Knowles) is wounded by chief Boggan Mandrake (Christoph Waltz). However, events take a turn when a sullen, human teenage girl named M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) comes across the fracas.
M.K. is shrunk by a magical leaf and immediately assigned to protect a special pod picked from a marsh. This pod must reach a specific location and grow under the moonlight or the land will lose all of its regenerative properties. She sets out on this adventure with Leafmen Ronin (Colin Farrell) and Nod (Josh Hutcherson) and well as a goofy slug and snail named Mub and Grub (Aziz Ansari and Chris O’Dowd).
Story wise, it’s very conventional, yet somewhat convoluted. One guesses that you’re not supposed to think too hard about the details – in particularly why any forest dweller, good or bad, would want to destroy their own home. And, if the shrinking human/pod rescue plot seems awkward to read, imagine how the exposition sounds as the characters attempt to explain all of the magical forces at play.
As a result, as a viewer it takes some time to get involved. Another distraction is the bizarre “stunt” casting that includes a glowworm voiced by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and a toad played by Pitbull. Of course, with all the musician cameos, this results in a brief melodic number that comes from out of the blue and seems shoehorned in. It feels totally unnecessary and out of place at that moment in the story.
On the plus side, the film looks good and there are a few visual highlights. A chase scene in which the characters ride high flying birds looks dynamic in 3D. The movie’s best sequence involves a quick excursion into M.K.’s home that results in the group being pursued by the family dog (who is animated in slow-motion with humorously slobbery close-ups). Performance wise, the stand-outs are Ansari and O’Dowd. They don’t have to deliver the stilted dialogue during serious moments and as a result are the funniest and most engaging characters. Frankly, it might have been wiser to focus the film on the dim-witted pair – everything livens up the moment they’re on screen.
As an adult, it’s little more than a serviceable animated film with a positive message and a few standout scenes. Still, while it may not impress older audiences, young children are likely to enjoy what they see. Make your plans accordingly.