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Paranorman and Frankenweenie
Oct. 11th, 2012 09:02 pmHey guess who's on vacation? That crazy lady who goes on and on about things! I wonder what she will do with all this spare time ... Wander amongst some trees? Go stargazing? Savour the fresh air and wilderness she can't get at home? No!* She has written two excessively long movie reviews, one of which is probably too late to be of use to anyone!
PARANORMAN
I have to admit I went into Paranorman with a handicap: I have read and enjoyed Terry Pratchett's Johnny and the Dead, which is a book about a thirteen-year-old boy who can talk with the deceased. I knew this was going to be a handicap when I saw the first trailer, so I tried really hard to put Johnny and the Dead from my mind, and to watch Paranorman on its own terms. For the most part I think this was successful, because they turned out to be rather different stories, accomplishing different things with the premise, so I'm not going to judge Paranorman for not being Johnny and the Dead. But that doesn't necessarily make it better. It wasn't bad! I'm not saying it was bad. It just could have been better.
( The film itself, and my opinions )
While I was willing and, for the most part, capable of putting aside Johnny and the Dead, I couldn't help thinking that Paranorman would benefit significantly from the mind of the mighty Sir Pratchett, who would take it from an adequate little Halloweeny story into something with greater meaning. Johnny and the Dead is about respecting where you come from, but also moving on, and to some extent grappling with the idea of death and taking the teeth out of the scariness of the 'undead' – after all, they're just us. Paranorman's intended story doesn't really go to these places, nor should it, necessarily, but it has a hard time figuring out what it is about, when a Pratchett book has that as its cornerstone. So for the sake of greater understanding of storytelling (because it's too late to do anything to fix Paranorman) and with Spoiler Alert Level raised to Orange, let's play a little game:
( What Would Pterry Do? )
Verdict: A good enough movie, however much it may have fallen short of what it could have been – worth a watch if only for the art, which may sustain your interest until it hits its stride about halfway through. Then go read Johnny and the Dead for an example of doin' it rite.
FRANKENWEENIE
As with most movies I see, this one was screened at work, though because it was Disney we got to see it a few days before it opened rather than a month after. The producer even came to present it and do a Q&A afterwards! Exciting, right?
( No. )
Verdict: Not entertaining enough to be good, and not bad enough to be entertaining. Probably best consumed as a family night in, where you can get up for snacks, chat amongst yourselves, or check your email when things get slow.
*Actually yes; it has been lovely
I have to admit I went into Paranorman with a handicap: I have read and enjoyed Terry Pratchett's Johnny and the Dead, which is a book about a thirteen-year-old boy who can talk with the deceased. I knew this was going to be a handicap when I saw the first trailer, so I tried really hard to put Johnny and the Dead from my mind, and to watch Paranorman on its own terms. For the most part I think this was successful, because they turned out to be rather different stories, accomplishing different things with the premise, so I'm not going to judge Paranorman for not being Johnny and the Dead. But that doesn't necessarily make it better. It wasn't bad! I'm not saying it was bad. It just could have been better.
( The film itself, and my opinions )
While I was willing and, for the most part, capable of putting aside Johnny and the Dead, I couldn't help thinking that Paranorman would benefit significantly from the mind of the mighty Sir Pratchett, who would take it from an adequate little Halloweeny story into something with greater meaning. Johnny and the Dead is about respecting where you come from, but also moving on, and to some extent grappling with the idea of death and taking the teeth out of the scariness of the 'undead' – after all, they're just us. Paranorman's intended story doesn't really go to these places, nor should it, necessarily, but it has a hard time figuring out what it is about, when a Pratchett book has that as its cornerstone. So for the sake of greater understanding of storytelling (because it's too late to do anything to fix Paranorman) and with Spoiler Alert Level raised to Orange, let's play a little game:
( What Would Pterry Do? )
Verdict: A good enough movie, however much it may have fallen short of what it could have been – worth a watch if only for the art, which may sustain your interest until it hits its stride about halfway through. Then go read Johnny and the Dead for an example of doin' it rite.
As with most movies I see, this one was screened at work, though because it was Disney we got to see it a few days before it opened rather than a month after. The producer even came to present it and do a Q&A afterwards! Exciting, right?
( No. )
Verdict: Not entertaining enough to be good, and not bad enough to be entertaining. Probably best consumed as a family night in, where you can get up for snacks, chat amongst yourselves, or check your email when things get slow.
*Actually yes; it has been lovely
