I didn’t really know much about this movie, just that I came across it somewhere here on the internet and it got my interest mainly because of the art style. I’ve always been a big fan of Tim Burton-style art, and this one has a strong semblance to it, even if it wasn’t by Tim Burton himself.
To be honest, there was a lot of confusion that comes with this movie. It’s very fast-paced that every plot point comes right after the previous one, and the progress of the story is so quick, it stupefies you. Basically, the story is about Jack who looks for Acacia, the first woman he fell in love with. The problem is that Jack was born during the coldest day on earth and had to have his frozen, dysfunctional heart replaced by a working clock. He had to live by three rules, one of which was him being forbidden to love.
The story itself is simple, made complicated by the animation and the symbolism here and there. There was far too many of it, in my opinion. Very interpretative art, with many whimsical icons and characters, multiple unusual things, I have to say.
This is a sad love story, having its own simple rewards. It’s enough to watch for leisure, but not something that will keep you in awe. You’d be more interested to find out when the movie will end, and how it will end.
Voice acting would’ve been fine, if not for the quick exchange of words. You could barely understand what their saying, with the thick accent they have and the very fast way of speaking, as if something’s going to bite them if they don’t finish talking soon enough.
I would love to be objective and literary with this review, but I couldn’t get to that point. Too many things lacked in this movie, and it looks as if it was rushed. I have to commend character design and art direction, though. It’s very well done.
This was based on a book, with the same title.
//SRV
STEPHEN VELEZ 