Film Review

~ Coraline ~

Ask ten people on the street who directed A Nightmare Before Christmas and at least half of them will come back with an answer of Tim Burton, they would of course all be wrong. The correct answer is Henry Selick, and the man behind Nightmare and Ronald Dahls James and the Giant Peach returns after the 8 years it took to complete this brilliant adaption of Neil Gaimans classic kid’s novel.

Coraline is the story of a lonely young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who after moving house and feeling neglected by her parents discovers a door to a parallel world, a suspiciously perfect world in which her "Other Parents" (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgmen) can't do enough for her and give her a sense of family she craves in the real world. As you may expect from Selicks liking of the dark and twisted, things aren't always what they seem. There's something dangerously creepy about her other parents, tempting her to stay with them and leave behind her old life, staring hopefully with their big black button eyes (yes, everyone in the other world has button eyes). The tale takes a more sinister twist when Other Mother's true identity is revealed. Bizarre, terrifying and more than a little macabre it brings together elements of Alice in Wonderland, the Brothers Grimm and Wizard of Oz in an unique and disturbing game of hide-and-seek with unthinkable consequences should she lose.

Along the way Coraline meets a whole host of intriguing characters. Upstairs we have ex Russian gymnast Mr. Bobinsky (Ian Mcshane) and occupying the house below are retired actresses Misses Spink and Forcible (Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders) who in places manage to provide a risky humor that will put a wide eyed smile on parents faces.

Proving after 2001's unsuccessful Moneybone that when left to his own devices Selick is right up there with the likes of Nick Park with his careful and loving attention to detail when using stop-motions unique appeal to bring stories to life, he takes it one step further with Coraline by introducing 3D into the mix. Gone are the days when 3D films would use every given opportunity to throw something out into the crowd for gimmicky effect, here Selick is restrained and uses to technique only to augment the story. It's the depth that 3D offers, dragging you into the world in front of you like peering into someone else’s window, a feeling that is heightened in the Other World when sets were built 3 times as deep to exaggerate the sense that you are right there along with the characters.

Every aspect of the film is meticulously animated in such detail that there are moments where you just can't fathom how they did it. Humming birds, performing mice, a praying mantis tractor and even a talking cat, it's all breathtakingly believable thanks to the beautiful and spellbinding way in which it all comes together. Aimed at children but with more than enough to satisfy the adults too, this is the best animated film I've seen since Nightmare.

*****

~ X-Men Origins: Wolverine ~

Wolverine has long been established as one of Marvel's most successful comic book characters with a huge fan boy following, it’s no surprise then that he's being used first in a series of planned spin-off origin stories.

Hugh Jackman returns as the titular misanthrope and it's hard to imagine anyone else wearing the adamantium claws quite so well. As expected from an origins story though, most of the other characters - some old, some new - are sporting fresh new faces. Liev Schreiber takes on the role of Wolverine's half brother Sabretooth and seems made for the part, managing to bring a new dynamic and brooding primal menace to a character relegated to henchman in the first film. It's in this highly dysfunctional relationship that the story get's it's driving force as Sabretooth plays right hand man to an excellent Danny Huston who wears the boots once filled by Brian Cox as sinister military geneticist William Stryker.

A catch up prologue is reduced to the pre-credits covering details of Logan as a child from 1845 leading through a series of marginalized war stories until they are face to face with a firing squad - which doesn't go as planned - after which Stryker offers them a deal to become part of Team X. After a raid turns nasty Logan starts to realise this isn't what he signed up for and backs out. Stryker though is obsessed with harnessing the abilities of other mutants and years of cat and mouse follow.

Although Origins is an accomplished piece of comic book action, when dealing with such a well known character it sometimes feels like we're treading over old ground. Much of Wolverines back story was covered as a minor subplot within X1 and the superior X2 so there's nothing new here for the educated fans. I found that most of my interest - and something to get the geek crowd drooling - was the introduction of other popular characters that show up in teasing cameos. Tyler Kitsch as pitch perfect Remy le Beau aka Gambit or the cocky loud mouth Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, both of which seem destined to have their own stories brought to the big screen.

Overall, no small niggles with the slightly hackneyed Hulk-esque story can detract from what is essentially a thoroughly enjoyable blockbuster. It may lack the impact of the previous films but director Gavin Hood (on first time big budget bow) does well to reboot the franchise. I can't wait to see where they take it next!

***