This was not a perfect film by any means, but looking back from 2022, it got a worse rep than it deserves. A couple of voice actors were chosen more for their fame than their actual VA experience, and it made the error of making the "bad guys" overly one-note/evil for evil's sake (which very much messed with the inherent theme of balance, not *total defeat of one side*, in nature) but it was beautifully animated, had a lovely score, a pretty decent plot and main characters, and a good message.
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tsubakiny23 February 2022
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The pretty standard stuff of elfish lore, where magical faerie folk protect the woods and the life enclosed inside. Led by the Queen Tara ( voiced in English-language version by Beyoncé Knowles) the minuscule forest inhabitants guard the essence of creation from the destructive appetite of the agents of blight - creatures called Boggans - and their malevolent leader, Mandrake (Christoph Waltz). These forces of good are led by the seasoned warrior Ronin (Colin Farrell), who together with his elven battalion mount hummingbird steeds. His special protégé is independent-minded brash Nod (Josh Hutcherson), who disregards structure and rules. However, each faerie Leafman must become a part of a bigger tree, in order for the forest to survive. Especially now, when a rare astronomical occurrence brings about the necessity to name a new queen, chosen through the use of a magical bud. This ceremony is disrupted by the onslaught of Mandrake's forces. Meanwhile a somewhat crazed and estranged Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis) seeks proof of little green forest men residing in the woods, much to the distraught of his only daughter Mary Katherine (or as she prefers to be known M.K.) (Amanda Seyfried), who moves in grieving after the death of her mother.
What can I say say? I love me some faeries and the magical allure of nature. Here "Epic" delivers with aplomb the visual feasts of an enchanted forest coupled with ages-old tales of combat between good and evil - or as portrayed here as a conflict between life and decay. The obvious flaw to be pointed out is the generic and predictable storyline, which delivers essentially what was to be expected, failing to really instill any sense of novelty. With some well-placed humour, thankfully low on the adult kind and more focused on family laughs, "Epic" does however deliver on its base promise: offering entertainment for both adults and children. Visually appeasing with some engaging story lines, apt for parents or simply for adults looking for a good time, are sure to be satisfied by the magical light-hearted tones, just perfect for disassociating yourselves from the mundanity of everyday life.
Some fault can also be found in a somewhat underwhelming formation of characters, mostly feeling like poorly fleshed out cardboard cutouts with only the touching relationship between father and daughter really hitting home. Some of the secondary characters are just poorly conceived comedic relief (like the slug and the snail), while the overall story seems somewhat overloaded given the running time. Especially the character of Nod seems to be a missed concept, as he fails to have enough structure to really develop any relationship with either Ronin or M.K., thus adding a certain sense of superfluousity to his role in the movie. Nonetheless, the underlying weaknesses fail to prove detrimental from family viewing, making it a rewatchable feast for the eyes and imagination, without ever truly hitting classic animation territory. -
Kane2029 May 2013My Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
The way things a currently looking, this might very well not be a Pixar year. A much as I might enjoy Monsters University and possibly Planes, they may very well not be my favorite animated films of the year, and they probably won't be. The Croods is already my favorite animated film of the year, and this movie, Epic, in my opinion, is also pretty good.
The main protagonist of the film is Mary Katherine, or M. K., a likable (and cute) teenage girl who, after her mother's death, goes to live with her eccentric and reclusive father. Her father believes that there is a miniature world of magical little people and creatures that live in the forest, and of course other people, including M. K., don't believe him. However, she soon magically shrunken and discovers this little world, which she must save.
And so on. I admit, the movie is not very epic; it is a bit generic and has just about every cliché possible: good vs. evil, balance of nature, dysfunctional parent/child relationship, etc etc. The film resembles a number of other films, such as FernGully, Avatar, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids, among others. One of the main characters, the Nod, even resembles Flynn Rider from Tangled pretty strongly (but this wasn't a problem for me). However, I disagree with everyone who is calling it charmless, forgettable, too reliant on visuals, and weak in terms of character, plot, heart, etc. That's right, I actually enjoyed it.
I actually thought the movie was handled fairly well and has a decent, solid, enjoyable, well- paced plot. The film started out a bit slow, but I started to get more interested as trouble started brewing in the miniature forest world and then M. K. gets shrunken; from then on the movie was much better, and I got interested and emotionally involved in the story. The film also has likable characters and relationships, and good voice performances by Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, Beyonce Knowles, and the rest of the cast. It even had some good humorous parts, including a pair of mollusks and a three-legged dog.
The best part of the film is the animation; dazzling, lively, meticulously detailed, and it helps bring everything to life. Like Avatar, this movie has what I found to be an interesting, immersing, well-designed setting. Also, like Avatar, it has a good, strong ecological message, which I appreciate. It also has heart, charm, and genuine emotion, and additional good moral messages such as friendship, love, bravery, and selflessness.
