Big disappointment. I usually love Aardman and I really liked the original “Chicken Run,” but this lacks the wit and originality of the first one. Very derivative plot [spoilers!]: team of good guys (chickens, here) breaks into bad guys’ fortress, gets separated, keeps getting into trouble but always finds a comic and improbable way to overcome each moment of peril, eventually reunites to rescue their friend/colleague and escapes. A few funny lines but nowhere near as clever as the original.…
This is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.
The Hulk is a fascinating main character, and the cast has fine actors. But the film is a disaster. No exposition to show or explain the characters’ backgrounds, relationships, or motivations…beyond a fast incomprehensible montage behind the opening credits. Most of the Marvel movies I’ve seen have pretty good CGI, but the visual effects in this one are terrible. What remains of the screenplay has huge plot holes and inconsistencies. A total mess.
Liked this very much. Beautiful cinematography (glad we saw it on the big screen) and excellent work from the lead actors and smaller parts alike. Bridges, Foster, and Pine all create very real, complex characters whom we care about. The film skillfully makes us ambivalent about the two brothers -- sympathetic with their poverty and desperation, and appreciative of their loyalty to each other, even as we can't condone their lawbreaking behavior. We (the audience) certainly share the townspeople's anger…
Wow! This is unlike any movie I've ever seen. Extraordinary stop-motion animation (glad I saw it on a very big screen in a real theatre) used for a story that feels inspired by ancient folktales, and in fact has a meta-theme of the power of stories. Excellent voice cast, with Matthew McConaughey's Beetle getting most of the funniest lines. (An old lady in Kubo's village reminds him that every story needs some comic relief, and Beetle certainly provides that.) Enthralling and entertaining throughout, with some real tension and heartbreak but ultimately an inspiring message. This surely will be in my top ten movies of the year.
