Oct 11, 2012

Frankenweenie [2012]


Frankenweenie is the newest Tim Burton production, inspired by a 1984 short film he made for Disney, but ended up being rejected. It tells the story of Victor,a young man passionate about science and his dog, Sparky, who also is his best friend. When it dies, the kid suffers, but after an inspiring and interesting lesson of mister Rzykruski, the science teacher, he decides to bring his dog back to life by using electricity. He keeps him a secret, but after a classmate finds out, more youngsters decide to do the same with their pets and things get out of control when some don't turn out to be as cool as Sparky.

* Before going into details, let me explain the conditions of my viewing. 9 am, got there late, I was very hungry, slightly sleepy, and the very cold room I was in made me feel very uncomfortable and again, sleepy, so I might not be the best or most objective reviewer, especially when it comes to my overall opinion.

Moving on to the actual film, Frankenweenie is Tim Burton's return to his golden age; he comes back to a more interesting, less flashy side of art, and creates a funny, yet dark story for people young at heart. Although the entire process of making the movie is long, complicated and intricate, the setting and direction seem to be quite simple and smooth. It doesn't try to be more than it is, visually speaking, because it puts the focus on the story and the characters, but doesn't stop in offering the viewer a visually beautiful film, in all its darkness and simplicity, and the black&white definitely helps put across the story better.

One of the strong points were definitely the characters- they are awkward, they are quirky, and they are dark, but somehow you feel for them and understand their actions, although it's not something you see day to day. My favourite has to be the Weird Girl and her furry white cat- they stole the show for me (can we have a spin-off, mister Burton?). The science teacher, Edgar and Elsa are also highlights, in great cast.

But here's my problem and overall observation. Is Frankenweenie a good film? Yes. Is it very well made, with good direction and script? Yes. Is it visually beautiful? Yes. Was I excited about it afterwards? No. Did it touch my heart or move me emotionally? No. Do I think ParaNorman is better? Yes. Why? Because ultimately, it's funnier and more appealing.

In the end, do I recommend Frankenweenie? Yes, but only because it's Burton at its finest and it will probably be one of the animations most people will see this year.

12 comments:

  1. Good review Diana. Maybe too dark and scary for the little kiddies out there, but for everybody else, they’ll love it and fall in love with the joyous feel and spirit that just oozes through every shot of this great-looking film.

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    1. Thanks Dan, it is, indeed, a great-looking film!

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  2. Great review! I think as a dog owner I will have strong connection to the movie, God forbid something ever happens to Gustav - I'd probably try to bring him back too. I can't wait to finally see good Tim Burton movie!

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    1. As a dog owner you will definitely find points of interest with Frankenweenie, I think you will love it!

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  3. So glad to hear Burton is returning to form with this. ParaNorman and Frankenweenie aren't out here just yet, so I can't give my opinion on either, but in a couple of weeks I'll get my chance! Looking forward to both now, great review!

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  4. Thrilled to hear that it's a good Burton film. Hopefully, I'll be seeing this one next week.

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    1. I don't know why people bitch about Alice in Wonderland, for me, that was a good movie,too, but this is more special, different from his last projects..still, a good one, but I wasn't extremely impressed overall! Hope you will like it!

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  5. Great writeup Diana, glad to hear this movie is character-driven. I'll be sure to rent this one when it's available.

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    1. Yes, it'sa good one, and a DVD is the perfect choice

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  6. Glad you like this Burton film. it really is one of his best. I found myself drawn into the characters' stories. great review

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    1. The characters were, indeed, one of the highlights of the film, very interesting

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