Sometimes hitting the multiplex just isn’t in the cards.  That’s when Netflix steps in to provide a movie fix.  But how to separate the wheat from the chaff?  I’m happy to help; every week I’ll pick a flick from the Netflix Watch Instantly section and see if it’s worth your time.  This week?  “The Secret of Kells”

It’s somewhere around 800 AD, and young Brendan lives in an abbey in Kells with his uncle, Abbot Cellach.  Life is humming along nicely, with Brendan trying his best to please his uncle by helping with the building of a massive wall that is meant to prevent any Viking raiders from attacking the abbey and its surrounding village.  But Brendan’s first love is books, and when a master illuminator comes from the Isle of Iona, Brendan has to choose his own path.  Brendan’s first steps outside the abbey show him a world of beauty and magic, and a girl named Aisling that is much more than she seems.  Can Brendan become an illuminator on par with Aidan?  Uh, have you seen the Book of Kells?

Okay, so the real Book of Kells probably wasn’t influenced by a magical sprite girl that can climb a tree like a monkey and change into wolf form at will.  We all know the Christians killed anything that wasn’t just like them back in the Dark Ages (hey, that’s one of the reasons why they were so dark.)  But it makes for a cute story.  Throw in an adorable cat and some scary Vikings, and you’ve got the makings of a killer story that can entertain kids and adults alike.  Sadly, the promising beginning of The Secret of Kells falls apart early on in the movie, when it can’t decide on whether it wants to be a stirring tale of how a major religious work came to be, or a magical fairy-tale treat for the kids.  Children can easily become bored with the scenes of the Abbot building the wall, or the many discussions between the Abbot and Aidan the illuminator.  During these scenes I focused less on the adults and more on Aidan’s cat, the scene-stealing and gorgeously drawn Pangur Bán.

The scenes between Brendan and the fairy child Aisling are what make The Secret of Kells stand out.  As they travel through the woods, we see how Brendan sees the world; as one big, beautiful pattern.  The artwork is absolutely stunning throughout the movie, but with the flowers, trees and animals of the forest the animators really get to pull out all the stops.  Is the movie as realistic as CGI animation?  Absolutely not.  But it doesn’t need to be.  This movie isn’t an exercise in realism, it’s a tale of how a biblical text became a breathtaking piece of artwork.  The art is the thing here, not the ability to count the number of hairs on a wolf’s muzzle.  The lovely Irish music, all flutes, bodhrans and bones, help move the story along nicely and had me forgetting about the slower pace of the narrative scenes.

Watching this with the young ones in your house over Easter weekend would be a lot less painful than the usual Saturday morning animation, and a fun change of pace from yet another viewing of Wall*E, Up or Toy Story.  But you may find yourself with more questions from the kids than you may want to answer.  Like, “what happened to all the fairy children?”  Telling your kids that Christians ended up doing to pagans what the Vikings did to the Christians may not be the topic you wanted at the dinner table, so best to just skim over that topic and bust out the chocolate bunnies asap.

By the way, pick your audience wisely here.  Young children may be scared by the scenes of red-and-black Vikings burning villages and killing hapless folk.  Even though the violence is only suggested, the harshness of the illustrations and the dark tone could be too much for pre-K kids, though the older ones may enjoy those scenes the most.  If you’re looking for something new that the whole family can watch and enjoy, you could do worse.  I just wish the story was even half as enchanting as the animation.  That would make this movie an amazing thing indeed.

Here’s the breakdown:
Would I watch it again?:  Maybe.  The artwork elevates this animated movie beyond the usual children’s shows that litter the market.  But the story isn’t compelling enough for repeat viewings.
Should you see it?: If you’re a fan of animation, absolutely.  Then again, if that’s your thing you’ve probably already seen it.  Still, it’s gorgeous and not the typical artistic style out there.  Kids may find the style of this movie an interesting change of pace from their usual Disney and anime.  Definitely worth a look.
Netflix average rating: 4 Stars — “Really Liked It”
My rating: 3 Stars — “Liked It”

Have you ever seen a movie trailer before they filmed a single frame of the movie? watch:

You might have recognized borrowed images from  Avatar, The Island, and Minority Report among others. This trailer is based on the Serbian comic book Technotise created by Aleksa Gajić and Darko Grkinić. A sequel to the comic has already been successfully adapted into a full-length animated film entitled Technotise: Edit & I. Jaron Pitts is the man behind the trailer, his YouTube page says he made it “for some producers in Hollywood who are making this into a live-action” film. I have to agree with whoever decided to put Milla Jovovich in the starring role, she’s perfect for the film and genre. So I’m wondering what you think, any Technotise comic book fans out there? Anyone see the animated film? Do you want to see a live-action adaptation? Who would you have play the lead? Here’s the trailer for the animated film for those who have not seen it:

I would like to start out by saying I had no idea going into this movie what it was about besides Jack Black and Angelina Jolie were attached to it as voice actors. I knew nothing of the storyline, the characters, besides it had Kung Fu in it. With that being said, the movie was fantastic!

Po (Jack Black) is a very fat and one lazy noodle serving panda. He dreams day in and day out about becoming a Kung Fu master. Funny as he is a rather large Panda. He lives above his father’s noodle store (whom is a duck) and is a huge fan of the Furious Five. The Furious Five are China’s most well known Kung Fu students and students of the great Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). The Five consists of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Mantis (Seth Rogan). (Look at those names people, I had no idea that this film was so large in terms of names!) The time has come, after a vision from Oogway, that a Dragon Warrior must be chosen. All the towns folk are there. And our lowly friend Po, is asked to serve up noodles by his father. Po is devastated as he wanted to be front and center to see the Furious Five and the one who would be come the Dragon Warrior.

You will have to see the film for yourself to see whats next, but I must say its a “must see” experience.

The digital animation was superb to say the least. The trees all the way to the burnt fur on Po’s face was done in marvelous detail. Pixar you better watch out, Dreamworks is coming for you. Honestly one of, if not the best looking animated films I have seen.

With the above animation, the film brings along a great storyline that actually touches your heart a little. Its like Kung Fu for kids. Kids everywhere will flock to see this as they should. It’s full of laughs, action and a great underlying story. Family’s don’t hesitate to bring your children to this one. Adults don’t mistake my last comment for a reason not to see it, as this 31 year old absolutely loved it along with some of the older guys who sat next to me.

From the start of the film to the end, this movie really does a great job at bringing high quality animation and storyline together. Something that has been missing lately in the world of animation. Movies like Shrek with the jokes and one liners that if were to be watched today wouldn’t be funny as we have forgotten the times past. This movie has jokes that will last with each viewing!

Make sure you go see this movie, its a sure win and really a great film overall.

[imdb]0441773[/imdb]

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