Bottom line: If you ask me, Epic is hardly epic, but it's good. And it was especially enjoyable for me on the big screen. Kids will certainly love it; and if you are an adult, like me, just let out your inner child and enjoy the film.
For more reviews, visit my review blog: http://robertsreliablereviews.blogspot.com/ -
vishalsmail3317 May 2013Animation movies are all about the feel.Epic is a movie where the feel while watching the movie is brilliant.The level of detail that has gone into each frame in creating this world is mind boggling.The result is an aesthetically pleasing experience that deserves applause.The characters are all likable and well imagined.The snails are funny.I especially loved Mary Katherine,endearing and innocent.The 3-D is decent and the background score good.The overall experience is enjoyable.
Kids will love this one!If you are an adult,just let out the child in you and have fun :). -
Troy_Campbell3 July 2013When you're vying for a slice of the kiddie-dominated box office and your competition is a couple of sequels/prequels with established (and popular) characters, having a moniker as suggestive as Epic is a great way to improve brand awareness. The downside is you instantly set the expectations level quite high, and anything less than, erm, epic, seems like a missed opportunity. Beautifully designed and action-packed, this motion picture from the creators of the Ice Age franchise boasts impressive visuals and exciting set pieces – ultimately creating a tiny forest world that is endlessly inventive and always fun to watch – yet struggles to make an impact where it truly matters: with the story. This environmentally-focused tale is at times too morally forceful and employs blatant cop outs to wrap up its various strands of plot, whilst the main group of players are unoriginal and overly reliant on stereotypical characteristics. The voice cast – including Colin Farrell, Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler and Beyonce Knowles – are all fine without being memorable, with Christoph Waltz's irreprehensible villain and Aziz Ansari and Chris O'Dowd's crowd-pleasingly hilarious slug/snail combo proving to be the standouts. Epic is a solid family film and has enough to warrant a visit to the cinema during the school break, but sadly it never lives up to its title.
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Interesting to call this movie "Epic" because while it is cute and the animation is good, it didn't strike me as epic. Brave was more of an epic story, but I digress.
I enjoyed watching it on the big screen (but then I enjoy watching all movies on the big screen). The one thing that stood out like a very sore thumb was the awful voice casting of Beyonce. This woman may be able to sing and dance but, for me, her voice for the queen part actually took away from the movie. Why? Because I was hearing Beyonce talking and not the character. For the most part, she had no proper emotion in her tone and it appeared silly to me. When you are doing a voice-over for an animated character, you need to speak differently than you usually do or it sounds silly. I was so glad when the queen was snuffed out early on. The other character voices were right on because I didn't hear the actor as much as I heard and saw the character. That's the sign of a good voice-over, imo.
As far as the storyline goes, it was pretty good and the ending queen choice was neat, especially since the little "girl" had asked if she could be queen. I liked that. Loved the snail and slug, some of their lines were very funny. AND some of their lines could be missed if you were not paying close attention.
So, based on my review of Gatsby, I have to say again...stop giving into the big music money and leave Beyonce, et al, to the music industry...please. OR teach them how not to be so distracting in a movie. -
I think I should state this upfront that this is a Kids and Family movie and hence a lot of grownups might not really enjoy it that much. That said, the audience it is meant for, Kids and Families will definitely find this movie, time well spent. The Plot is slightly cliché and fairly simple, Movie starts with an eccentric father, who spends most of his time chasing elusive forest creatures and in the process neglecting family and hence there is a communication gap between father and daughter. The movies go on to solve that problem and of course it involves an adventure! The Adventure is a typical Good vs. Evil, balance in the nature, a vagabond hero, a patronizing mentor, a precious Item that must be saved and tricky condition that must be fulfilled,As Cliché as it could possibly be. But when did I ever say that Plot was the selling point or the high point of the movie, It's the visuals, the great use of 3D( not exceptional, but some minor details have been well taken care of, specially the grass, leaves etc in the forest), some great chase scenes, Parades and a really imaginative representation of a mystical universe. Dubbing was pretty good actually specially Beyonce as queen Tara, Colin Farrel as Ronin and Aziz as the fatter slug ( some of the wittiest and really funny dialogs). The animation was top notch and you could see the similarities with Reo and Ice Age. So the final verdict is this movie is a 6.5 on 10 in general and a 8 on 10 for families and kids ( one kid in the theater was actually cheering for the good guys towards the end!) Have a great Weekend, Moms and Dads take your little one to a theater, though this is no Lion King but still your kid will enjoy it!
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TheLittleSongbird4 June 2013I didn't think hugely of the trailer, but considering that I love animation, I like Blue Sky's previous work and that the voice cast comprises of some really talented people I was going to see it anyway. Epic is not a bad film and I am glad I watched it and gave it a chance, but considering the talent involved it could have been more. The best asset is definitely the animation, which is just wonderful. The colours are so beautiful to watch, characters and objects are well-modelled and defined and the backgrounds are really detailed and life-like. Danny Elfman's score is not one of his best(his Edward Scissorhands score is my favourite) but it captures the fantasy-adventure element of the story to excellent effect, while the songs are catchy without interfering with the mood too much. The action sequences are excitingly choreographed and animation-wise you can tell that a lot of effort went into them.
