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I went into this film optimistic. I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and the "Nightmare Before Christmas" and I was not disappointed. The visual technique, the story, and the soundtrack/voice acting drew me into a seamless and fun experience. The film uses stop motion animation in the same fashion as Nightmare, which is very visually appealing. Obviously the story was tweaked for the screen transition. One character was added to make the film more viewer friendly, but otherwise it is a faithful adaptation. The cast consists of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Keith David, and John Hodgman (the PC guy). The narrative transitions from a story about a bored little girl, to tale of horror and adventure. The Horror elements definitely spice the film up. Gaiman manages to make a new spin on old fairytales. Though it's a kid's film, this flick can definitely be enjoyed by all ages. Also, try to catch it in 3D, it's phenomenal. I give it 5/5 for story and visuals. Must see. Nurse Fanny fucked around with this message at 10:23 on Mar 2, 2009 |
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Feb 28, 2009 11:20
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I had read Coraline multiple times before I even heard they were going to make a movie of it, so I was pretty excited when I heard the news. The trailers fed my anticipation, and when I finally saw it in theaters, I wasn't disappointed. It was a pretty faithful adaptation, aside from a couple things that were already mentioned. But I was hoping it would be darker and creepier than it was. In the book, the Other Mother is described at having very slight differences to her normal mother (slightly taller, slightly thinner, slightly paler, etc), and Coraline has a near constant slight feeling of unease while in the other world. These minor creepy changes were forgotten in the film, for a warmer more "kid friendly" setting. And although Wybie wasn't that bad a character (besides being completely useless, and adding nothing to the film), I kind of preferred it in the book when in the end, Coraline was the only one besides the cat who really knew what had happened. It made it feel like more of a child's personal secret experience, much like Alice in Alice in Wonderland, which Coraline somewhat parallels. Most of my complaints are personal preference, but I did enjoy the movie. Voice acting was very well done. Visuals were wonderful. Music was great. Overall adaptation was pretty well done, but not pristine. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
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Mar 5, 2009 08:33
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I do enjoy Nightmare Before Christmas but I should mention that I was never obsessed with it and actually only saw it for the first time just a couple years ago so I'm not biased about this movie being associated with it. Also I haven't read the book. That being said Coraline was an excellent movie. I was a tiny bit skeptical of Dakota because she's been in some less than great movies but her version of Coraline was very cute and likable. What I found most impressed me about the movie was the atmosphere and environment they portray. Myself and the others I went to see this with agreed that the setting felt like a really intriguing dream, one that you actually enjoy having and want to write down once you wake up. The visuals are spectacular even though I didn't see it in 3D so I can imagine it's even better if you do. And even though it is a kids movie I was thoroughly entertained and didn't have any eye-rolling moments where it just seemed too cliche or whatever. The characters that Coraline encounters are all really funny and interesting in their own way and really contribute to this great movie. If you're into intelligent and charming kids movies with a lot of funny/cute moments and enjoy the style of Nightmare and others along that line then you'll like this movie for sure. 5/5 Doesn't have a huge fan base but sometimes that's a good thing. The people that have seen it all seem to like it anyways and that's what matters.
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Mar 25, 2009 08:32
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This is one of those rare films that is even better the second, third, and fourth viewing. That's saying a lot. Having read the book, I have to say that this is an AMAZING adaption of the source material - true to the spirit of the book while ADDING to it immensely. I have a hard time now picturing a Coraline without Wybie, who even himself feels like a Neil Gaiman character in spite of being a creation of Henry Selick. True he didn't 'do' very much, but somehow it feels right to have him there. I should make a note about how amazing the soundtrack is - the haunting intro theme in particular. The visuals may all be Henry Selick and Laika, but the soundtrack makes the film feel even more like Neil Gaiman's territory. If I were to visualize a soundtrack to a Gaiman novel, Coraline's soundtrack is a pitch-perfect example that captures the blend of fantastic-meets-contemporary Gaiman has a penchant for. 5/5 Overall a stellar film destined to become a classic. Whatever flaws it has are so minor as to be nearly insignificant. SEE THIS FILM
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Apr 1, 2009 08:41
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While I agree with the above comments, I feel like kind of a pussy over here. I actually thought it was very disturbing and creepy. It reminded me a little of the darkest "fairy tale"-esque episodes of Ren and Stimpy. Does anyone else know what I mean? Anyway, while I haven't read the book, the film pulled off the Other Mother extremely well. I loved the alternate world ideas, especially what was done with the father character. The music deserves its own comment. Fantastic score, sound effects and foley. With any animation, this is always important, but it feels like Coraline went the extra mile. The opening credits alone make it clear that this is not a typical kids movie. It immediately felt much darker than most movies aimed at that demographic. I'm kinda surprised it got away with the PG rating, some of the themes and images felt more PG-13. Overall, it was awesome experience. 5/5
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Apr 16, 2009 17:00
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I wish I'd been able to see this movie in 3-D. It's obvious they spent a ton of effort on it and it's really sad that there's no way to see it once it leaves the first-run theaters. The entire animation style is amazing. It's loaded with subtle humor and just gets better on a second viewing. The soundtrack is great and the Other Father's song is downright sinister. 5/5 and I can't remember enjoying a film more than this one in a long time.
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May 28, 2009 02:09
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This really is a surprisingly good film. Might give a scare to young kids, but on the flipside it's completely watchable by adults. Didn't see it in 3D, which might add even more, but it's really hard to tell whether it was CG or not, since the stop motion was done so masterfully well. Story, stunning visuals, score, voice acting.. Everything really well done. Quite a pleasant surprise, this. 5/5
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Aug 17, 2009 23:10
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This movie is exquisite. See it in 3d and marvel at the level of detail and the fluidity of the animation. 5/5
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Aug 19, 2009 23:08
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If you really take the time to notice all of the little subtle details in the way the characters talk, act, and move around, you'll not be at all surprised that this film took 6 years to shoot. Coraline can take many viewings before you pick out all of the little things that make it so perfect and such an entertaining and fun film to watch. It is incredible too look at, admire, and listen too. Everything from the voice work, to the soundtrack, and animation is amazing. This is one of my favorite movies of 2009. 5/5
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Aug 31, 2009 05:10
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Really disappointing. Waited fifty minutes for the plot to get rolling, all the while the film bombarded me with whimsy. That can work if the characters had more character other than just being weird. But near naked fat women and over the top young kids don't cut it. It actually made The Nightmare Before Christmas seem subtle. Then once the plot finally got rolling I felt I was watching a video game as opposed to a movie. Intrigue falls to predictability as I wonder what button Coraline's inventory is. Nightmare worked mostly because of the score. It gave better exposition of the characters and gave them time to be who they are. Plus the songs being catchy as all hell helped. Ultimately many big chances are lost when the antagonist becomes a typical Disney villain. The puppies were cute, though. 2.5/5
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Sep 23, 2009 17:31
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Holy gently caress this movie sucked. I'm 100% convinced it came into being when Hot Topic realized they didn't have anymore Nightmare Before Christmas Merchandise to sell. Now all the teenage depressives who have their Jack Skelington jackets can go batshit this year buying Coraline Peechees or whatever. 1.5/5
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Dec 13, 2010 06:45
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