Rating of
3/4
Review: ParaNorman
MikePA - wrote on 08/21/12
I'll be honest, stop-motion animation is actually my favorite form of animation. It's not only the terrific look and the unique style that intrigues me, but the amount of patience, effort, and work that's put into creating it. It could take weeks to just complete one scene. Yes, many of the greatest animated films were made through traditional animation or CGI animation, but there are still many enjoyable and beautifully crafted stop-motion films that deserve full recognition, such as Coraline, Chicken Run, and, of course, A Nightmare Before Christmas. ParaNorman is the latest movie in this category, starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Casey Afflack, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, John Goodman, Jeff Garlin, and Leslie Mann, directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell.
Like all of the stop-motion films, ParaNorman is unique, clever, and stylish. It's a film that is high in energy and simple in plot, making for a fun movie with plenty of terrific eye candy and likable characters to entertain any family on a Saturday night. The tone is consistent from beginning to end and the plot flows at a steady pace for its 92 minute duration, never getting boring or feeling too rushed. This isn't the most entertaining stop-motion film in the bunch, but it's certainly one of the most well-made ones.
I liked how the film kind of played around with the typical horror genre. A curse is set on the town that revives zombies and an evil witch. But, this time around, the zombies aren't the bad guys, it's actually the humans (in a way) but they don't realize it. The reason why this is and the whole back story about these zombies is very creative, and that's another thing I liked about this film. Yes, this is a very creative film. It doesn't take the same route that most horror movies take, whether it's a zombie film, slasher film, or your average ghost story. It's different. If you're a horror fan, you'll appreciate the creativity presented in this film.
Now onto the animation. Absolutely gorgeous. Nuff' said.
Putting aside a couple jokes that fall flat and some moments of suspense that didn't really work, ParaNorman is a film of astonishing beauty and creative craft. It moves fast and it's consistently enjoyable, which is why I'm recommending it.
3/4
