I'd say I enjoyed this movie more than most of the movies in recent memory. This was one of those few cases that the movie was better than the trailer!
First, I loved the animation! The characters in this film were hand-drawn, as compared to the digitally-created Shrek. That's not to say that computer animation isn't impressive, but when old-school animation is done well, it looks like art! When you look at the background in some of the large panaramic scenes of Atlantis, you'll see that features off in the distance take on a "watercolor" look, like a painting from the impressionist period. Absolutely beautiful!
And I enjoyed all the subtle (and not so subtle) references to other movies, including "Journey to the Center of the Earth", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", and the "Indiana Jones" movies. As a sidenote, I thought that young explorer Milo Thatch's character was very similar to the scientist/dimensional explorer portrayed by James Spader in "Stargate". I know, who notices stuff like that?
On the downside, most of the characters are portrayed in an over-the-top manner that's clearly geared towards kids, but hey, look around the theatre. This movie has great action, a cool sci-fi story, is visually appealing animation, and is a lot of fun! |
