MOVIE REVIEW: THE BOOK OF LIFE (2014)
Posted by Naqhii
From IMDB:
Storyline
From producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez comes an
animated comedy with a unique visual style. THE BOOK OF LIFE is the
journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the
expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing
which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans
three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich
with a fresh take on pop music favorites, THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us
to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.
From Rotten Tomatoes:
Movie Info
THE BOOK OF LIFE, a vibrant fantasy-adventure, tells the legend of
Manolo, a conflicted hero and dreamer who sets off on an epic quest
through magical, mythical and wondrous worlds in order to rescue his one
true love and defend his village.
No Ratings
Official U.S. release date 17th October 2014
Official Malaysia release date 16th October2014
That's lady with the tiny hat will be your guide for this movie. Those kids will sort of be you. ©20th Century FoxFirst Thoughts...
Well here's another movie where prior to watching it I made no efforts
to look into it. Well not much and not way before anyway. I think other
than catching the trailers showing prior to whatever it was I was
actually watching, I only really looked up The Book of Life the day
before writing this review. So here's what I know.
Produced by Guillermo Del Toro who directed Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy,
Blade and Pacific Rim among many others. I enjoyed most of them, so you
can pretty much trust him when it comes to entertaining films and I'm
probably not the only one who thinks this way about the man. Directed by
Jorge Gutierrez who has worked on animation titles likeChalkZone
(Nickelodeon), ¡Mucha Lucha! (WB), The Buzz on Maggie (Disney), as well
as his own passion project El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for
Nickelodeon which won him a couple of awards. I've caught ChalkZone,
¡Mucha Lucha! and El Tigre on occasion and although I remember very
little of ChalkZone other than the chalk gimmick that they use but I do
remember ¡Mucha Lucha! and El Tigre being very different in terms of
style and humour. They were a lot of fun to watch.
These colorful characters are gods of the nether realm. She's from the fun side if you haven't guessed. ©20th Century Fox
So those are the guys responsible for making things happen behind the
scenes. For me I think we're in pretty good hands based on that. Based
on the trailer alone I thought it looked interesting of course but I
really wasn't sold on it completely but when I found out Guillermo Del
Toro was producing I thought maybe this thing could be good but this
being Jorge Gutierrez's first major film, I was not completely
optimistic. Then I read up about the company making The Book of Life,
Reel FX whose movies I haven't really seen so there's that to consider.
Then there's the cast for the movie and there's a lot of familiar names
if you've been to the movies recently and more if you're a movie fan.
Here's some of the voices you'll hear, Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing
Tatum, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman, Kate del Castillo,
Cheech Marin, Héctor Elizondo, Plácido Domingo, Gabriel Iglesias and
Danny Trejo. Although when I saw Channing Tatum and Ice Cube in that
list of names for a movie that is very much about Mexican culture and
tradition I thought they would stick out like a sore thumb, or at least
their voice would.
Meet Manolo your hero all grown up and going to fight a bull. ©20th Century Fox
So basically I had no idea what to expect of this movie. You had a mix
bag of pros and cons and a trailer that looked beautiful but was sort of
hard to figure out whether it was targeted at a younger crowd or an
older one? Was it going to be silly and funny or was it going to be a
pretty funny movie with a good driving plot? Was it for someone who
enjoys Bugs Bunny or was it for someone who enjoys Mickey Mouse? That
was the sort of questions I had when I saw the trailer. So I had no idea
what to expect other than the movie looking pretty cool.
And this is Joaquin. He's not the hero but you won't hate him either. ©20th Century Fox
About The Book Of Life (SPOILERS!! DUUUUHHHH... SKIP THIS PART IF YOU
DON'T WANT TO RUIN YOUR MOVIE EXPERIENCE. GO STRAIGHT TO THE NEXT TIME
YOU SEE A BIG BOLD TITLE.)
So what is this story about? Well, if you've read the synopsis I've
clearly taken from IMDB up there you'll know it's about Manolo (Diego
Luna) who has to step up and find out who he really is in order to
overcome some difficulties. If you've seen the trailer you'll sort of
know that he's doing it in order to look for his one true love and that
he dies and goes in search for her in the after life.
So let me recap for you what I remember about the movie.
Every lovelorn hero needs to climb a streetlight to woo his lady love. ©20th Century Fox
The movie begins at a museum where a bus load of misfits arrive for a
visit. They are greeted by an old man who is supposed to be their guide
but just as the bus begins to offload the gang of miscreants a very
attractive female guide shows up and takes them of the old guide's
hands. She'll be your guide as well throughout this movie as she
narrates the tale of Manolo.
She takes them into the museum but not through the front door, but
through a fake opening that seems to appear out of thin air. She says to
the kids that they don't look like the sort of kids that usually walk
in the front door like everyone else to get them to follow her. This
trick would actually work in real life I think. She guides them into a
dark corridor and then into a brightly lit room. The room is filled with
displays for Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead
celebration. The kids look in awe as she explains a few of the exhibits.
