I'm pretty tolerant about mediocre movies, but this one needs a big thumbs down.
If you don't know already, Berkeley Breathed's book, Mars Needs Moms, is visually beautiful and appropriate for kids. It has a moral, and some scary moments. A movie which honored the story and was able to convey a substantial portion of the visual style and loving touch that Breathed spins in to his books would have been welcome. Breathed books lead one to believe that he loves children, and wants to produce books that kids will enjoy and actually understand. But this movie is so bad, and so dismissive of children, that I don't know where to start.
Sadly, this movie is pointlessly violent and scary. How scary and violent could it be, you ask, after all Milo's mom nearly dies in the book? (spoilers start here) In this movie, the kidnapped moms are strapped down and incinerated to extract the contents of their brains to program nanny bots. Disney doesn't think that rescuing your mom from aliens enough to add suspense to a movie? The movie also portrays executions by firing squad with the charred outlines of previous execution victims showing behind the next potential dead body! Hey, I really like plenty of movies with over-the-top violence (e.g. Robocop, Unforgiven, Full Metal Jacket, even Reservoir Dogs), but this movie provides no commentary upon or condemnation of the the violence (the dictator figure directing the killing never has to pay a price for murder). I could go on, but the bottom line is that nobody, especially a kid needs more of this kind of pointless generic violence. It should have been rated R.
Also just as sad is the lack of fidelity to Breathed's gorgeous, loving, and imaginative visual style. The slumping figures of Milo and his dog are absent, and replaced by the fluid but inappropriate motion capture. It is as if the director didn't bother to actually read (or even look at) the book. It isn't that the movie isn't pretty (the 3-D is great!) at times, in an immature factory made kind of way, but it never provides the visual narrative that is integral to Breathed's illustrations. That is is amazingly lame for a movie that probably cost a thousand times more than the book. More shame on all of you at Disney.
Brazen, jarring, product placement: Milo lists the fact that his mom takes him to Disneyland as one of the reasons for saving her from the aliens who are going to incinerate her. You non-Disneyland-taking parents better watch out!
I feel sorry for the first rate actors, but hope that Mr. Breathed uses the money Disney already paid him for the rights to write and illustrate more great books - he is a treasure that this movie ignores. Do your best to avoid this one. Does anybody at Disney even think any more?
If you don't know already, Berkeley Breathed's book, Mars Needs Moms, is visually beautiful and appropriate for kids. It has a moral, and some scary moments. A movie which honored the story and was able to convey a substantial portion of the visual style and loving touch that Breathed spins in to his books would have been welcome. Breathed books lead one to believe that he loves children, and wants to produce books that kids will enjoy and actually understand. But this movie is so bad, and so dismissive of children, that I don't know where to start.
Sadly, this movie is pointlessly violent and scary. How scary and violent could it be, you ask, after all Milo's mom nearly dies in the book? (spoilers start here) In this movie, the kidnapped moms are strapped down and incinerated to extract the contents of their brains to program nanny bots. Disney doesn't think that rescuing your mom from aliens enough to add suspense to a movie? The movie also portrays executions by firing squad with the charred outlines of previous execution victims showing behind the next potential dead body! Hey, I really like plenty of movies with over-the-top violence (e.g. Robocop, Unforgiven, Full Metal Jacket, even Reservoir Dogs), but this movie provides no commentary upon or condemnation of the the violence (the dictator figure directing the killing never has to pay a price for murder). I could go on, but the bottom line is that nobody, especially a kid needs more of this kind of pointless generic violence. It should have been rated R.
Also just as sad is the lack of fidelity to Breathed's gorgeous, loving, and imaginative visual style. The slumping figures of Milo and his dog are absent, and replaced by the fluid but inappropriate motion capture. It is as if the director didn't bother to actually read (or even look at) the book. It isn't that the movie isn't pretty (the 3-D is great!) at times, in an immature factory made kind of way, but it never provides the visual narrative that is integral to Breathed's illustrations. That is is amazingly lame for a movie that probably cost a thousand times more than the book. More shame on all of you at Disney.
Brazen, jarring, product placement: Milo lists the fact that his mom takes him to Disneyland as one of the reasons for saving her from the aliens who are going to incinerate her. You non-Disneyland-taking parents better watch out!
I feel sorry for the first rate actors, but hope that Mr. Breathed uses the money Disney already paid him for the rights to write and illustrate more great books - he is a treasure that this movie ignores. Do your best to avoid this one. Does anybody at Disney even think any more?