This is good, but it ain't no Prisoner Of Azkaban (as far as dark films based on popular childrens' book series go). Meaning: themodernage, don't get your hopes up.
***Admin (not GB) Warning: Cameo Spoilers***
The beginning is ABSOLUTELY brilliant. The first thirty minutes are wonderful. The problem is that, by that point, all the material in the first book has been covered, and it becomes obvious very quickly how the rest of the film will proceed: very episodically (each episode covering one of the three books covered in the film), with about the same drama and outcome in each episode.
It's great to look at, though, and Jim Carrey is a lot of fun (especially as Olaf). Although he's not the Olaf I pictured reading the books, he's really meancing, even though he's also really funny. However, the cast is WAY too big. They should have kept Billy Connelly, Jude Law (whose face is never seen), Meryl Streep and Timothy Spall and gone with unknowns for everyone else. Luis Guzman is in a couple of scenes, but he has not a single line of dialogue. Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Adams and Cedric The Entertainer fare pretty much the same. And Dustin Hoffman shows up for precisely three shots.
yeah, i agree with you. hopes were lowered and a pretty good time was had.
i loved the beginning but the lack of where the movie was going seemed to just let it wander. which, maybe should've been good because peter pan didnt really have the strict 3 act thing going on and that was better for it, but that always felt like it was going somewhere. this didnt feel like it had much place to get to, but loved the dark tone for kids and actors, etc. etc.
