>>REVIEW
ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES
STARRING Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow and Madonna
DIRECTED BY Luc Besson
Opens Friday, January 12
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Like any good kids’ movie, Arthur and the Invisibles requires a certain suspension of disbelief. If you ignore needless esthetic touches like the fact that everyone in Connecticut seems to speak with a different accent and main character Arthur’s parents dress like 1930s New Yorkers, there is a very good movie to be found here.
The movie – half animated, half live action – follows the story of Arthur, who is about to be evicted from his farm along with his grandmother unless they can come up with the money needed to pay their bills. Following a hidden series of clues left by his missing grandfather, Arthur is led on a journey to find some treasure buried in his backyard.
Sounds simple enough.
What Arthur finds out later, though, is that he must shrink to the size of a Minimoy, the miniature creatures living in the yard as if it were a jungle, and take the treasure away from Maltazard (played by David Bowie), an evil king who plans to drown the Minimoys and take over full control of their miniature world.
The premise is hardly new or innovative. The film is chock full of unlikely heroes, incredibly stupid adults and over-the-top villains. Where Arthur and the Invisibles excels is in the fact that it gives kids enough credit to be able to follow the plot without screaming the play-by-play as it goes along. The story unfolds seamlessly with minimal "catch-up" dialogue – something kids’ movies are often guilty of.
Arthur has its share of problems, however. The casting is bizarre, as if the person in charge threw darts at a board full of "big names." The result is 48-year-old Madonna voicing Princess Selenia, the love interest of 10-year-old Arthur (Freddie Highmore), though luckily, this takes place in the animated portion of the film. We also get an annoying Jimmy Fallon as one of the leads, while no lesser stars than Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and the immensely entertaining Snoop Dogg are relegated to bit parts.
Such mistakes can be forgiven though, because Arthur and the Invisibles succeeds in the one area that so many children’s movies have failed recently – it knows it’s for kids. Director Luc Besson doesn’t get caught up slipping in inside jokes for adults in hopes of appeasing the chaperones. Instead, he relies on a surprisingly strong story that should captivate viewers no matter what their age. |
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