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"The Intolerables?" |
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Directed by Steve
Anderson - Written by
Michelle Spitz
Starring Angela Bassett,
Tom Selleck, Harland
Williams
Adam West, Tom Kenny,
Ethan Sandler
Distributed by Walt
Disney -
2007 - 102m - Rated G |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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C+ |
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How patient are you? |
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"Meet the Robinsons,"
the latest animated feature film from Disney Studios, is going to
test your patience.
Filmed in 3D, "Meet the Robinsons" is a visual smorgasbord of wonder
when seen in digital theatres capable of handling the film's
technological wonder. In 2D, "Meet the Robinson" is still visually
arresting but in this lower quality format its flaws start to become
glaring, its images appear like the images of many other animated
films and, essentially, "Meet the Robinsons" is weighed down by a
story that takes over half the film to make sense and a convoluted
storyline that is far too busy to ever be captivating. With enough
distracting eccentricity to hold the attention of even the most
hyperactive of children, "Meet the Parents" director Steven Anderson
seems to take the "throw it at the screen" approach to filmmaking by
pulling out trick after trick after trick after trick after trick
after trick.
After trick.
While some of these tricks do stick, the film itself becomes
overwhelmed by Anderson's relentless pursuit of special effects,
quirky characters, unusual sights and animated gags that will mostly
please children but give adults a massive headache.
Part "Jimmy Neutron," part "Shrek," part "The Incredibles" and even
part "Monster House," "Meet the Robinsons" is a decent children's
film, an average family film and an overall ever-so slightly above
average film that could have been so much more.
How is it, by the way, that seven screenwriters can't manage to put
together a decent script that somehow makes all of this make sense?
In "Meet the Robinsons," Lewis (Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry) is an
orphan with horn-rimmed glasses and a penchant for making things in
the most scientific of ways. When his Memory Scanner is snatched
from the science fair by "Bowler Hat Guy," (voiced by director
Steven Anderson) Lewis is whisked a way by Wilbur Robinson (Wesley
Singerman) to a world where eccentric doesn't begin to describe its
inhabitants.
As an adult who has tired of the all-too familiar watered-down,
sugar-coated and mind numbingly dumbed-down films that pass for
children's cinema these days, "Meet the Robinsons" is refreshing in
its willingness to be dark and, at times, downright cynical. Indeed,
I thought of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" more than once,
though the film itself is based upon William Joyce's "A Day With
Wilbur Robinson>'
Filmed in a retro style that both resembles the magic of early
Disney fare and clearly guides Disney into the future, "Meet the
Robinsons" is a sci-fi, time travel, "back to the futurish" kind of
film with intergalactic pizza delivery guys, dinosaurs, talking
ki8tchen appliances, singing frogs (and you thought the frogs in
"Magnolia" were bad) and a host of other interesting and quirkily
charming characters.
Voiced by the likes of Angela Bassett, Tom Kenny, Harland Williams
(Am I the only one whose noticed that Williams seems to turn up in
all the films that one can describe as quirky?), Laurie Metcalf, Tom
Selleck and on and on and on.
It seems like everything in "Meet the Robinsons" comes to life and
almost nothing in this film resembles anything remotely close to
normal.
Perhaps I've just become accustomed to bland, paint-by-numbers
kiddie fare to keep track of "Meet the Robinsons?" Perhaps "Meet the
Robinsons" simply tries to rest itself too squarely upon the
shoulders of its technical wizardry? Perhaps this is even the rare
children's film that requires more than one viewing to fully embrace
the full spectrum of its visual images?
The truth, I suspect, lies somewhere in the middle of all the above
statements. "Meet the Robinsons" is an occasionally fun, frequently
frustrating film that never really firmly establishes itself in any
of the worlds it inhabits. While its dark undertones are refreshing
(and the best scenes in the film), director Steven Anderson never
truly commits to these scenes and "Meet the Robinson" inevitably
strays back to the more familiar, unexpectedly upbeat family film
Americans have come to expect.
Likewise, however, "Meet the Robinsons" is, at times, so dark and
intense (especially in 3-D), that its almost impossible to not feel
let down by the film's bouncing back and forth between lighthearted
family film and Burton-esque fantasy.
Isn't it odd that, despite their uniqueness, none of these
characters really seem to matter that much to the film and, in fact,
most are downright obnoxious?
The end result is a film that will appeal to those who prefer their
films to be nothing more than eye candy with a virtual galaxy of
quirkiness, goofiness, charm and eccentricity galore. The visual
images, at times, are thrown at the film with such force that I
almost find myself wanting to throw out a medical alert to
epileptics prone to seizures due to a dizzying array of images.
I swear. I'm not exaggerating.
The film's score, by Danny Elfman, is a perfect complement to the
film's frenetic pace, while a couple tunes by Rufus Wainwright serve
to provide the film with about the only breathers one gets in the
film's 102 minute running time.
"Meet the Robinsons" is a decent first step on Disney's road to
making 3D filmmaking relevant again, a journey that will undoubtedly
continue. Yet, in many ways, "Meet the Robinsons" will make you long
for the early days of Disney when merely the sight of Mickey or
Minnie or Donald Duck or Pluto could evoke a smile, a giggle or a
downright guffaw.
Remember when you didn't have to work so dang hard just to watch a
cartoon? |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
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TC Candler's Comment
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