Fantastic Mr. Fox
FANTASTIC MR. FOX: WORTH YOUR $10
Based on the Roald Dahl book, Fantastic Mr. Fox is witty and fun. Director Wes Anderson is known for comedies such as The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore. It has an all star cast voicing these furry creatures. Leave it to George Clooney to make a fox debonair with all his charm. And Jason Schwartzman, an Anderson favorite, is hilarious as the wanna be prodigal son Ash.
Mr. Fox (George Clooney) used to be a thief. But then Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) got pregnant. 12 years later, the Foxes have a son (Jason Schwartzman). Mr. Fox is a writer for the newspaper. But he starts to get the itch. First he moves his family into a tree that puts them in a conspicuous spot. Then he decides to take on the local farmers, Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. One by one, Mr. Fox and his accomplice Kylie (Wallace Wolodarsky) steal their goods and bring them home. But when the farmers decide they aren't going to take it, they unite to take Mr. Fox down. A war begins that drives Mr. Fox, his family, and friends out of their homes and endangers their lives.
The story comes from author Roald Dahl, which director Wes Anderson adapted for the screen. The story is a simple one, by taking advantage of a fox's true nature and making the farmers the bad guys. The dialogue is clever. The use of profanity (or actually lack of) is laugh inducing. Anderson has established a relationship with a number of actors. Jason Schwartzman is one of them. He has appeared in a number of his films, with Rushmore being a breakout role for him. He is sad and funny as Mr. Fox's son Ash. George Clooney as the title character is suave and quick with his charisma coming through. And Willem Defoe is wonderfully sleazy and evil as the Rat. The stop motion animation is unlike anything you have ever seen. There is no way to explain it other than amazing.
The movie starts off a little slow with the introduction of characters.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is Wes Anderson's first foray into animation. He hits a home run. It has an amazing cast with stars such as George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray. The funny lines will make you giggle, if not laugh out loud. And the stop motion animation is awe-inspiring.
Report Card:
Story-A
Acting-N/A
Visuals-A
Originality/Innovation-A
Enjoyability Grade–B
Overall Grade-A-
|