The script was a mixed bag for me, in parts it was engaging and smartly written especially with the comic relief, in others like with the lead characters it was a little too simplistic and under-baked. Apparently there were about 5 or 6 different writers, and it does show sometimes. The story is also a mix, it starts off slow but it picks up with the action sequences, a good balance of comedic and scary moments and the message and philosophical aspects, which in turns were fascinating, didn't preach too much and made their point. It does get rather generic though with some plot points that has been explored a fair bit before in films and stronger done, and also feels too simple, never really rising above the ordinary. The characters are not bad, I did like Mary Katherine and the comic relief were great, but most of them did come across as underwritten basic archetypes. I do think much more could have been done with Mandrake. He's very well animated and voiced and I did feel sorry for them, but he never does come that much of a threat- which I think weakens the good vs. evil aspect of the story and other than feeling sorry for them he didn't come across as very well developed.
On the most part the voice acting is good, not all of it entirely worked though. Josh Hutcherson is rather bland in the main hero role, not entirely his fault as his character is too and his dialogue isn't much to write home about, a shame because this is the same Josh Hutcherson who was so good in Bridge in Terabithia. Beyoncé does caring and sympathetic quite well and does put a lot of heart into the character, but at the same time I don't think she really embodied the character of the Queen Tara, it came across as not enough Tara and too much Beyoncé trying to be her. Steven Tyler came across to me as a very strange casting choice and I still think that he was out of place here.
I really liked everybody else though. Amanda Seyfried is a very spirited heroine, while Chris O'Dowd is hilarious as one of the snail. Aniz Ansari is also inspired. Colin Farrell does sincere and soft-spoken very well, and while it does come across as overdone sometimes Jason Sudeikis is very zany and amiable in a role that requires those qualities. Christoph Waltz does a great job acting suave, droll and menacing, giving his all into a character that doesn't ever quite match, though maybe this is in comparison to his previous characters and films where his parts were much richer in how they were written(to be honest though I was not expecting anything like his previous characters seeing as Epic is a completely different kettle of fish to them).
Overall, not as good as it could have been but a decent enough effort. 6/10 Bethany Cox -
claudio_carvalho8 September 2013The teenager Mary "MK" Katherine returns to the house of her estranged father Professor Bomba, who is a widower scientist obsessed to find tiny creatures that he believes that would live in the forest. MK does not accept the lack of attention of her father with her and decides to leave him again. However the creatures do exist and protect the forest against the evil Boggans and their leader Mandrake that wish to destroy the forest.
Near the solstice, Queen Tara chooses a pod to inherit her healing powers, protected by the Leaf-Men and their leader Ronin. However, they are surprised by an attack of Mandrake and the Boggans and Queen Tara is deadly wounded by Mandrake.
Meanwhile, MK is leaving home and she looks for her three-leg dog Ozzy that has ran to the forest. She finds Queen Tara dying and she shrinks MK with her powers and gives the pod to her. Further Queen Tara asks MK to take the pod to Nim Galuu. When Ronin meets them, he decides to bring MK and the pod to Nim Galuu, with the protection of the young Leaf-Man Nod and the slugs Mub and Grub. Along the dangerous journey, they are chased by Mandrake that wants to bloom the pod in darkness to destroy the forest.
"Epic" is a delightful animation with a story of a fight between the good, represented by tiny creatures that protect the forest and environment, against the evil Boggans that want to destroy the forest. The plot has a beautiful message and is a wonderful family entertainment. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Reino Escondido" ("Hidden Kingdom") -
BabelAlexandria18 April 2021This is a beautiful movie, with much higher quality animation than the Ice Age movies, which were made by the same studio, Blue Sky. The story itself leaves (pardon the pun) much to be desired. It has two main arcs: first, the daughter who goes to live with her (estranged? Not much details about family situation) father in the woods, apparently upstate New York somewhere; the father (an academic?) has a fruitless obsession with finding the "little people" in the woods whose presence he seems to detect in various ways, but who constantly allude him. Father's obsession chases daughter away, until she is herself drawn into (shrunken down to) the world by the dying queen of the forest. The queen, her leaf men, and other denizens of the forest are locked in a battle against the evil boggans, who apparently represent the forces of rot. We all want the forest to survive and prosper, but it's unclear just what exactly the rot represents: if it's a natural process, it doesn't exactly threaten to destroy the forest. And the father's heroic acts at the end suggest that human intervention can save ecosystems from their own natural processes. Finally, it's nice to see the daughter and father understand each other at the end, but the implication is also a bit weird: they will continue to live in isolation in their (real) fantasy world, with the daughter beginning a relationship (implied anyway) with one of the tiny leaf men. That was a longer review than expected - but it helped me work out what I felt was so strange about the storyline.
