Dan: I thought the first 2/3rds were pretty good. Not awesome but good. The kids they cast were, for the most part, surprisingly good actors.
But then the last third of the film falls apart, disappointingly. It's like they couldn't really figure out how to wrap things up so they just rush it.
Much what I felt.
I thought the first 2/3s was great, just the kind of story driven film I like. The few roles that were developed were real good. (would have been nice if the other kids were fully fleshed characters.)
The film falls apart for a number of reasons, for me. We are supposed to like the monster in the end, but we don't. The driving forces of the first 2/3s, friendships, movie making... are forgotten. Things become unreal both in a sci-fi sense and a human sense. And the worse is the totally hokey ending.
One of the critiques I read that I thought was 100% spot on was that the main character - despite having lost his mother and being estranged from his father - IS NOT dysfunctional. He's a superbly well-adjusted kid who has good friends, can relate to people, and is courageous. It's not remotely clear why he needs his dad to "get him" or for there to be some kind of resolution between them because the audience never sees the kid as a victim or even being that wounded. He's more adult than most of the adults in the film.
One of the critiques I read that I thought was 100% spot on was that the main character - despite having lost his mother and being estranged from his father - IS NOT dysfunctional. He's a superbly well-adjusted kid who has good friends, can relate to people, and is courageous. It's not remotely clear why he needs his dad to "get him" or for there to be some kind of resolution between them because the audience never sees the kid as a victim or even being that wounded. He's more adult than most of the adults in the film.
i agree that the kid shows a great deal of resilience, but there are some amazingly resilient kids out there. so maybe he's like a superhero for kids. after all, i'm almost certain that the target audience for the filmmakers is adolescents. that a lot of older people like it (me included.) is sort of coincidental.
One of the critiques I read that I thought was 100% spot on was that the main character - despite having lost his mother and being estranged from his father - IS NOT dysfunctional. He's a superbly well-adjusted kid who has good friends, can relate to people, and is courageous. It's not remotely clear why he needs his dad to "get him" or for there to be some kind of resolution between them because the audience never sees the kid as a victim or even being that wounded. He's more adult than most of the adults in the film.
i agree that the kid shows a great deal of resilience, but there are some amazingly resilient kids out there. so maybe he's like a superhero for kids. after all, i'm almost certain that the target audience for the filmmakers is adolescents. that a lot of older people like it (me included.) is sort of coincidental.
i take that last bit back. i'm sure they would've tried to make it smart as a way to attract a wide audience. but i still think it works as a superhero movie for kids.
Comments
But then the last third of the film falls apart, disappointingly. It's like they couldn't really figure out how to wrap things up so they just rush it.
I thought the first 2/3s was great, just the kind of story driven film I like. The few roles that were developed were real good. (would have been nice if the other kids were fully fleshed characters.)
The film falls apart for a number of reasons, for me. We are supposed to like the monster in the end, but we don't. The driving forces of the first 2/3s, friendships, movie making... are forgotten. Things become unreal both in a sci-fi sense and a human sense. And the worse is the totally hokey ending.
i agree that the kid shows a great deal of resilience, but there are some amazingly resilient kids out there. so maybe he's like a superhero for kids. after all, i'm almost certain that the target audience for the filmmakers is adolescents. that a lot of older people like it (me included.) is sort of coincidental.
i take that last bit back. i'm sure they would've tried to make it smart as a way to attract a wide audience. but i still think it works as a superhero movie for kids.
I really enjoyed the first 2/3's. I miss these kind of films.