"The Boxtrolls" PG
The Boxtrolls tells the strange stop motion story of Cheese Bridge, a fictional town where the aristocratic men have a club that eats cheese and wears fine white hats, while below the city there are box trolls, little goblin like things, hunted by the evil red clothed villain and his henchmen.
Eggs is an orphaned boy who was raised by the trolls and has come to the surface world to rescue his troll friends who had been taken prisoner by the villains. He runs across a red haired girl who happens to be the mayor's daughter, who goes with him on an adventure to find the lost trolls.
The adults will enjoy the curious riffs on rich fat cats living in luxury while the poor people of the town need things. In one scene the rich people go on about a giant cheese wheel instead of a hospital.
It is fairly easy to follow what happens next as the villain is so obvious in the charades he does, and clearly meant to be a cliche of those old melodrama villains, complete with a fiendish plot to usurp the town via pretending to be an exterminator, and his crutch is a love of cheese that he can't eat, and a ridiculous desire to merely wear a white hat. (Villains have black hats sometimes). His lackeys even discuss whether or not they're actually bad guys, which is one of the funniest parts. The inventor is also supposed to be a parody, but in a horrific state of being hung upside down until he's gone so nuts he can only say 'Jelly' repeatedly.
The story is only sometimes intense and might frighten
very little children, but it should be okay for anyone over 8, whereas
the grade school crowd seems to be what's it's geared to. Keep in mind
it is a horror story with some jokes, but primarily is not meant to be
taken as a comedy outright.
Coraline was much creepier. Nightmare before Christmas was at least a musical as well.
The box trolls are pack rat creatures who like in the underworld stories of many classics collect the lost items others left behind, or take them, which makes for some interesting inventions and things made from discarded things. Pack rats will love this movie just for that. The trolls can 'transform' and hide inside their boxes. Toy line might follow.
This is considered a horror film not a comedy so don't go into it thinking it will be all cute and charming. It's kind of dark and brooding. It is based on a book called 'There be Monsters' (not reviewed), but the film was good.
Review by Adam Browne
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