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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 source; UK critics are listed first)
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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Audiences should ignore this one until Arthur becomes invisible.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
01/12/07
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

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

A mishmash with a distinctive but disorderly animation palette whose top-notch voice cast -- including Robert De Niro, Madonna and David Bowie -- gets lost in the muck.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
01/11/07
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press

The story is just incoherent, and the faster it moves, the more frantic it seems.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/27/07
Marrit Ingman
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle

[Arthur and the Invisibles is] a film for kids who want to know what headaches feel like.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
01/12/07
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

The movie bing-bing-bings all over the place, repurposing fantasy novels, video games, Arthurian legends. Besson's grocery bill for all I know. Even the musical score has multiple-personality disorder.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
01/12/07
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

Oh, what a dreaded Pandora’s Box has been opened by the success of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/12/07
Wade Major
Wade Major
Boxoffice Magazine

They look like a cross between anime and Jim Henson puppets. Fortunately, they look nothing like Pixar, PDI, Sony Animation or any of the other talking animal companies.

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment Comment
01/12/07
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Can Magazine

Luc Besson has never been one of my favorite filmmakers, but he seems to have found his metier in children's fantasy, and this semianimated adventure is enjoyable and imaginative despite its formulaic qualities.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/11/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

There are too many things out of whack here, and too many unanswered questions.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/12/07
Teresa Budasi
Teresa Budasi
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a pretty good picture, albeit a strange one.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
01/11/07
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

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
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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