Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? If you like animation.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 95 minutes (~1.5 hours)
“The Book of Life” is a 3D animated adventure comedy that centres on the Mexican “Day of the Dead.” Two boys vie for the love of the town belle, not knowing that the fate of different realms depends on their quest for love. It features the voice talents of Diego Luna (Manolo Sanchez), Channing Tatum (Joaquin), Zoe Saldana (Maria Posada), Ron Perlman (Xibalba), Kate del Castillo (La Muerte), Christina Applegate (Mary Beth the museum guide), and Ice Cube (The Candle Maker).
“The Book of Life” features an often overlooked or stereotyped culture (that of the Mexicans), revolving around their “Day of the Dead.” It’s a fascinating exploration of Mexican culture – their myths, beliefs, and lifestyles – which still manages to ring a bell with universal themes of parent-child relationships and redemption.
So what’s great about “The Book of Life?”
Art direction and character design
The film’s director, Jorge Guiterrez, had one mandate for this film: that it had to look like the eventual “Art of The Book of Life” book. And it’s very evident in the lavish art and animation of the film. Each character is meticulously designed, and as my viewing partner pointed out, the background characters are incredibly detailed and unique. Even the locations are given the same careful detailing, resulting in memorable settings that really add to the character of the film.
Song covers
Being a family friendly film, the movie also boasts numerous musical segments drawn from a range of famous songs. It’s a much better choice than writing and performing original songs since it lends a tinge of nostalgia to adults who hear the first few familiar chords of the songs, while still appealing to child audiences.
However, “The Book of Life” suffers heavily in terms of plot and characterisation.
The first Act is slow and ponderous
Despite the beautiful animation, the first Act sluggishly limps towards Act Two. There are too many explanations and set-ups, and very little action. Yet with all this exposition, it fails to make clear what the two gods, La Muerte and Xilbaba, do and what their bet is about.
Manolo is bland
Manolo, the protagonist of the tale, is flat and boring. There’s virtually nothing interesting about his character. Sure, he has some defining traits – but it’s not the same as creating an interesting character. His motivation is unclear, and his struggle isn’t compelling. Although it’s a love story at heart, it’s difficult to empathise with Manolo’s struggle, since it all seems artificial and manufactured.
Maria is a cliche
Maria is an extremely stereotypical feminist – and not a likeable one at that. She’ll spout random women’s rights lines at the most inappropriate and unbelievable times, citing how independent she is. Yet she’s perfectly happy stringing along two men, without giving a definite answer to either one. Her obnoxious characterisation is incredibly grating, and at some point you’re going to wonder if she’s really worth fighting over.
The scale of the conflict doesn’t make sense
The final Act sees all the protagonists defending their town from an invading barbarian horde. The problem is that Manolo already has the assistance of three deities, all of whom have power over life and death – why is a mortal barbarian even a threat to him at this point?
“The Book of Life” is a visual extravaganza, but you can’t help feeling that some of the time spent on the animation could have gone towards polishing the script and creating a more structured, compelling story. It’s definitely worth watching for its insights into Mexican culture and for the artwork, but as a story, it doesn’t quite hold up.
“The Book of Life” opens in cinemas 30 October, 2014 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo Movies Singapore.
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