Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Kubo and the Two Strings

Nothing says welcome back to school like seeing a depressing cartoon involving a kid who is forced to live a life of hiding in a cave on a secluded island after he has just lost his eye and basically both of his parents to his vengeful grandfather. But I guess after some parents unwittingly took their children to see Sausage Party, a story with a talking monkey and a half man/half beetle will at least start the road to recovery for these kids after they were exposed to a bagel licking the sacks of a pita in an all-out grocery store orgy.

Although looking back, I don’t know what’s more depressing, the fact that I may have learned a new move or two from that movie (Party) or the fact that I was surrounded by drunken college kids on a Sunday night to see a cartoon where the main hero is a kid. Keep in mind that I don’t have any children of my own to force me into seeing these types of movies, so this decision was totally voluntary. Oh well whatever, I live in a city where it’s perfectly acceptable to play on the swings of a playground at the age of 40 just as long as you’re not on one of those despicable lists that’s made available to all of the homeowners in that particular neighborhood.

So with that in mind, I was excited to finally see an animated film that didn’t have the name PIXAR attached to it. Now Kubo is pretty much the film I described in my opening but unlike my dark portrayal of it, there actually is some hope for our young hero. If Kubo is able to find the magical armor that his father once wore, he should be able to defeat the treacherous Moon King (his grandfather) and finally lead a fairly normal life outside of his depressing cave. But along the way he must avoid the evil twin daughters of his grandfather who have been hunting him down ever since he was a newborn. And the only help he has available to him comes in the form of a sassy and overly protective monkey and a former samurai turned half beetle who has lost his memory and for the most part all of his intelligence. So as you can see, the outlook for poor Kubo appears to be pretty grim.

But as we learn along the way, Kubo has a few magical powers of his own as he has the ability to make paper come to life with the use of his shamisen (guitar) and sometimes even his dreams. Now initially he only uses his powers during the only time that it’s safe for him to be outside (the day) and that’s only to entertain the locals and to provide money and food for him and his sick mother; but as he begins his journey, these magical creatures eventually become his guides as they help him in finding this magical armor. And as they get further into their journey, Kubo’s magical powers continue to grow stronger. But will he be able to fully develop them before the twins catch up to him?

Now I am by all accounts pretty much done wasting my money on 3D films but in hindsight I kind of wished I had shelled out the few extra bucks to experience this movie in 3D. Don’t get me wrong, it’s breathtaking at times even in 2D but seeing the opening scene in its originally filmed format could’ve been one of the best visual experiences I’ve had in a theater this year. The first few minutes alone immediately draw you in as you can’t help but feel that you are in for something special the second you see Kubo’s mother fighting off the gigantic waves with her shamisen in an attempt to protect her and her newborn child. And the fighting sequences that take place between the twins and the monkey rival some of the scenes I absolutely loved in one of my other favorite action cartoons, The Incredibles.

The beetle (voiced by Matthew McConaughey who was given you his best George Clooney impression) provides the majority of the film’s funniest moments. And Kubo with his cool hair and his mysterious eye patch is certain to be a Halloween favorite of quite a few kids this year; that is after all the Captain America and Ironman suits sell out.

Thankfully the writers caught on to the fact that a lot of the material was fairly dark and depressing, so they wrote in some uplifting themes involving redemption, the importance of family, and the power that exists in our memories to help lighten things up a bit. It’s just that you wish they had done their lines of coke BEFORE writing the first two acts of the film so we could smile just a little bit more earlier on in the story. I loved Kubo and I think that you will too. Although I would just be a bit careful when it comes to exposing some younger children to this as you don’t want to be the cause of any early cutter tendencies in your pre emo kids' lives. I give Kubo a rating of very FRESH!
 

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