Then one little girl spots a display where a book is placed quite
prominently on a pedestal. This is The Book of Life. The Book of Life is
a book that contains the stories of everyone that has ever lived. In
this case our guide begins to tell the kids and us about the story of
Manolo, Joaquin and Maria.
I have no idea what's happening or what happened before this but you can tell Joaquin is not happy. ©20th Century Fox
Who are Manolo, Joaquin and Maria? They are the subject of a bet between
La Muerte and Xibalba. La Muerte is Lady Death and the ruler of the
Land of the Remembered, the place where all souls reside after death and
when you are remembered by those you left behind. Xibalba is the ruler
of the Land of the Forgotten, the place where souls go to when there is
no one to remember them. Both these characters do exist is South
American mythology. What is the bet? Who will win the heart of Maria. La
Muerte picks Manolo to win while Xibalba chooses Joaquin. The prize? If
Maria chooses La Muerte's choice Manolo, Xibalba can no longer play
tricks on the living. If Maria chooses Joaquin, then Xibalba will rule
the Land of the Remembered and La Muerte will take his place in the Land
of the Forgotten.
When La Muerte and Xibalba make the bet Manolo, Joaquin and Maria are
just little kids playing at the cemetery during a Dia de los Muertos
celebration. The kids of course have no idea that their lives are being
wagered or that it'll change forever. La Muerte approaches Manolo in the
guise of an old woman asking for a piece of bread and when Manolo gives
one out of the kindness of his heart she blesses him for it. Xibalba
also appears to Joaquin but in the guise of an old war veteran but
unlike Manolo he thinks giving it to an old man will go to waste so
Xibalba trades him the bread for an old medal that will ensure that no
harm will come to him and that he will never run out of courage.
If climbing the streetlight doesn't work then getting on one knee at sunrise should do something. ©20th Century Fox
The next morning we see the three again running around the village
playing when Maria spots a cute little baby pig at a pen outside a
butcher shop and decides that the need to set them free. Set them free
they do and the pigs run amok straight towards the village square where
chaos ensues but it doesn't get worse until a really big and mean boar
shows up. In the ruckus Joaquin pushes the mayor and Maria's father from
harms way but it's Manolo that shows off his bullfighter heritage to
save the townspeople from the angry boar. The mayor of course doesn't
see any of it so Joaquin gets the praise. Maria being the cause of the
chaos to begin with gets sent to Europe in order to learn to be a proper
lady. When the three last meet it's at the train station where Manolo
gives Maria the baby pig she spotted that led to her being sent away and
Maria gives Manolo a guitar to replace the one that was broken when the
pigs ran amok. On the side of the guitar Maria has etched a message for
Manolo to play with his heart. Joaquin on the other hand doesn't get
anything nor did he bring anything for Maria which of course makes him
feel like he won last place.
So while Maria is away we are treated to scenes of Manolo and Joaquin
growing up. Manolo learning his family trade from his father at being a
Matador, a bullfighter all the while trying to satisfy his own passion
of playing the guitar and singing which his father disapproves of.
Joaquin on the other hand is taken under the wings of the Mayor, Maria's
father and is being trained to be the perfect soldier.
This is the Land of the Remembered. Festive isn't it? ©20th Century Fox
A few years has passed and Maria is returning and it just so happens
that to celebrate her return a big bullfight is being held and Manolo is
to be the star. But Manolo has a problem, for him to be a true Matador
he has to kill the bull at the end and this is something that Manolo
can't do. Joaquin is also there and he is a famous officer renowned all
over for being brave and courageous. The bull is released and Manolo
puts on a show but at the end he puts down the sword and is boo-ed by
the crowd, his father is disappointed. But Maria is impressed. Maria's
father is not.
Later that evening at a dinner Joaquin tries to impress Maria with his
old ways but since Maria's been in Europe she doesn't exactly share
Joaquin's idea of what the woman's role is in the home. So in a huff she
makes her exit. Manolo appears a little later to serenade her under her
window. Some things happen and Joaquin decides to propose and Manolo
interrupts this by barging in and they get into a scuffle as to whose
the better man. Manolo gets kicked out but comes back a little later to
make Maria promise to meet him under a tree outside of town. Xibalba
overhears them and makes his own plans.
This is what Manolo looks like in death. Still looks good. ©20th Century Fox
They meet of course and Maria is bitten by a snake except that it isn't
some ordinary snake, it's Xibalba's. She dies. As he carries her back to
town he's met by Joaquin and the Mayor, they blame him for her death.
Distraught he goes back to the tree where Xibalba appears to offer him a
chance to find Maria and reunite with her in the land of the dead, he
takes it. Xibalba's snake appears again and this time bites Manolo
twice. Manolo dies and re-awakens in the Land of the Remembered. It's a
beautiful place and since it's the festival of Dias de los Muertos it's
just one huge party. He meets with his dead relatives and his mother and
he asks them for their help in order to find Maria. They tell him to
meet La Muerte but Xibalba now rules the place and when he meets Xibalba
he realizes he's been had.
