Right, time for a cartoon. It's no secret that I'm always pretty wary of new Pixar releases, after all their winning streak is not perfect. There's always a chance that their next project could be less Inside Out and more ... Brave. Of course there are blacker marks on their record that shall go unmentioned, but I always hope for the very best rather than the so-so. Mediocrity is somehow less interesting. Or perhaps it's just more aggravating when the true high notes are just within reach. The thing is this does just look like another bland coming of age story on the outside with music and spectacle and outcast characters finding themselves. There's even another dumb animal sidekick and a whole assortment of pastel shaded oddballs. But fortunately this is all done with such finesse that it's impossible not to get sucked in.
Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) wants to be a musician. It shouldn't be too much of a problem considering that the town is full of mariachi bands and guitarists, all set on performing at a local Day of the Dead festival. However while his film and music idol the late Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) is full of bravado and teaches him about reaching for your dreams, his family has a rough history with musicians and have no time for such nonsense. It's a very average opening as Miguel practices in secret and then runs away from home when he tries to share his passion and is rejected by the people who are supposed to care about him. It's very bland, a dusty and dry start to things.
However herein lies the great strength of the story being set in this particular culture. When Miguel tries to borrow a guitar from the tomb of Ernesto he's transported into the Land of the Dead itself. It's a sudden shock of fire and neon as the real world fades and the ethereal plain presents itself. The drab scenery is replaced by a whole new world full of skeletal Calaca style apparitions and eye popping outfits. Unfortunately for him this change of scenery comes just as all his ancestors are gathering to visit their relatives on this special occasion, and they all hate guitarists too. Finding himself cursed for stealing from the dead Miguel needs the help of a blood relation to send him home, but his dead relatives want him to give up his dreams just like his living ones.
Here begins the main bulk of the story as there are chase sequences and comedy bits involving the bony residents of the underworld and their rainbow coloured spirit guides. We're also introduced to Héctor (Gael García Bernal) another spooky resident of the afterlife to add one more ticking clock to the proceedings. It's soon revealed anyone that wants to stay in this ghostly form must be remembered in the annual festivities by the living or they will fade into oblivion. Héctor, a sort of roguish con man and one time musician is not only unable to visit his family on the night of the event after trying a few less than effective tricks to get across, but he is slowly being forgotten by his remaining family members.
With Miguel set on finding a relative of his that will send him home without any guitar banning conditions and Héctor in tow under the promise of being revived the story plays out with various set pieces and musical interludes. It's not a full on sing-a-long, but they do include plenty of suitable numbers that fit well with the story rather than being literal show stoppers. It's a big night for both the living and the dead, and all the fireworks and contests make for a vibrant and eye catching adventure. It's never too ghoulish and never too whimsical, there's a real sense of craft involved that pushes a few fairly standard character arcs beyond their simplistic limitations.
Things of course do take a dark turn here and there, but it's a story everyone can enjoy with enough tragedy and wit to keep everything feeling layered as the plot unravels. There are also plenty of subtle moments for older viewers, including sly gag in which an old friend of Héctor's tries to correct his song lyrics; to which he replies dryly '...there are children present'. Generally it finds a good balance between the usual Disney villain moustache twirling that is just sinister enough to work, and all the cute flying creatures and bug eyed pet dogs that can't ever close their mouths. Depending on how sentimental you're feeling it does get a bit misty eyed towards the end, but it's all part of a rounded and satisfying package.
Overall this may not be as original as their other efforts, but it's a solid success for director Lee Unkrich and his team. If you're not looking for a tale of redemption and regret amidst the world of Mexican folk lore this might all sound like utter nonsense, but generally speaking there's something for everyone. Even jaded cynics like myself. It's often weird and macabre, but it's brimming with creativity and artistic flair. It's musical without being forced and it's fun without becoming too twee. There's a clear love for the material involved and while it might be a little predictable there's never a dull moment once the journey is in motion.
4/5
BONUS REVIEW
JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)
Onto something that has no creativite integrity, or in fact any kind of solid foundation whatsoever. Despite my reservations about Man of Steel and my annoyance with Batman V Superman, I wanted to give this a shot. In a way it was their last ditch effort to bring this all together and make something of the tiny moments of intrigue that could have been worked on from last time around. But it was not to be, and my shaky good will was lost immediately with horrifying shots of CGI hair removal, glaringly bad colour correction and a lot of Frankenstein monster-esque scenes that barely fit together. In a way this was so simplistic in terms of plot that it couldn't really go wrong. But then again this is a take on Superman where his care for the people of Earth based entirely on a one dimensional romance.
Everything else is utterly shambolic as we're treated to unfinished visual effects and a bunch of scenes that have been chopped together and redressed in post production to fit a new lighter tone and a new visual direction. There's also a whole lot of generic bad guy talk about magic boxes that barely counts as dialogue and makes the Cosmic Cube from Captain America look like a truly Hitchcockian macguffin. Henry Cavill is wasted yet again and the rest of the cast barely registers at all, including Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman who somehow lacks the charisma she had in her opening feature. There are half baked attempts to bring in Danny Elfman and John Williams's older themes, there are weird monster faced bad guys, and there are vague efforts to make the kid from We Need To Talk About Kevin seem like a comic relief character.
I'd have liked to seen the original cut of this just so I could judge it properly, even if the intention was going to be another drab and desaturated punching fest. I might have given them credit for sticking the landing at least. Ultimately this is a huge failed experiment breaking under its own weight, a mash up of Joss Whedon at his least creative and Zack Snyder at his most... absent. Corporate think tanks may be to blame for some of the blandest and most lacklustre adventure stories on the big screen in recent years, but this is pre-emptive board room audience gathering at its most desperate. It's big and it's dumb and it's utterly hollow; adding nothing but two hours of inconsequential dead weight to a franchise that was already failing to tread water.
1/5
