The Boxtrolls (2014)

Crappy film

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Animated Feature, losing to Big Hero 6. There will be spoilers ahead: I'm of decidedly mixed feelings about this film. On the whole, I did find it enjoyable. The animation is good, the voice work was extremely good, the other technical aspects were decent, the pacing was good. Yet I couldn't escape the relative ordinariness of the plot and the script.It's an obvious and somewhat derivative script, for one thing. Outsiders shunned by the world and even hunted down for being different. One of them, our hero, decides to fight back, contends against their enemies and wins out.There's nothing inherently wrong with this. The basic plots of some of the greatest films, books and plays would sound almost as ordinary if stripped to their basics. The problem here is more or less in the execution. Unfortunately, the film hinges on literally every adult being crazy, evil, stupid or some combination of those or it falls apart. Not one of them is able to summon up any sense except one of the main villain's henchmen and he comes to that rather late in the film.There are two characters who show any determination or intellect for most of the film-Eggs, a human boy raised by the box-trolls and Winnie, the daughter of the town leader, a cheese-obsessed nitwit with the sense God gave a light bulb. Lord Portley-Rind is led down the garden path by the villain, Snatcher (even the character names make plot points obvious from the start). It's obvious just who Eggs is almost immediately and it's just a matter of the film running its course.There's little in the way of suspense to this and, depending on just how many films like this you've seen, you can just about tick off plot devices as you go, until the guaranteed moment when the villain receives his comeuppance and sentiment turns around in the favor of the outcasts. There's a fair amount to like here, but I wish they'd done a bit more work on the script.This film is available on a Blu-Ray/DVD combo and it looks particularly nice on Blu-Ray.

This movie is many many things. One of my favorite stop-motion movies of all time I dare say. The humour is just about dark enough to attract elderly personalities such as myself.Who is the true villain?Who is the true hero?Just go, see it, watch. Watch. With whomever! Big or small, rich or tall?IT DOES NOT MATTER. You WILL enjoy what you see. If not, well... there is pity to be had for you somewhere I'm sure. But not here. Oh no.Now go. Leave this page go buy the film.Do it now.

I am rarely amazed by animated movies. Most of the ones my kids begged me to watch with them I slept through. But this one kept me up well past my bedtime. Imagine every metaphor done to perfection - every cliché exposed, every cultural norm questioned - all in a way that most people won't even be perceptive enough to notice. It's hard to talk about this film without giving spoilers or falling into the traps laid by those who don't want you (or especially your kids!) to watch it. I can only assure you it is that rare combination of great entertainment and great art. I hope a few will believe me before falling victim to the real "trolls". And nothing is subversive - unless you think the truth of being human is subversive.

All animated films with a conflict need a decent villain, and The Boxtrolls has a great one: A snivelling, merciless, cheese-obsessed, nasty piece of work called Archibald Snatcher. Voiced by the unmistakable Ben Kingsley, he kidnaps friendly trolls who only want to collect junk at night on the surface from their underground base, lies to the population of a small town that they devour small children so they give him carte blanche in taking the innocent creatures, before setting them to work as slaves building a device which he thinks will help him take over the place. And by 'take over' I mean... Sit at a table, and munch on Brie all day long with the other aristocrats. To top it all off, he's allergic to the dairy product... and swells up hideously every time he's anywhere near it. Go figure.Into this mess are thrown two kids: One who was raised by the boxtrolls as one of their own after his father went missing ( and the subject of Archibald's fibs to the townsfolk) and a little posh girl from the upper echelons of society who has an unhealthy interest in gore at such a tender age. She is VERY disappointed to find out the trolls are not the cannibalistic monsters of yore, but nevertheless agrees to help the boy in rescuing his missing friends and possibly discover what happened to his absent dad. I won't spoil what unfurls for you... But I will offer a single hint. JELLY!!The Boxtrolls is an engaging piece, brilliantly animated using stop-motion technology (there's even a joke about the whole process after the credits have rolled) filled with lovable characters and hilarious voiceovers. The boxtrolls themselves are brilliant creations... Stark naked apart from their little cardboard containers, each one named after the produce that it initially contained, they communicate in a monosyllabic way and their antics are always hilarious. They reminded me of the minions in the Despicable Me franchise... Only, with a bit more charm. It's a fabulous slice of family entertainment, and one worth re-watching just to appreciate just how much detail was put into the production.YEARS AND YEARS worth. Got that?! You ungrateful little... 7/10