Tim Burton has made a quintessential Tim Burton movie and the problem is that it is a Tim Burton movie in the worst possible way. 'Frankenweenie' is a cute little movie but being cute isn't enough to sustain it. Once the viewer has gotten past saying 'awww' at the cute little doggie 'Frankenweenie' becomes a very boring and predictable movie. It's gorgeous to look at but in the end Burton populates his film with soulless characters(which for all of Burton's strengths is his Achilles' heal).
'Frankenweenie' is a cute character and film. The dog is utterly adorable and anyone who loves dogs will love 'Frankenweenie' to a certain degree. I think the story of a boy and his dog is so classic and tugs at so many hearts that it kind of blinds people to when it is done badly as it is here. The dog is cute but the boy is boring. 'Frankenweenie' does not understand adolescence and thus it kind of fails at developing a rapport with it's audience in my opinion. Victor Frankenstein doesn't act like a real kid, he merely goes through the motions with hyper intensified trappings of childhood surrounding him. Burton loves archetypes and so instead of building characters he goes for crazy archetypes to substitute for character development. The sports vs. science fiction conflict is what is on Victor's plate for a good chunk of 'Frankenweenie' and I'm sorry but this is boring and predictable. 'Frankenweenie' doesn't have a single character in it. Burton has taken molded characters and sets them free on rigid paths. I just find this all the more disappointing in a children's movie because children's movies should give children's intelligence credit.
But at least the dog is cute.
The animation is of course stellar and Burton stages brilliant effects sequences that really showcase the quirkiness of everything. I was really hoping for something in the line of 'Beetlejuice' and while 'Beetlejuice' had a much better script visually 'Frankenweenie' does have moments that match the high points of that film. The film is at it's best when it acknowledges it's inspiration. I loved seeing scenes that hearken back to the Universal Monsters. By far my favorite sequence is the ending in the burning windmill which seems like James Whale's 'Frankenstein' on some tripped out hallucinogen right down to Victor being designed as the spitting image of Colin Clive.
Is 'Frankenweenie' worth the time? It's a Tim Burton movie and it's one of his weaker ones but I think kids ultimately will get some enjoyment out of it. The boy and his dog still has weight even if the actual story doesn't it.
'Frankenweenie' is a cute character and film. The dog is utterly adorable and anyone who loves dogs will love 'Frankenweenie' to a certain degree. I think the story of a boy and his dog is so classic and tugs at so many hearts that it kind of blinds people to when it is done badly as it is here. The dog is cute but the boy is boring. 'Frankenweenie' does not understand adolescence and thus it kind of fails at developing a rapport with it's audience in my opinion. Victor Frankenstein doesn't act like a real kid, he merely goes through the motions with hyper intensified trappings of childhood surrounding him. Burton loves archetypes and so instead of building characters he goes for crazy archetypes to substitute for character development. The sports vs. science fiction conflict is what is on Victor's plate for a good chunk of 'Frankenweenie' and I'm sorry but this is boring and predictable. 'Frankenweenie' doesn't have a single character in it. Burton has taken molded characters and sets them free on rigid paths. I just find this all the more disappointing in a children's movie because children's movies should give children's intelligence credit.
But at least the dog is cute.
The animation is of course stellar and Burton stages brilliant effects sequences that really showcase the quirkiness of everything. I was really hoping for something in the line of 'Beetlejuice' and while 'Beetlejuice' had a much better script visually 'Frankenweenie' does have moments that match the high points of that film. The film is at it's best when it acknowledges it's inspiration. I loved seeing scenes that hearken back to the Universal Monsters. By far my favorite sequence is the ending in the burning windmill which seems like James Whale's 'Frankenstein' on some tripped out hallucinogen right down to Victor being designed as the spitting image of Colin Clive.
Is 'Frankenweenie' worth the time? It's a Tim Burton movie and it's one of his weaker ones but I think kids ultimately will get some enjoyment out of it. The boy and his dog still has weight even if the actual story doesn't it.