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billygoat107129 May 2013Epic calls itself a pretty pretentious title, in spite of fact the story is really about heroes protecting a land that isn't safe from evil. In modern definition, "Epic" is supposed to tell an extraordinary tale. The film shows us a fascinating miniscule world, and there are themes that may bring more to the scale. Unfortunately, none of those dig deeper and it sticks to the mainstream way of storytelling, leading an almost boring experience. It can be a little fun in some parts but it had some potential that wasn't executed well enough.
There is nothing wrong with the title "Epic" since the film's concept sure sounds like one, but that word is mostly described on the visuals and the setting than the actual story. Those wondrous landscapes can be a perfect world to set epic stories and battles. The plot displays some themes that could have been compelling like the relationships of these rebellious teenagers to their mentors, and redemption motivated by loss. But instead of making rich characters, they took the cliché points like generic romantic subplots and cute crass comic relief characters. It totally forgets whatever that would have been powerful and unique for the genre. And the cast who are known for music indeed sings in the film. Because they can sing! If you can get away from the clichés, then sadly you can't deny how much little soul the film provides. Also the villain is less exciting when all epic villains are supposed to spice things up.
The mythology behind the story is kind of intriguing, at least. Stories about tiny hidden worlds are already familiar, but Epic tries to deliver something much interesting about these heroes who are called "Leaf Men" and their connection to the forest's order. The narrative tends to fascinate at the beginning, but it becomes a forced exposition and sometimes played for more laughs afterwards. The animation looks enchanting which is the only remarkable merit the filmmakers have done.
My personal complain sounds too hipster. I understand it's a family film that is trying to be fun for everyone, but back in the days there were animated films that are actually epic and liked by many without cluttering any stale elements that lies amongst this film's storyline. In the overall picture, it does not fill enough depth, heart, and soul to the story. What's left to praise is the appropriate epic tone to the action scenes, and a bunch of visuals and ideas that anyone could root for. Epic is a waste of potential for being a real epic or probably a classic. -
spencer-k-688-420417 May 2013Epic is about a smart, spirited, and headstrong 17 year-old, teenager named Mary Katherine "M.K." who, after the death of her mother, moves back to live with her estranged father, Professor Bomba, along with her pet dog, Ozzy. Bomba has long studied a group of warriors who live in the forest and protect it as guardians of good. He often will go into the forest and survey them. She, like every other human in the movie, doesn't believe in all the stuff her father has devoted particularly his life to. She loses patience with him and his stories and their reunion is all but a disaster. One day, the professor does not return from a hike in the forest, so Mary Katherine sets out to look for him. Hours later, she comes upon a group of glowing, falling leaves. Catching one of them, she is suddenly shrunken down. In her minuscule state, she discovers the group of warriors Prof. Bomba has studied, who are known as the Leaf-Men. When she is forced to reside with the Leaf-Men, she gains a new perspective and developed friendships with everyone in the forest. To find her way home, M.K. must do than believe in this world; she'll help to save it from the Boggans and their ruthless, villainous leader Mandrake. This is a story about betrayal, sacrifice, friendship, love, bravery, courage, and caring for something else rather than yourself.
The acting is really superb and all the actors have great chemistry together: Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Christoph Waltz, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari, and Jason Sudekis are terrific, while Beyoncé is the best of all. She is a real acting triumph in the film, and her performance is so critical in the film, as Queen Tara will do anything to ensure the safety of the forest and the lives of her friends, and that she leaves M.K. a very important mission to do her behalf when she couldn't. She brings a lot of integrity, passion, and heart to her role and helps carry the film with spectacular grace.
There's a lot to love about the film, including its production design, visual artistry, and the 3D, which are as dazzling, grand, spectacular, and innovative as, say, Avatar. The 3D is really worth the price of admission; the film features strong emotional depth and an immersive experience that can be greatly experienced in 3D, and the animation, in particular, is terrifically phenomenal and realistic. Danny Elfman did a very good job with the music score as he captured the spirit, excitement, essence, and heart of the film.
With the script written by William Joyce, James V. Hart (Hook, August Rush), Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember (Get Smart), and Daniel Shere, the story's narrative was famillar to other films, but so was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, How to Train Your Dragon, Hotel Transylvania, and The Croods, and yet, it was cleverly written that it stands out on its own from other films so there's nothing to worry about. They, along with Chris Wedge and the story artists, have aggressively expanded William Joyce's original story by giving it fantastical mythologies about the forest, more development on the characters, and the supplementing the action-adventure genre in the story as Wedge envisioned. I liked the fact that Joyce worked on the script, because when you have a small story that was expanded to be more ambitious and dramatic, then it's best to have input from Joyce as he included a lot of cool and interesting plot points in the film.
