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Movies / On DVD / Arthur and the Invisibles
Arthur and the Invisibles

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Arthur and the Invisibles (2007)

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Reviews Counted:86

Fresh:18

Rotten:68

Average Rating:4.5/10

Consensus: Arthur wastes its big-name voice talent on a predictable script and substandard CG animation.

Rated: U [See Full Rating] for fantasy action and brief suggestive material.

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:02-02-2007

Synopsis: Director Luc Besson (THE FIFTH ELEMENT) tries his hand at a children's film with ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES. Based on a book, this adventure follows Arthur (Freddie Highmore) as he journeys in his... Director Luc Besson (THE FIFTH ELEMENT) tries his hand at a children's film with ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES. Based on a book, this adventure follows Arthur (Freddie Highmore) as he journeys in his own backyard to save his home from greedy land developers. When his grandfather disappears, Freddie follows a series of clues that lead him to the land of the Minimoys (aka the Invisibles). Arthur's entrance into their realm takes the film from live-action to computer animation, changing Arthur from a 10-year-old boy into one of the Minimoys. The elf-like people he encounters are so tiny that insects dwarf them. Their warrior princess (voiced by Madonna) is ready to ascend the throne of the tiny kingdom. But first she and Arthur must join forces to outwit the evil Malthazar (voiced by David Bowie), who is intent on destroying the kindhearted race. ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES boasts a cast of talented actors. Mia Farrow plays Arthur's concerned grandmother, which is quite a change from her malevolent nanny in THE OMEN. The trio of musicians-turned-actors (Madonna, Snoop Dogg, and Bowie) are all fun in their vocal roles, and Bowie particularly shines as the villain. Other standouts include Robert De Niro, Jimmy Fallon, Harvey Keitel, and Jason Bateman, while Highmore brings the same wide-eyed wonder to the screen as he did in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. In fact, ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES shares a similar imaginative spirit with the works of Tim Burton and Roald Dahl. Though Besson's previous films have been adults-only fare like LA FEMME NIKITA, he brings a sense of childlike awe to this project. [More]

Starring: Robert De Niro, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Freddie Highmore

Starring: Robert De Niro, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, Jimmy Fallon, Jason Bateman, Harvey Keitel, Anthony Anderson, Chazz Palminteri

Director: Luc Besson

Director: Luc Besson
Screenwriter: Celine Garcia
Producer: Emmanuel Prevost
Composer: Eric Serra
Studio: Weinstein Company

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Reviews for Arthur and the Invisibles

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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In a clear-cut case of arrested development, the film that crowns Luc Besson's career is a magical phantasmagoria for the kids, and a derivative mess for their parents.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/13/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Luc Besson’s half-baked live-action/animated fantasy looks like it was invented on the hoof: it’s erratically plotted, poorly animated, overly derivative and too insufferably cute to interest anyone above undemanding toddler age.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/25/07
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Looks like European animation is still light years behind the US and Japan. Thank goodness for Highmore and Farrow — if only the whole film had been live-action.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/29/07
Helen OHara
Helen OHara
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Brightly coloured fantasy adventure with a decent premise, but the animated sections don't really work, despite the efforts of a talented cast.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
02/01/07
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Besson's labour of love is a feast for the eyes but leaves the imagination distinctly undernourished.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/30/07
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Here is an overproduced, oversugared semi-animated children's fantasy adventure from Luc Besson that made me want to cringe into my plush seat, never to re-emerge.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
02/03/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Several parts of the narrative don't gel, feeling designed simply to look cool or sound funny.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
01/04/07
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

I'm not sure what creeped me out most in Luc Besson's "Arthur and the Invisibles," the awful animation or Madonna lending her voice to a "child" princess.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment 1 Comment
01/30/07
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

This children's epic is slowed considerably by a convoluted, multi-tiered plotline in which we bounce between the human world and the Minimoy one. None of the characters are compelling, despite the star-studded vocal cast behind them.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 1 Comment
01/11/07
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

This mix of computer animation and live action promises much but never really comes together. Haphazard voice dubbing and lack of originality don't help.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment 1 Comment
01/11/07
M. K. Terrell
M. K. Terrell
Christian Science Monitor

Arthur and the Invisibles has a story so psychedelic that each movie ticket purchased should also include a black light poster and some incense. Kids weaned on the likes of Pixar and Shrek won't know what to make of it.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment 1 Comment
01/15/07
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/12/07
Sydney Morning Herald
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
01/13/07
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Director Luc Besson admits he knew nothing about animation before he started this project, and it shows.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/29/06
Alex Chun
Alex Chun
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Arthur's frequent returns to reality break the mood and seem to serve little narrative purpose besides beefing up Farrow's role.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
12/28/06
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Succumbing to the in-joke trend popular in children's films, Luc Besson's visually attractive movie spoils its own fantasy spell with anachronistic references and a quickly resolved story line.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/12/07
Angel Cohn
Angel Cohn
TV Guide's Movie Guide

It took me a few minutes to get used to the strange look of the Minimoy universe in 'Arthur and the Invisibles,' but I soon became enchanted with it.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/14/07
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

There's no time to sort out the players or the story as things rush ahead at an overwrought pace. Huge amounts of backstory are just plopped down in front of us, so fast and furiously that it makes little sense.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
01/11/07
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

Admirably blends animation and live-action and has a lot on offer for kids, though adults will probably yawn more than once at the predictable twists and turns of the plot.

Full Review Source: european-films.net | comment Comment
01/03/07
Boyd van Hoeij
Boyd van Hoeij
european-films.net

Highmore has been given a free pass from Besson to act his little heart out, and this gifted kid has decided to use the Dakota Fanning 3000 method of predictable, robotic child acting. It's disappointing to witness.

Full Review Source: OhmyNews.com | comment Comment
01/14/07
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
OhmyNews.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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