Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. I’ll see this one, and I’ll probably even see it in the theater. It is, after all, a Luc Besson film, an increasingly rare commodity these days. I’m jealous of Ravvy and Quint seeing ANGEL-A at Sundance, but I figure I’ll get my shot at that one soon enough. For now, what I want to know is whether I’ll be taking Toshi to see ARTHUR & THE INVISIBLES with me, or if this is one for Besson completists only. Capone?
Hey, all. Capone in Chicago here. Although he has written and produced dozens of films in the last few years, it's tough to believe that France's Luc Besson hasn't directed a film since 1999's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. However, in just the first quarter of this year, Besson will be releasing two films in the United States, and if we are to believe what he says, they will be his last as a director. Due in March, Angel-A seems as if it will be more like Besson's traditional sexy, slick, high energy works (like La Femme Nikita, Leon: The Professional, and The Fifth Element). But today we get a very different kind of Besson film: his first truly family-friendly work, one that mixes live action and digital animation in a wholly glorious and thrilling way. Based on the wildly popular children's book Arthur and the Minimoys, Besson's film features Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Arthur, who has been left at his grandparents' home because his parents are in the "big city" working very hard to make much needed money. Arthur's grandfather is long missing, as he was prone to disappear on long adventures all over the world for months or years at a time. His patient wife and Arthur's grandmother (Mia Farrow) has been trying to make ends meet around the homestead, but some greedy real estate developers are on the verge of seizing the property unless a major mortgage payment is made. Arthur's grandfather has left clues all over the house for the boy to find and transport him to a new and microscopic world right under their home. By doing this, Arthur hopes to find a long-rumored stash of rubies that his father hid there years earlier. Once Arthur gets small, things really start to pick up. He meets the elf-like creatures that live under the earth and joins forces with them to fight a bunch of tiny bad guys and retrieve the treasure. Robert De Niro voices the king of the Minimoys, and his warrior princess daughter (Madonna) and useless son (Jimmy Fallon) join Arthur on his quest. Also offering vocal talents to the mix are Harvey Keitel, Chazz Palminteri, Emilio Estevez, Jason Bateman, Anthony Anderson, the Corddroy brothers (Rob and Nathan), and Snoop Dogg. Perhaps the best guest vocalist on hand is David Bowie as the villainous wizard Maltazard. Sure the Minimoys bear an uncanny resemblance to those wild-haired trolls you used to stick on the ends of your pencils, but that makes them lovable. Hey, at least this isn't another animated feature in which we're at the mercy of some talking animal or another for the umpteenth time. There's a level of creativity and adventure here that reminded me of the works of Miyazaki (in feeling only, not look). Would I have liked it as much were it by anyone other than Besson? Certainly, especially after sitting through such dreck as Happily N'Ever After last week. Fortunately, Besson peppers throughout the film, a few choice adult moments that will probably fly right over kids' heads (hopefully). Arthur and the Invisibles is technically a 2006 release (to qualify for Oscar consideration), and it fits nicely in with some of the quality stuff we got last year, like Over the Hedge, Flushed Away, and Monster House. There's no pandering here, just solid good times and adventure. Capone
