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here-and-faraway
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1529
Location: Sunny California
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 12:47 pm
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Overall I really enjoyed this film and don't regret buying it. Two things did bother me though...
1. Momo's initial "love-hate" relationship with the goblins seemed disingenuous, especially during the musical montage where she hated the goblins, then played with them, and then hated them again. Usually I don't mind this type of dynamic in a story, but, at the beginning of the movie, it felt really forced. The problem does iron itself out. It just seemed sloppy given how solid the rest of the story is.
2.
Quote: | [Momo] is still portrayed purely as girl, with no hint of sexualization. |
Unless you don't want your kid to hear a few fart jokes or literally see some toilet humor, this is a nice family show.
That said, I was really grossed out when Momo gets her bare leg licked by the goblin. Maybe I'm just jaded after having watched more adult titles, but there were a million other things the goblin could have done to annoy her. Why did the show's creators have to have a "tentacle-ly" tongue sliding up and down her bare thigh?
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Fronzel
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:25 pm
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Came across to me as pretty by-the-book and not very interesting, with the the exception of some aspects of the goblins' role, but I don't think it works;
I'm afraid I don't remember the details, but don't the goblins' cause the urgent need for a doctor in the middle of a typhoon that gives us the big action scene on the bridge? And they initially refuse to help and only change their minds when they realize they'll be punished if anything happens to Momo. They never seem to make a turn from being lazy and selfish.
The scene where they return to heaven and Momo regards them as departing friends really flopped for me.
I did like how there is a flashback scene with Momo's father before he is explicitly revealed to be dead. Seeing the man casually being alive pushed home the pain of his absence to Momo.
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dtm42
Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:34 pm
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You'd think that sometime in those seven years someone on the production crew would have spotted the huge and glaring plot hole that ruins the film's entire climax. I'm also disappointed that Theron didn't mention it.
Otherwise the movie was pretty good.
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here-and-faraway
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1529
Location: Sunny California
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:36 pm
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Fronzel wrote: |
And they initially refuse to help and only change their minds when they realize they'll be punished if anything happens to Momo. |
That was one thing that didn't make sense to me either. What's the use of having a guardian watch over you if they aren't allowed to do anything to help you out?
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules
Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4629
Location: Gainesville, FL
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:49 pm
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The spoilered bit above is what I find so problematic with the film.
To me, the goblins do not come off as funny bumbling characters. They are just plain awful, and sometimes actually openly antagonistic towards Momo (well, the mostly mute one is kinda alright- but he's just an idiot), they cause more problems than they solve and their "heroic" actions at the end are necessary because they caused much of the situation.
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Fronzel
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 2:19 pm
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here-and-faraway wrote: |
Fronzel wrote: |
And they initially refuse to help and only change their minds when they realize they'll be punished if anything happens to Momo. |
That was one thing that didn't make sense to me either. What's the use of having a guardian watch over you if they aren't allowed to do anything to help you out? |
They are allowed to help her out they just don't want to because it's work.
Spastic Minnow wrote: | To me, the goblins do not come off as funny bumbling characters. They are just plain awful, and sometimes actually openly antagonistic towards Momo (well, the mostly mute one is kinda alright- but he's just an idiot), they cause more problems than they solve and their "heroic" actions at the end are necessary because they caused much of the situation. |
There's also the time they actually prevent Momo from making new friends by distracting her with a search for the memento of her father which they carelessly used to send a message to heaven. My memory fails me; this may have directly lead to her getting a reply from her dead father, but it was an accident and the goblins don't really deserve any credit from that. It works in a "who can tell if this is bad or good?" way, but the film definitely tries to portray the goblins as benevolent in the end when they aren't ever, really. A film in which the magical creatures only the kid can see are genuinely just a pain in the ass might be kind of interesting, but this doesn't try to go all the way there.
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vanfanel
Joined: 26 Dec 2008
Posts: 1254
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:40 pm
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This had some amazing animation, and I wanted to like it, but the goblins got in my way. Could. not. stand. them.
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walw6pK4Alo
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
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Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:52 pm
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I remember this being a mostly pleasant diversion while watching it but ultimately forgettable until the third act lost me in just how overblown it gets.
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Chrno2
Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 6172
Location: USA
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Posted: Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:38 pm
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Seven years? Wow, after Jinroh I had wondered what else was going to come from this director. I enjoyed this film, I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't purchase it so as to have it in time for the holidays. I remember seeing this screened as part of NYICFF. I managed to arrived 15 minutes into the film. I did enjoy it as I do enjoy films of a supernatural element. But I could see where the pacing and the plot is self do pose challenges to the overall feature. Other than it's a solid film. I will be picking up this film for my collection as I've waited sooooooo long for this Gkids to finally get it released.
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