G-4rce Film Reviews: Kubo and the Two Strings

Warning: this review may contain spoilers

I had a very long last week. As some of you may know, my birthday was last Sunday, and I was doing all kinds of stuff that week, like go to an Art Pageant and a Murder Mystery Dinner. The Art Pageant was okay. It was both cool and boring at the same time. The Murder Mystery Dinner was pretty cool, even though I didn't figure out the mystery. It was pretty crazy too because all of the evidence I had that led to my theory seemed so damn good, yet I was still wrong. Oh well. Anyways, I'm finally back on TTT, ready to give you guys a review of a movie I've been waiting for for 2 months...

Reception
Rotten Tomatoes
Critics: 96% Critical Acclaim
Audience: 91% Universal Acclaim
Metacritic
Critics: 83% Critical Acclaim
Users: 8.8 Universal Acclaim

My Thoughts and Review:
Ever since I saw the trailer to this film, I immediately put it on the calendar set for viewing day. It looked so freaking awesome that it was impossible for me not to be excited for it. And the cover for My Guitar Gently Weeps in the trailer was... f*ck, dude I'm still trying to find that god damn version of the song instead of Regina Spektor's cover. Anyways, Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion animated film from Laika, the creators of Coraline and Paranorman, which were both really good movies; actually probably some of the best animated movies you could watch. One thing I must say about Kubo is that the animation is a GIGANTIC step-up from Laika's previous works. I didn't even know if it was CGI or really stop-motion at first, but that goes to show how good it is.

The film takes place in ancient Japan, where a young, one-eyed boy named Kubo entertains fellow villagers with his stories using pieces of paper that form into origami and move under music played by Kubo's magical shamisen (I'm gonna try not to spoil too much of this movie). Kubo's missing father, Hanzo, was a great samurai warrior who battled ferocious monsters and sought out revenge on the Moon King. Once Kubo unconsciously stays out after sunset, something that he wasn't supposed to do, his two aunts, who have some kind of dark magic abilities, attack Kubo and try to take his other eye. Kubo's mother defends him and with the use of her magical powers, makes him fly away from the situation. The story then kicks off from there. Kubo wakes up in the middle of nowhere and finds himself accompanied by a monkey who was Kubo's wooden charm brought to life by his mother's magic. While his aunts are still in pursuit of him, Kubo must set out on the journey to find all 3 pieces of his father's armor which can protect him.

The dialogue in the film is very interesting and realistic, especially from Charlize Theron who voiced the monkey. The monkey had no name; she was just referred to as "Monkey". Monkey was a rather serious, protective, and straightforward character who always said what was on her mind. She was very demanding and had no interest in playing games or fooling around, especially with other people, which actually made her a bit mean at times but also really good/funny character. Kubo also meets another character along the way: an amnestic former soldier who has been cursed into a beetle form. He has 4 arms and armor [that he supposedly can't take off] resembling the looks of a beetle. Unlike Monkey, Beetle is much nicer and sentimental than Monkey, so their first meet got off at the wrong foot. The relationship between the two characters was pretty funny. They argued like a married couple and Beetle seemed to be the one who got along better with Kubo.

While on their journey, the story slowly unfolds into some pretty deep stuff. There's also a couple of plot twists that I sort of considered before, but didn't expect them to really happen so they still managed to surprise me a bit. The film also had a very strong ending. Some of the fights are pretty good and very well-animated, and there were also some scenes that I will never know how the hell they managed to animate, such as the scene where they were underwater. The music in the film is very good, as well. The music is produced by Dario Marianelli, who produced music for British films such as Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, and Anna Karenina. The soundtrack consists of Japanese styled music, mostly shamisen tunes. There are quite a few addicting songs in it with my personal favorite being "My Last Chance". It's a really intense track with incredible instrumentals and a driving flow. And Regina Spektor's cover for While My Guitar Gently Weeps is AWESOME. The soundtrack is a good buy. It's on iTunes so you could give it a sample listen. I'm still very pissed the hell off that the version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps from the trailer isn't in the soundtrack. I was really anticipating this album just because of that god damn amazing cover. Whoever thought it was a good idea not to put that cover in the soundtrack is a f*cking retard.

All in all, Kubo and the Two Strings is a very good animated movie. Its style is different and its storytelling is wonderful. Add awesome animation and kick ass music to that and you have a winner with me.

Overall 8.7/10 Great:
I wasn't expecting this to be a huge animated action flick, but rather a relaxing unique experience. The excitement isn't very high and the film can be a bit rushed, but it manages to keep me very, very entertained with charming characters and a wonderful and quite serious story. I also have to give Laika some big ass props for that animation. It's so good that if you didn't know it was really stop-motion, you really wouldn't be able to tell. This is really what I like to see in animated movies, something different. Something that steps away from the common animated comedy flicks, and we rarely get that kind of material. Movies like 9, Legend of the Guardians, Titan A.E., and Fantastic Mr. Fox are pure examples of unique, even though these movies except for Mr. Fox are mediocre. The things about this film that made me like it so much are its awesome music, good storytelling, and incredible animation. Kubo and the Two Strings provides a different experience for all ages, one that should not be overlooked. Also, the soundtrack is a good listen.

I have a surprise film review coming soon. Hope to see you there :)

Comments

Woah it sounds like a good movie! - leafstar (8/23/2016)

Yup, it's a good movie - visitor (8/25/2016)

Good review - Skullkid755 (8/23/2016)

Thanks - visitor (8/25/2016)

It looks Like A good Movie - VideoGamefan5 (9/5/2016)

Honestly, I give this a 10/10. Very emotionally moving and it looks beautiful. This was my favorite animated movie of the year. - DCfnaf (6/19/2017)

This movie was absolutely brilliant in my opinion. - Absolite (8/26/2017)

You seriously thought Suicide Squad was better? - 445956 (9/28/2017)

My point of view changed after a year. Score goes up higher for Kubo and Suicide Squad goes lower. I made this review last year. After a while my opinion may change. - visitor (9/28/2017)

Kubo's dad is from Overwatch - TwilightKitsune (12/13/2017)