For instance, Joyce modeled Mary Katherine (M.K.) very much after his own daughter; she, unfortunately, died from a brain tumor in 2010 and it was a very personal and devastating loss for him. I truly wish that this movie should've been dedicated to her memory, as it would mean much to her family and friends. She would've been very proud of the movie, her father's work on the film, and the main character in the film, Mary Katherine (M.K.).
Wedge's direction triumphed the most in the film. He came a long way from his beginnings and he wanted to make the film something special. He wanted to make this as an action-adventure epic on the scale of Ben-Hur, Star Wars, Gladiator, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and he succeeds it. He doesn't intend it to be cute and I'm grateful that it wasn't; previous action-adventure animated films Titan A.E. and Atlantis had intense situations with childlike supporting characters, thus leaving the films with a poorly identified targeted audience about what's a film's targeted audience and this was not the case for Epic. I liked how he handed with both the characters and actors, and his direction is ingenious and visionary. He can really handle big ambitious epic films with ingenious storytelling on this scale, even if it's an animated film. The epic spectacle is never at the expanse of the story, characters, and the heart of the story.
Epic goes to prove to people that animated films can also really handle the action-adventure genre as much as live-action films do, just like how Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Akira, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Incredibles, and Kung Fu Panda trilogy did. With this film, Blue Sky Studios wanted to prove everyone that they can do so much more than pop culture references, cheap jokes, and unimaginative storytelling. They've not only exceeded that, they surpassed it and beyond. With this film, this is a promising launch of the new Blue Sky Studios, which has declared war on DreamWorks, Disney Animation, and Pixar.
You will be laughing, astonished, amazed, blown away, and inspired, because Epic truly stands out as one of the most surprising film experiences of the year, and could be one of the best films of the year. -
marisamcwhinnie5 November 2020I really enjoyed this one when I was younger. I loved the idea of the little people having their own society in the woods - Inspired many of the games I played with my siblings :)
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For years studios like Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks have ruled the animated movie space with countless cultural hits. While the occasional lesser-known studio produces a gem, Blue Sky Studios fails to bring the same magic to their film that other studios have done time and time again.
Epic had potential to create another world full of lovable characters, a intriguing and entertaining story and more, but ultimately fails in delivering these aspects. Now for younger aged viewers, they will most likely eat it up, but this is not a review based on "but it's a kids movie". I'm not reviewing this movie for a child's view, but of my own and I will point out strengths and faults just like any other film.
So, where to begin? Well I'll start with one of the largest reasons Epic falters. Look at every successful animated film. What makes you love them the most? Obviously the characters, because the vast majority of animated films aren't too concerned with deep and confusing plots. In order to succeed in this movie space, you need a cast of memorable and endearing characters and Epic fails shockingly short in this aspect. Not once did I ever feel a liking for any character in the movie. They lacked that charm and the real human elements of emotion that you find in other popular characters. The main reason for this? Not one voice actor playing these animated characters fits their respective role, and some performances, like Beyonce Knowles and Colin Farrell among others, totally fail to deliver any sense of interest in their character. Boring dialogue, lack of emotion and overall sloppy acting leaves the characters in Epic uninteresting and unlikable.
Like most other animated films, Epic does deliver a pretty visually engaging movie, but this will largely be apparent for younger viewers. As an older viewer, the setting and plot are disappointing to say the least. The story goes for a "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" kind of direction while the atmosphere, even if very small, does't evoke any true sense of awe or excitement. In the long run, this hurts the film by not having a unique and fun setting fall back on.
Epic does have its moments, even if they are rare. A couple of times I gave a chuckle or was interested in the story and atmosphere, but too often was I left feeling cut off from the movie as a whole, it never pulled me in to enjoy what was being presented.
Epic falls short in creating almost every aspect of a successful and entertaining animated film. A dull, boring and uninteresting cast of characters lead by poor voice work, mostly unexciting setting, generic story and a lack of overall charm leaves Epic on the short end of the stick compared with other major animated films. Kids might enjoy more than most, but to me, Epic is a movie that had potential, but fails to live up to its own name.
4.5/10 -
rgkarim24 May 2013My third film for this Memorial Day weekend takes me out of the rated R woods and into one that is more magical and kid friendly. No I'm not on drugs, I'm talking about the movie Epic, Blue Sky Studios (BSS) latest animated installment. I'll admit that seeing the trailers last summer got me stoked at the potential for comedy, action, and a heartwarming tale. Yet like many movies I feared that I would be disappointed by the final product. What was the verdict? Read on to find out.
As the trailers promised, the world of Epic is a beautiful creation of art, computer graphics, and attention to detail. The animators at BSS do their homework when it comes to creating their worlds/characters, managing to capture the natural grooves, curves, and texture of nature's beauty. From the lines in the various leaves to the warped and horrific dimensions of rot, Epic's visuals are indeed some of the finest I've seen in a while. They don't stop there however, as the team took another step up to develop their creatures of fantasy. The denizens of the hidden world in the forest impressed me, as a beautiful blend of human anatomy and environment melded into a combination that I could only dream of. Of course like many movies, there was plenty of cookie cutting going on, especially in scenes where there were mass congregations or when the enemy swarmed the scene. Despite this minor flaw though, Epic's world is clever, bold, and magical.
