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So, I took the family to see that owl movie in 3D today. 
I was pleasantly surprised.
Let me get my one gripe out of the way. Gotta say that the 3D really does very little for me; my annoyance at wearing the glasses outweighs any visual "WOW". Plus, there were more than a few places where shadow effects were visible and distracting. I don't know if this is the fault of the rendering or of the projection. That's all.
The accents varied from pseudo-Scot to pseudo-Welsh to pseudo-Brit to pseudo-American without really being anything consistent or identifiable. Possibly intentional, but mostly distracting. There were some really good voices here, including Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, and Hugo Weaving.
The animation was smooth and detailed, without clipping, CGI artifacts, or distractingly unrealistic textures. The backgrounds especially are beautifully rendered. This ought to make a fantastic art book.
The action and language was appropriate to both the setting and the audience. There was no cursing or potty humor. One owl says that "war is hell". The fight scenes are intense and dramatic without getting graphic or needlessly brutal. Owls get hurt, and they eat some live mice (plus regurgitate the owl pellets), but there is never any blood.
The story is exactly the one you expect if you've seen the trailer. If you haven't seen the trailer, the story is exactly the one you expect within the first 10 minutes of movie. The characters also are exactly what you expect them to be. They are fairly transparent, and archetypal. There are no surprises here, no real innovations in terms of genre or formula. On the other hand, every story and character convention is executed with textbook precision. This is a good movie to study in terms of getting the basics of storytelling and characterization down.
Paeter will be glad to know that never once does the film trot out the old "trust your heart" line. No, no. Owls have gizzards, and those are much more reliable..... "Trust your gizzard, hero-owl-whose-name-I-forget." We also get the message that the existence of faith makes real the subject of the faith. And you must "do the right thing, no matter the cost". No framework for faith, or moral system for determining what is right is provided. In fact, the villains are themselves "in the right" because they also have faith in their own goals, and are acting on it decisively. Admittedly, the heavier subtext is really only going to be apparent to those who take the time to get to it. The intended audience will come away with "do the right thing, always."
For what it is, this is an excellent movie, much better than most designed to appeal the same audience. I don't regret the time spent, and will likely wind up buying the home video release. I haven't read the books, nor does this film induce any desire for me to do so. My 4th grade daughter, however, is now determined to read the whole series, as is my wife.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Let me get my one gripe out of the way. Gotta say that the 3D really does very little for me; my annoyance at wearing the glasses outweighs any visual "WOW". Plus, there were more than a few places where shadow effects were visible and distracting. I don't know if this is the fault of the rendering or of the projection. That's all.
The accents varied from pseudo-Scot to pseudo-Welsh to pseudo-Brit to pseudo-American without really being anything consistent or identifiable. Possibly intentional, but mostly distracting. There were some really good voices here, including Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, and Hugo Weaving.
The animation was smooth and detailed, without clipping, CGI artifacts, or distractingly unrealistic textures. The backgrounds especially are beautifully rendered. This ought to make a fantastic art book.
The action and language was appropriate to both the setting and the audience. There was no cursing or potty humor. One owl says that "war is hell". The fight scenes are intense and dramatic without getting graphic or needlessly brutal. Owls get hurt, and they eat some live mice (plus regurgitate the owl pellets), but there is never any blood.
The story is exactly the one you expect if you've seen the trailer. If you haven't seen the trailer, the story is exactly the one you expect within the first 10 minutes of movie. The characters also are exactly what you expect them to be. They are fairly transparent, and archetypal. There are no surprises here, no real innovations in terms of genre or formula. On the other hand, every story and character convention is executed with textbook precision. This is a good movie to study in terms of getting the basics of storytelling and characterization down.
Paeter will be glad to know that never once does the film trot out the old "trust your heart" line. No, no. Owls have gizzards, and those are much more reliable..... "Trust your gizzard, hero-owl-whose-name-I-forget." We also get the message that the existence of faith makes real the subject of the faith. And you must "do the right thing, no matter the cost". No framework for faith, or moral system for determining what is right is provided. In fact, the villains are themselves "in the right" because they also have faith in their own goals, and are acting on it decisively. Admittedly, the heavier subtext is really only going to be apparent to those who take the time to get to it. The intended audience will come away with "do the right thing, always."
For what it is, this is an excellent movie, much better than most designed to appeal the same audience. I don't regret the time spent, and will likely wind up buying the home video release. I haven't read the books, nor does this film induce any desire for me to do so. My 4th grade daughter, however, is now determined to read the whole series, as is my wife.
