Epic

I will start off by saying that I was not impressed by the ad campaign for this film. I could tell off the bat by the trailer that is was an unoriginal story; it is "Avatar" for kids. For us adults who grew up with "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" such as myself, "Epic" truly seems like a rip off. It is a rip off of a rip off. There are many similarities in the stories of both animated films and "Avatar" also resembles "FernGully". In addition, the movie has a very egotistical title. The original title for this movie was "Leaf Men" and that is so much better because of its simplicity and clarity. The movie wrote a metaphorical cheque that it couldn't cash. The show wasn't bad but it was advertized to be something that it wasn't. I believe that a serious approach would have been more profitable instead of leaning more towards the fanciful. The film's design was somewhat epic but its story took a back seat and that tends to be a nail in a coffin.

I felt that "Epic" had problems with the introductions of the characters and relationships. If M.K. is the main character, her plotline should come before that of Nod's. It almost seemed that Nod was going to be the protagonist. "Beauty and the Beast" on the other hand was effectively able to create two main characters in the beginning because the Beast's back-story was told in a unique manner that leads into establishment of Belle. Both characters need each other to progress. In the case of "Epic", Nod's direction in life could have been corrected without M.K.'s involvement in the crisis and the same can be said for M.K.'s predicament. Her trip to the world of the Leafmen alone would have helped her without Nod being there. The focus of the film's story should have been more on M.K. because it is the most relatable. M.K.'s seems to adapt to her new circumstance quite easily in the story and there is less drama as a result. Instead of being a city human that is shrunk in the world of nature, she is given new abilities such as jumping great heights. Also, I think a city girl would feel more out of place in the world of the Leafmen. A good part of the story is its resemblance to film story of "The Wizard of Oz": a young girl decides to leave home but is unexpectedly transported to a fantastic environment and she is desirous to return to back to what she tried to leave in the first place. In terms of the overall narrative, there is a nice of arc of rising action. The climax however also has flaws. I thought it was too convenient when Professor Bomba discovers the red pin and realizes where M.K. is. After all, he is in a moment of denial about what he has seen and about his life's work. Could the red pin's change in position on the map really be enough proof for him? Also, Mandrake's final moment in the movie seemed too quick. One part of the climax that does work has to do with Ronin. The storytellers were effectively able to create a noble and sorrowful death for him so the audience would accept it. The love story between M.K. and Nod was well created. I liked the use of the line "Put your arms around me." One glitch though is that we all know that these two characters have no chance of ending up together. I am not saying that they shouldn't have kissed but it should have happened earlier so that M.K. and Nod can depart as friends instead of on such a high note of love. If the two had kissed on the deer ride for example, there would have been time for M.K. and Nod's relationship to grow to the point that they would do the responsible thing and depart each other with a friendly hug. As you can tell, I am referencing the love story plotline in "FernGully". On the other hand, long distance relationships are commonplace today and I like the "Skype" scene at the very end of the movie. I also like how it is revealed that the motivation for Bomba's work was the love he had for his wife. If he could prove that the Leafmen exist, his wife would come back to him.

William Joyce has yet another project adapted for the big screen or for television. "Meet the Robinsons" and "Rise of the Guardians" are two other examples but the plot for "Epic" is very much different from its source. To me, the title "Epic" denotes seriousness and there wasn't enough in the movie for my taste. The pre-production stage of this film is humorous. Director Chris Wedge offered the story rights to Pixar when 20th Century Fox began to lose interest. However, once Pixar attempted to close the deal, Fox suddenly changed their minds. It is like a child who wants a toy only because another child has it. Some casting decisions worked while others did not. I am kind of tired by the way of films advertising their big stars because we the aren't able to concentrate on their characters. Amanda Seyfried's voice fit her characters' appearance quite well as did Josh Hutcherson's and Colin Farrell's. I didn't feel that Beyonce was needed because there are plenty of other beautiful voiced women who could have performed that role. Steven Tyler's character is well created thanks to his vocal performance but he was introduced in the wrong way. His musical number seemed out of place in the story. This movie doesn't have a very strong villain even though Mandrake was performed by two-time Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz. I was hoping for a much darker, powerful voice. Whenever I think of Danny Elfman's work, I think of music from a Tim Burton film. His more recent film scores are less stereotypical of him and that is good. The design for this movie is impressive when you look at Blue Sky Studio's previous films. I was expecting the human and human-like characters however to appear quite realistic because on one of the movie posters for "Epic", M.K. seems to resemble a real human being more so than she did in the movie itself. Still, Blue Sky Studios is closer to the "Uncanny Valley" than ever before so that was neat I guess.

My childhood friend, A.J. Conrad, is an animator on this film by the way. This kind of movie should have been released in the spring so as to not have to compete with bigger (and better) films. Then again, this film is obviously for children and not for all ages. The best movies however appeal to anyone and many adults will have "Avatar" or "FernGully" on their minds as they watch "Epic" with their kids. This movie was only moderate mostly because it was advertized incorrectly. This show is okay but not "epic".

3 Stars