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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.
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... [More]
Starring: Robert De Niro, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Freddie Highmore
Director: Luc Besson
Directed by Luc Besson, this inventive family movie sets up the most delightful premise, then squanders it on the kind of yawn-inducing CG adventure you might expect from one of those long, plot-heavy cut scenes that slow down video games.
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.
Apparently Besson became so enamored of CG animation’s possibilities that he forgot basic rules … such as the one about animation thriving on clear-cut, distinctive characters whose personalities are established in the first few seconds they’re on screen.
The movie is too long by half for its relatively simple plot. And letting kids get antsy, as any parent can tell you, is the biggest sin a filmmaker can commit.
Arthur and the Invisibles may be a tale for children, but it's got the bad habits of a profligate adult -- the thing borrows shamelessly from its betters and then pretends to be self-sustaining.
An odd imp of a movie, Arthur and the Invisibles may actually be filled with a bit too much invention for the average kid.
Too eccentric for kids, too silly for everyone else, it floats in a Neverland of breathtaking visuals in service of a story that pilfers everything (and I mean everything) from the Arthur legends to last summer's The Ant Bully.
This fantasy blend of live-action and digital animation is just never quite as wondrous as it really should be.
There are too many things out of whack here, and too many unanswered questions.
Top CriticOh, what a dreaded Pandora’s Box has been opened by the success of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises.
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.
This is no committee-engineered product designed to boost first-quarter profits; Besson actually wants to be here.
I know this is supposed to be a children's fantasy and that the color of the Miminoys' skin should be less remarkable than their microscopic stature, but the message seems to be that an African tribe can't be cute unless it is also white.
A movie with imaginative elements but little imagination.
Imagine the Smurfs meeting Troll dolls in the world of The Dark Crystal...
Youngsters should have a fine time. Adults not easily persuaded that any children's film is automatically charming might bring a book.
Click to read the article
...there's exceedingly little here to hold the interest of even the most patient adult.
Starts off as an innocent, wholesome family adventure, but, when it becomes animated, Arthur is on the path to throwing back drinks in da club with Snoop Dogg and his posse.
The story isn't terribly original, but Besson gives it a fuel-injected energy...
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