So he journeys across the Land of the Remembered in order to get to the
Cave of the Forgotten (I think) in order to enter the Land of the
Forgotten to meet with La Muerte to tell her that Xibalba cheated to win
their bet. But to get there he must first get past the Candlemaker. The
Candlemaker is sort of father fate, for every life he makes a candle
and when that life ends the candle dies out and he's the one that
manages it. He is also the owner of the Book of Life where everyone's
life is written. Manolo gets past the Candlemaker and gets there of
course and of course La Muerte is incredibly pissed at what Xibalba's
done but she can't do much. There are rules to abide by even by them. So
Manolo proposes makes a bet with Xibalba, he'll take on any challenge
that Xibalba sets up and if he wins he gets to live again and La Muerte
returns to rule the Land of the Remembered, if he loses than Xibalba
rules both the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten and
Manolo stays.
And here's the entire Sanchez clan comforting our Manolo when he's told that there's little he can do. ©20th Century Fox
Of course Manolo wins and does so in his own unique style. He gets sent
back up to look for Maria. But just as he's being sent up the town is
being attacked by a vicious bandit named Chakal who is looking for his
lost medal. The medal that Xibalba gave Joaquin. Joaquin of course
encourage by the medal faces Chakal but loses it while fighting Chakal
which makes him lose all his courage. Maria meanwhile has roused the
townspeople to stand and fight against Chakal and his banditos.
Just as things start to get serious Manolo shows up along with his dead
relatives to help the townspeople fight Chakal and his bandits. They win
of course and they live happily ever after.
And this is what dead Manolo looks like from a high angle. ©20th Century Fox
What this mariachi fan thinks of the movie...
The Book of Life is a very different and unique movie. It's beautifully
done. The amount of detail and effort put into every character, scene
and background is amazing. The subject matter and the setting are like
nothing I've ever seen before. The plot of course is familiar,
sacrificing oneself for the one you love is pretty much standard movie
plot and risking your own soul to travel through the afterlife has also
been done numerous times but never like this and never through the
traditions and culture of a South American nation. To give us a story
that is inspired and steeped in the Mexican festival of Dias de los
Muertos is very, very refreshing. I've never seen a movie that looked
like this. The only thing I started to think about when I was watching
this movie is a game I played a very long time ago that was made by
LucasArts called Grim Fandango, a dark comedy neo-noir adventure game
that takes place in the Land of the Dead which was heavily inspired by
Mexico's Dias de los Muertos. I thoroughly enjoyed that game just as I
did with The Book of Life.
But it wasn't just visually beautiful the music was a great partner to
what you see. The music fit so perfectly you hardly notice it. It's not
like some movies where you sort of can guess that someone's going to
start to sing or break into chorus in this one it just blends in. You
expect it yes but it's not like in a Disney movie, I don't know how else
to say it. And the music is different, it's all interpreted either in
the Mariachi style or I guess you could call it a very Mexican flavour.
You'll definitely recognise some of the songs they sing but it won't be
immediate and you won't think they've ruined it either.
So when you're about to beat up some banditos you need to do this. It's a rule. ©20th Century Fox
The voice acting is also pretty good. Remember when I said that I
thought Channing Tatum and Ice Cube where going to stick out? Well they
don't. They do pretty good as their characters, especially Ice Cube who
plays The Candlemaker.
Overall if there's anything I can think of that could be a flaw with
this movie is that there's just too much. Visually there's just too
much. I wanted to see everything in every scene so much that I felt
distracted from the characters sometimes by what I saw in the scenes and
even in the characters. And then there's the different realms that you
travel through. You spent much too little time and see too little it
seems. They've taken so much care in the design of each that it left me
wanting to see more of each. But that's not to mean that the pacing of
the film is weak. The pacing is fine, you're never left feeling bored or
that things are taking too long. It's just that it looks so good I sort
of wanted to see more of it.
The movie has everything without going overboard or even resorting to
type. Yes there are stereotypes in the movie but it's okay, they're
poking fun at themselves. It's funny without becoming silly. The love
story isn't too smarmy and all gushy to turn it into a Disney movie. For
me it was all good.
At the end even these two have a happily ever after. Isn't that nice. No real baddies in this one. ©20th Century Fox
So there you go. I thought it was a pretty good movie. It gave me an
interesting look into a culture that I am not at all familiar with,
Mexico's Dias de los Muertos, and it did it in the most visually
beautiful way possible and maybe the most accessible one too. And it
introduce me to the music styling of Mexico as well. I'm sure that some
folks will go out after watching this movie to look up a little more on
this colorful festival and its country of origin. Jorge Gutierrez has
done a brilliant job with his first major film and I think I'll be
looking forward to more of his works in the future.
I give this movie a solid 3.9 out of 5. Go out and catch this one when it comes out! You won't be disappointed.
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