Yet visuals probably isn't the main reason most will be seeing this movie is it? Many people may be going to take a young family member/friend to see a fun adventure. If that is the case, Epic is your movie of choice as the children in my theater were dazzled by what the movie had to offer. The comedy styles of Mub (Aziz Ansari) and Grub (Chris O'Dowd) might have been the most entertaining factor for the audience. Both Ansari and O'Dowd throw their two cents into the fray, one thinking he is a player, while the other wants to be a knight. Yet both are goofballs doing odd tricks, making silly faces, and performing mannerisms that the young and young at heart will love. Their voices matched the characters incredibly well for me, both giving the lines the perfect punch to leave me in stitches. Of course the other characters have some one hit wonders when it comes to making people laugh. A three legged dog, a clumsy professor and even Nod (Josh Hutcherson) have a few moments that are quite amusing.
Aside from two wisecracking slugs what else might grab the audience's attention? I would have to say the action/adventure of the movie was the next big factor. I can't lie it didn't meet my expectations, but then again it is a kids movie. Instead of the Lord of the Rings like battles, most of the fighting was limited to well-placed arrow shots, a few punches, and a couple of sword slashes. Again the younger audience will mostly think it was awesome, but don't get your hopes too high. When Nod or Ronin (Colin Farrell) fly birds is where the real excitement comes into play. Like a mad roller coaster ride, the audience gets to watch the majestic dance unfold as the airborne steeds navigate through nature's obstacles whilst their riders flip acrobatically to avoid danger. Overall the violence has been brought to a bare minimum, and parents won't have to worry about their kids acting out a beheading scene. Amidst the excitement though is a bit of sadness as well. For me I foresaw many things coming, but younger audience members might get a little upset at some of the sadder scenes in this movie. Some scenes even scared a few of the younger audience members, particularly those that involved the loud roars and creature popping out of the ground, so again be cautious when taking them.
Despite how much of this is geared towards kids though, there are still a few thing BSS did to entertain the adult audience. Mub's jokes have some adult humor in it, which will surely get some laughs, though not as many as Donkey from Shrek. Unlike most kid movies, Epic does a good job avoiding the annoying characters and keeping things in balance to avoid making parents want to slam their heads into the seat. However, it is inevitable for some lines to get ingrained into the minds of the kids, so expect some endless quotes to follow you home. The thing I found most adults will mainly love is some of the heartwarming moments in this movie. I'm not talking about a budding romance that we saw in Ferngully, but instead is more about reuniting and self-discovery amidst a chaotic world. Now you might find it cheesy, but for me I found it to be well done, and something I could experience in the real world, minus the fairies and small creatures. Yeah some of the dialog was a bit too forced, but not bad overall.
As for the voice acting, I think that it was a great cast to pick and that the characters represented a lot of images their actors portray in other media. Hutchinson is naïve, youthful, and rebellious, Pit-bull has the persona of a big boss toad who likes to run the show, and Beyoncé has a side that is caring and nurturing. Regardless, Epic has a lot of positives that I think will wow and amaze kids. The "exciting" battles, the lovable characters, and the cute comedy are certain to entertain a lot of people, but Epic still needed some fine tuning before coming out. My scores are below: Animation/Adventure/Family: 8.0 Movie Overall: 6.5-7.0 -
cujoe_da_man4 March 2019Epic seems to fall short of the intended title. While it's by no means a bad movie, it certainly didn't feel epic in any way. I feel as if this movie had a different title, but it ended up as "Epic" due to the movies coming out that year and they wanted something that could stand out. At the time, Epic was surrounded by Star Trek:Into Darkness, Fast and the Furious 6, A Good Day To Die Hard, Monsters University, World War Z, Pacific Rim... the list goes on. Other notable animated movies coming out that year most likely also hurt it.
While watching, I couldn't help but notice that this could almost be a remake of Ferngully, it shares many of the same story points, though no fairies and no Tim Curry going on about Transe... Toxic Love. Actually, this movie is mostly devoid of any music, unlike Disney movies which this also seems to take ques from. It is populated with lots of silly, goofy side characters that do little more than distract you with their quirky antics and mostly modern sounding dialogue. Even the villain seems like a typical Disney bad guy with no real motive other than "being mean".
I also got a hint of "Strange Magic", that weird love story that did have fairies and lots and lots and lots of singing with every song being a modern hit song redone to fit the movie. The reason I see some similarities is that the story just doesn't feel great, it just feels kind of... meh. While it had its moments, I never had a sense of urgency or no real reason to connect with any of the characters. The same was true for Epic, it just didn't pull me in like it did with the main character (yes, pun intended). While I wouldn't say the story was predictable, there were some moments when I could just see nothing really bad happening and everything would be alright.
