How does it feel when you
step into a theatre doubtfully to watch an animation film that is rated just
6.7 on IMDB, recline on your cushioned-chair wondering whether you have made
the right choice and then be blown away by a 100-minute visual spectacle that’s
so amazing that you walk out smiling and humming the background score even
after reaching home?! That’s Epic, the latest animation film from Blue Sky
Studios and directed by Chris Wedge (he won an Oscar in 1999 for 7-minute
animation film called Bunny).
‘Epic’ starts with a
teenage-girl Mary Katherine (voice by Amanda Seyfried), who likes to be called
M.K, being dropped by a taxi-driver at a secluded house in a forest to spend
some time with her estranged scientist-father, who spends all his time with zoom
cameras and sound devices doing some bizarre investigation. He tells M.K that
there are some tiny people in the woods who have a kingdom of their own and act
as guardians of all the flora around them. Meanwhile, there really exist tiny
people called the Leafmen; colourful flowers move, leaves speak, birds act a
chariots to warriors, and they are all led by a beautiful queen who is
accompanied by a loyal commander Ronin (voice by Colin Farrell). And along with them are a good-for-nothing handsome guy named Nod, a humorous slug and a snail. On the
other side of the forest, in a dark world, live a huge army of evil creatures called
‘Borkans’ spearheaded by a vicious, menacing Mandrake who is hell-bent on
destroying the greenery and turn everything into smoke.
M.K becomes increasingly
exasperated at her father’s deep devotion to his research; she gets repeatedly
ignored, starts doubting his sanity and hence decides to move out of the house
leaving behind a note. Almost at the same time, the green-queen holds a grand
ceremony in which Mandrake and his evil army attack and fatally-wound her as
she flees. The queen lands in front of a startled M.K and hands the teenager a
flower before breathing her last; that flower holds the life of the forest, and
M.K suddenly shrinks, becomes tiny and one of them. As most of the greenery is
destroyed by Mandrake and his army; the hapless residents gather at the queen’s
place pleading for help. There is only one solution to bring the forest back to
life. And that forms the crux of the film.
Epic is a familiar story
of good versus evil narrated in an interesting fashion. The scenes between the
tiny, demure Mary Katherine and a nonchalant Nod are a delight to watch, so are
the father-daughter sequences. The background music by Danny Elfman (a regular
of Tim Burton’s films) completely transports the viewer into a wonderful world
woven with spectacular tiny men, women and creatures amidst the stunning beauty
of the forest. The war scenes between Leafmen and Borkans bear a slight resemblance
to Avatar, only that a bit of humour is added into the proceedings in the form
of Nod. The climax is apt and heart-warming.
With its intriguing
storyline, lovable characters, uplifting music and excellent cinematography,
Epic is one of the finest animation films ever made.
My rating is 4 stars out of 5.
© Shiva Kumar Dhivakar
P.S
Is anybody reading my movie-reviews?
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