EPIC

 

Animated action/adventure

PRINCIPAL VOICE MEMBERS

Amanda Seyfried: 17-year-old Mary Katherine a.k.a. M.K.

Jason Sudeikis: her father Professor Bomba

Christoph Waltz: Mandrake, leader of the Boggans

Blake Anderson: his son, the Boggan’s general

Colin Farrell: Ronin, leader of the Leafmen

Josh Hutcherson: Nod, Leafman warrior

Beyoncé Knowles: the Forest Queen Tara

Aziz Ansan: Mub, a slug

Chris O’Dowd: his buddy Grub, a snail

Steven Tyler: Nim Galuu, a glowworm

REVIEW

It’s really a bit pretentious to give a film such a grandiose name when in fact the “epic” battle is just the bad guys (called Boggans) trying to steal the new queen and the good guys (called Leafmen) trying to safeguard her. That does not come even close to being a story about heroic feats.

If you are looking for originality, you won’t find much here. The film is replete with old well used storylines and characters we have seen before. It feels like a rehash although there is a added twist to the bad guys: they are downright ugly repulsive creatures living in a dim rotting world. Ugh!

One thing needs to be said: it is well crafted with beautiful rendering using state-of-the-art computer generated images. However character development is uneven: while MK and her dad are lively, animated people the Fairy Queen and Ronin are not. They are simply “going through the motions”. Boring.

CLASSIFICATION

for mild action, some scary images and brief rude language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

Professor Bomba’s eyes are green except they change briefly to blue when he meets up with M.K. in the forest then revert to their natural colour for the rest of the movie.

P.S.

It makes you wonder who the target audience the writers had in mind with dialog that includes things like “desiccated wasteland” and “proprietary rights”. Certainly not kids.