Apart from the artistic "tour de force" performed by the producers (for puppets make quite a refreshing change from the usual 3D special effects - as good as they often are) you can feel that they spent time building Strings' world.

Perfect examples are the City's gate, the jail or the baby's birth, all built around a world made of strings. You simply need to watch the movie to understand that bit.

As for the story in itself, it took me no more than 5 minutes to get into it straight away, totally forgetting that I'm watching puppets whose only way of expression are gesticulating around and closing/openening their eyes.

So anyway, whether you're 10 or 50, I can guarantee you that you'll love this movie!

Interesting. Very interesting. But ... well, interesting.
Review date: 2005-12-24 Rating: 6 out of 10

I had expected to like this movie better than I did. After all, I live in Denmark, and "Strings" was created by a Danish Director and the production company behind it is to a large extent Danish. Furthermore, I had read several positive articles and reviews about the movie before seeing it.

The whole concept is very interesting. We are watching a puppet movie, but not one where the puppets represent people. Well, yes, they do in a way, but at the same time the puppets represent puppets.

The many strings that go from the various body parts of the puppets and disappear up into the heavens play a major role in the story. A puppet cannot move past any obstacle above his/her head that prevents the strings from passing. To kill a puppet you cut the "head string", and a new baby puppet is "born" when a new head string is attached to his/her head.

Maybe it's my background as an engineer that makes me start to think of all the implications of these concepts. Instead of concentrating on the beautiful photography and the metaphorical side of the story (we, as humans, also have "strings" that put limitations on our freedom of movement), I'm thinking about the architectural implications, etc.

The story itself is not particularly innovative. A king dies, the king's evil brother tricks the king's son into going on a mission in preparation to waging war on the neighboring puppets, the son slowly but surely determines the truth, he also falls in love, and eventually peace is restored to the land. If it weren't for the interesting puppet-contra-human aspects it would be rather boring.

This is not a movie for children, because children see the story as boring and aren't able to grasp the interesting repercussions of the fact that these beings are puppets and not people.

As for adults, I'm sure that many will find the movie innovative and artistic and intellectually stimulating. But then there are the people like me who try to analyze the concept to death, and find it hard to concentrate on the story, while not being particularly impressed by the story.

Rennie Petersen

Strings Review
Review date: 2005-10-18 Rating: 6 out of 10

I had no idea what to expect when I bought this dvd. I only knew it was a film made entirely with puppets.
It was a pleasent surprise to see that the movie doesnt hide the fact that all the characters are puppets - the strings of which they are all attatched are their 'life lines', and play a big part in the story.
It looks stunning, and you cant help but wonder at skill used on the puppets.
However, looks alone does not a great movie make. The problem here is that the film makers are taking themselves slightly too seriously, with over dramatic music, and hammed up voices. If this were a live action film, it would surely be laughed at. The story itself sometimes feels a little too ambitous,and I feel that it would have benifited from being more simple.

You have to admire all the hard work that must have gone into this film, but its charm is also its downfall.

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