The thing that bothers me about movies like this is that it only takes place in a small place (no pun intended). It's just a small forest in some state in the US. There's really no reason to feel that if the Leafmen had lost that the entire world would end. Sure, the Boglins would spread their death and decay, but could it truly destroy the ENTIRE world? Or is there something "bigger" here? Is each forest protected from the forces of the same or similar evils or was it just this one? Are there boundaries that they don't cross? It's never truly explained how this relates to the rest of the world and is why I really feel this was less epic than intended. I am probably reading too much into it, but it's what happens when I don't have any reason to really care for a tiny forest in the middle of no where that could probably be regrown on its own from the rest of the forest that isn't dead or dying. Forests regrow from complete devastation all the time.
The one good thing is that we weren't treated to a full-on environmentalist movie. Some movies try to hide it while others are upfront about it (like the Lorax). While this isn't always a bad thing, it was refreshing to not be hounded about how "man is bad, trees are good" every ten minutes, it was its own story, so I give them credit for that.
The animation is decent, none of the characters really fall into the uncanny valley, though MK's dad really pushes the boundary at times. I think they wanted a more cartoony look, but it didn't quite work for some characters. Most of the character models aren't anything new and you have probably seen or will see them used again in similar designs.
Overall, if you're just looking for something to watch for two hours and you've never seen this before, you can't go wrong. It's worth the watch, but it definitely was one destined for DVD. -
natashabowiepinky3 December 2013Remember that old nursery rhyme about slugs and snails, and puppy dogs tails? well, it turns out that they're not just What Little Boys Are Made Of, they could also be used to describe the highlights of Epic. Yes, the two aforementioned molluscs and a three legged dog have all the best lines and moments, and knock the routine square-jawed hero and his 'sassy' girlfriend into a cocked hat. In fact, nearly ever element of it screams Off The Shelf, and the bad guy's power of rot could easily be applied to the creative department. At least it doesn't go all preachy on us about the destruction of the forest, e.g Ferngully.
And speaking of said wilderness, we have the second reason to watch Epic: the animation. If green if your favourite colour, you'll be in hog heaven: for here we have plants and wildlife in all their glory, fantastically rendered to be almost lifelike. It's probably even more dynamic in 3D, but I refuse to pay the extra. I mean... have you SEEN those prices for the specialist TVs? Daylight robbery... Oops, off I go again, off on a tangent. So to wrap it all then: Pretty good, but hardly living up to it's title.
6/10 P.S Of course, I may moan about them, but if Santas feeling a big extra generous this year, I wouldn't say no... (hint, hint) -
Cinematography and camera perspective makes things fun and the outcome is really beautiful environment.
Dialogues are funny, delightful. I really enjoy it throughout the film.
That slug and snail truly made a good addition to the film. Good choice. -
The creators of Ice Age's new release, Epic, invites the viewer to experience a new world hidden within our own. Blue Sky Studios delves in and expands on a rather simple topic-what happens in the forest that we cannot see-and creates an enchanting story of the minuscule warrior race called the Leafmen, and the teenage MK (Amanda Seyfried) who becomes part of their world and is charged to take care of the Pod, which will determine the future of the Leafmen and the entire forest. The animation and camera angles are exquisite, making everything appear to be new and not just your typical back yard woods. The characters are entertaining and varied from Nod (Josh Hutcherson) the wayward warrior to Mub (Aziz Ansari) and Grub (Chris O'Dowd), the joking care takers of the Pod.
Though overall the movie is unique, it lacks an important plot element that makes the hero story: the fall of the hero. MK follows the role of the hero in this story, she faces troubling times, she is offered the chance of a quest which will change her circumstances, she takes it, and things change the way she wants them to. What usually follows the acceptance of the quest, however, is the fall of the hero into disgrace with those around her, which she will then overcome and rise again, this time stronger; MK does not experience this. Although the plot is enjoyable, the lack of the fall cannot put Epic into the same level as past animated hits have done, such as the recent success Rise of the Guardians.
Although this is missing from the film, Epic is an enjoyable picture filled with action, beauty, friendship, and bravery that is sure to enchant children and families alike. -
cgraves0420 June 2013I didn't think I'd like this movie, but I took my 10-year-old cousin to see it anyway, and I really loved it.
I've heard this film compared to everything--FernGully, The Borrowers, Avatar, etc., and while it is another film in that genre and it may be a little cliché, it does create its own fascinating world and tell its story in a unique way. Its themes are heavy (family and belonging, the balance between growth and decay/life and death) but are handled in a successfully child-friendly manner.
The animation and design are gorgeous. I love the cute fairy-like flower and leaf people; I even love the design of the goblin-like bad guys (the Boggan). I want to see more stories set in this incredible little world. I also appreciate how much care went into animating that forest.
