CoralineFollow

I've been anticipating this movie, and it has gotten a good score on Rottentomatoes (87%). I plan on seeing it next weekend... anyone else looking forward to it / saw it this weekend and wish to share?

I saw it yesterday. It was pretty good.

So I've had the chance to see Coraline in 3D. Spoilers to follow.

First I want to say I'd rather the movie not been made for 3D. A few scenes were enhanced by the addition of depth, but there where several points where I found it distracting or non-enhancing. Worst still is that 3D gimmicks, though few, such as poking out of the screen were employed. 3D has potential to add another level of artistry to films as sound or color once did, but currently it is still in the novelty stage. Directors are inexperienced with how to use 3D to enhance a movie. But waiting for the transition from curiosity to art requires far too much patience for me.

Coraline was a fine movie, but it could have been a much better movie. The story is too straightforward, too simple, and too similar to tales already told. The other mother felt undeveloped and her motivation remained unclear. I don't know anyhting about her origin or why she likes taking care of children. For most of the movie I had thought Wybie's grandmother's sister was the puppetmaster and had created this world and attempted to steal away Coraline to cope with the loneliness or some traumatic incident, because at least she'd have a motivation then. Wybie could have been far more developed as well. Coralne's parents were too similar to each other and felt not as a inattentive mother and father but more like a single entity of "parents." I felt the side plot of helping the lost souls hurt the story by taking away time that could be better devoted to the main plot, and was introduced too suddenly. The idea of the other mother loving games and the magic eye-a-mah-bob were both rather spontaneous developments showing of shoddy writing. The decision between staying in the doll world or returning to the real world was also too straightforward and never truly a temptation for Coraline.

Coraline has the appearance of becoming a cult hit, but that is merely a veneer. In time it will fade to being a good but forgettable film.

Edited, Feb 14th 2009 3:55am by Allegory