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    Frankenweenie

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    "Frankenweenie" is a touching and intelligent story about a boy and his dog that is sure to delight adults and children too. Based on the short 1984 film by Tim Burton, this film expands on the original story, is animated through stop-motion and is in black and white. It’s the story of a boy named Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) who brings his newly deceased dog back to life through science. Despite his attempts to hide this secret, the word eventually gets out and several other students bring their own dead pets back to life.

    The premise for this film is pretty wacky, but this isn't really a comedy. It does have some laughs, but it doesn't aim to have you fall out of your seat. It leans a lot more towards drama and you smile because the film is heart warming, not because it’s about funny little characters bouncing around and talking gibberish. This is a film that has a story to tell. What struck me watching “Frankenweenie” again is how great it looks. Stop-motion always looks terrific when done properly, be it the kind with jittery movements you see in old monster movies, or ones using modern techniques that make the movements so smooth you’d swear it was done on computer. The black-and-white cinematography makes everything pop in a way that you wouldn’t have notice if it was shot in full colour. You can see the little creases in the characters’ skin, the tiny details in their clothing and the wonderfully stylized faces much better. It suits the story perfectly because the art direction is bursting out of every seam. Every character is odd and quirky, the kind of creation you wish they would make into action figures so you could display them on your shelf and admire. I really think that as far as horror-themed children’s movies go, this is probably the best-looking one because the faces, backgrounds and atmosphere immediately suck you right into a story that’s a little spooky, but not too spooky.

    The story takes the original idea of re-animating your best four-legged friend and takes the concept further, exploring how other people would react in both the best and worst ways and building on the renewed relationship between the boy and his best friend. It also has a genuine sense of wonder and pushes the idea that being creative and inventive are good things. Not only does Victor create his own short films and use his brain to solve his problems, but also there are scenes where adults tell or inspire the protagonists (which are children) by telling them that they should try to do some creative problem solving when they’re stuck. So many children's film are just colourful creatures bouncing around or just glorified commercials but "Frankenweenie" has some genuine ideas and relationships to develop in its story. Yes it’s a film made for kids, but don’t think that you can just walk in and out of this one and know exactly what is going on because it is very economical with its plot. There is a lot of character development and expansion of relationships and crucial plot points are not repeated over and over. You have to be paying attention to really get this movie.

    There’s plenty here for the kids and “Frankenweenie” offers much for adults too. If you're a classic horror fan you'll be very entertained by the numerous references to classic characters and iconic scenes. I noted references to Rodan, Gremlins, Gamera, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Frankentein, The Mummy, The Hammer Horror films, horror veteran Vincent Price, The Wolfman and more. These references don't feel forced and are entertaining even if you have no idea what they are alluding to because they are integrated seamlessly into the movie or just make for a good joke that gets even better if you’re in the know.

    I have a lot of admiration for “Frankenweenie”. It’s bold, it’s creative, and it’s a remake that does not feel like a cheap way to get the audience to shell out its bucks because it’s someone going back to their roots. It’s a film that children will like, but they will like even more once they have grown up and seen more horror films, it’s intelligent with some appealing messages and doesn’t talk down to its target audience. It’s a delight for the whole family, though I didn’t really feel like I missed out on much seeing it in 2D vs. 3D. It’s probably a bit too complicated for little kids, like 5 and under though. It’s easily Tim Burton’s best film in a number of years. (2D version on the big screen, October 23, 2014)

    10
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    adamwatchesmovies@  6.12.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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