While the characters are pretty familiar, they're still delightful. I thought the choice of voice actors was particularly good. I liked Amanda Seyfried as the main character, M.K. (Mary Katherine), I looooved Colin Farrell as Ronin, and I have to say, I was really pleasantly surprised by Beyonce as Queen Tara. She has a voice just like honey, which fits the queen's sweet, playful personality. Queen Tara emerges as one of my favorite animated characters of all time (and NO, I do not find her voice "too ghetto." I don't appreciate people sniffing down their noses at others that way) because she carried so much of the movie with what turned out to be really minimal role. Plus, I always love to see people of color portrayed positively in children's films.
I would definitely take kids to see this again, although it might be too scary for kids younger than 6 and too slow for kids older than 12. Folks have to admit, this is a fun movie to watch, and highly imaginative kids especially will love it. -
The story in Epic is simple enough. They basically took The Borrowers and made them miniature soldiers concerned only with fighting evil that tries to rot the forest. And who better to save the day than a human girl shrunk to their dimensions and a hapless young boy who can't seem to think of nothing but himself? Really, it felt like an anti-teen movie, with the main young characters bursting with stamina, but also with imbecility.
I really tried to like the animation film, but the situation was ridiculous from the very start, with the girl that tries to reconcile with her father, because she promised her mother, but can't do it more than half a day, then the queen that has to choose some life pod (sorry for the pun) and pulls everybody into an ambush, and so on.
It quickly turned into one of so many US animations where the only stuff that happens is boy meets girl, then they fight evil in the middle of some beautifully designed world. So I can't really recommend something that seems to be inspired by a Facetime conversation.
The cast, of course, is fantastic and all that, but let's face it: it's an animation film! It doesn't bloody matter that the queen was Beyonce! She didn't even sing.
Bottom line: a little bit less boring than The Borrowers, in any incarnation, but also a lot more stupid. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. -
per-rosen9 August 2013**WARNING, SPOILERS!!!!! Don't READ IF YOU Don't LIKE EM!!!**
Fantastic animations but seriously lacking in both story and characters. I have always been a fan of animated movies and make a point out of watching most of the new ones being released. I would even consider myself more forgiving for movies being a bit childish.
This movie had excellent animation but the story was so predictable. As a kid movie though this can be forgiven. What really put me off with this movie was the characters.
Typical boy with a rebellious streak doing whatever he wants. They could have at least made him a bit sad for leaving his stepfather while the queen dies. They could also have made him a bit sad when the pod gets stolen that will literally kill the whole forest, his own home. But nono. He just jokes around and plays with the girl. If I had kids this would be one movie I would not let them watch. At least make the characters something to look up to and inspire.
Do your kids a favor and boycott this movie for the sake of all of us. -
schifinosherry4 January 2021I think this is an awesome movie, I love it is their a sequel?
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moviescoundrel29 May 2013The review: I didn't have an expectation that this was going to be epic, but due to the trailers for this movie, and that they used the same song as they did for "Men of Valor" ("What If This Storm Ends", by Snow Patrol), I thought it would be a bit more action packed or epic. It was not. It didn't fall flat on its face, or falter in many ways, but it didn't get close to the epic range for me. The plot was the most interesting thing to me. The whole world that exists under your eye but you can't imagine what is happening or even see it because it's microscopic, intriguing, and very "Honey I Shrunk the Kids"ish. That is where the strength resides unfortunately. I can only speak for the 2D as I don't go for the 3D all that often, and my kids don't care for it all the time either, especially when only some of the movie is in 3D. The animation was not bad, some of the scenes made for decent eye-candy, but nothing PIXAR-worthy. The story starts out strong enough, with some foreshadowing and character development between Ronin (Colin Farrel) and Queen Tara (Beyonce Knowles), but after the queen gets shot by an arrow and passes on, things kind of go downhill for the most part in the way of empathy for the characters. There are some attempt at father-son bonds between Ronin and the generic rebellious Nod (Josh Hutcherson) but it feels very predictable and dull. The fight scenes that the previews alluded to were pretty watered down, and most of the action was from afar in swarms and despite the "Leaf men" wearing swords, it didn't seem like they used them much. The comic relief was also average, with some decent voice performances (Aziz Ansari) playing the slug, or was it the snail, I can't recall but there are many jokes related to this.
for full review and more full reviews go to www.moviescoundrel.com -
emmaandaugust14 August 2016Not the worst, but not as epic as they seem to imply.
Kind of lacking in big character arcs, there was an unnecessary and frankly odd romance that didn't seem to exist until they needed conflict and then it didn't happen anyway but they stayed friends? I think? Or they human girl was dating the inch tall man who "lives" faster than human so that she needed special equipment to even see him? I'm pretty sure that "living faster than humans" suggests that they'll die a lot quicker, too?
The main character is sent to live with her father after something has happened to her mother but they never elaborate on that. All they say is that she is "mourning" and she needs to talk to her dad about that, but this is never resolved.
Cool art, characters could have used more fleshing out, story needed some loose ends being tied up, and either make let the romance come naturally or don't add it at all, it really didn't make sense.