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Arthur and the Invisibles [2007]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £3.95 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

First released in France, Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles is a touching computer animated adventure that makes up in look and in character for what it lacks in narrative originality. As a direct hybrid of Excalibur and A Bug's Life, Arthur stars a heroic ten year-old, Arthur (Freddie Highmore), who draws a sword from a stone to fight a miniature battle in the garden before finding treasure valuable enough to save his grandfather's farm from purchase by developers. Arthur's grandfather, Archibald, having long ago discovered the miniscule world of Minimoys, garden gnome-like elves that lived in his yard, shrunk himself in order to hunt elusive rubies that were hidden in their evil Mecropolis, headed by Maltazard (David Bowie). Now Arthur must assist the benevolent Minimoy clan, ruled by The King (Robert De Niro) and Princess Selenia (Madonna), in challenging Maltazard for possession of the jewels. Shots taking the viewer down through grass blades into the microscopic, yet gigantic yard world readjust one's sense of size, as do scenes, for example, in which a small, elven Arthur fights mosquitoes with catapulted tomatoes. Meanwhile, live action scenes of Arthur's worried grandmother (Mia Farrow) provide respite from a completely computerized world. Bowie, as he did in Legend, steals the show, bringing to life his Darth Vader-like character who chose evil over good in a past adventure. Corny one-liners sometimes spoil the mood, but overall the film's thematic blend of fantasy and environmentalism, like Princess Mononoke, will delight children with its positive message. --Trinie Dalton

Editorial
Synopsis

Based on his book ARTHUR ET LES MINIMOYS, Luc Besson tries his hand at directing a kids’ film for the first time. The result is as vibrant and enchanting as one might expect from the man who gave us THE FIFTH ELEMENT. The adventure gets underway when 10-year-old Arthur (Freddie Highmore) discovers a set of notebooks belonging to his grandfather who went missing four years ago. In them, he wrote of an ‘invisible’ people no taller than half an inch - a people so small that they are dwarfed by insects! Are these just the fanciful stories of an eccentric old man, or is the truth stranger than fiction? Arthur finds the answer hidden in one of his grandfather’s clues and is magically transported to the Invisibles’ realm. It’s at this point that the film shifts gear from live-action to beautifully rendered computer animation. Joining forces with Madonna’s feisty Princess Selenia, Arthur attempts to outwit the dastardly wizard Maltazard (voiced to villainous perfection by David Bowie), and foil his plans to destroy their tiny kingdom. The film boats an impressive array of talent including Mia Farrow--as Arthur’s concerned grandmother--and a trio of musicians-turned-actors (Madonna, Snoop Dogg, and Bowie). 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 grown-up fare like LA FEMME NIKITA, he brings a sense of childlike awe to this project.

Pants!
Review date: 2008-07-20 Rating: 2 out of 10

This is an awful, awful film. The plot is pathetic and makes no sense. In fact it annoyed me whilst watching it because it was so bad. Even my 7 year old got bored and started asking questions about why he was doing this and that. (Arthur that is).

The only good thing about this film is The child actor who plays Arthur who is brilliant and stars in the Spiderwick Chronicles, which is a fantastic film and shouldn't be mentioned in the same breathe as this drivel.

I was tempted to ask for my money back at the end. Don't buy this film don't even watch it when it comes on TV. I'd rather watch ten back to back episodes of The One Show than watch this again, and that's saying something. You've been warned.


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Reviews


This film is dreadful
Review date: 2008-04-06 Rating: 2 out of 10

I actually shudder in a Pavlovian response when I see this movie is showing on TV. It is a terrible film whose only redeeming feature is that my child loved it. It will be enjoyed by children but adults? the decision, to watch or not to watch? remember you will lose a potentially crucial 90 or so minutes of your life in the process.
Madonna plays a spoilt princess and her whiny nasal voice starts to grate very quickly. For once she is all too convincing. I actually enjoyed the Club scene with Snoop Dogg as a welcome break in the dire proceedings. All the characters and their dialogue seemed to have been created with an intent to irritate, irk and annoy. Perhaps this film should be seen in order to preserve the equilibrium, it is so bad you will enjoy the good all the more by comparison.

Charming and entertaining family film
Review date: 2008-01-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

This delightful little adventure was greatly enjoyed by my two small children but also had enough more sophisticated jokes and challenges to be entertaining for the adults in the family.

"Arthur and the invisibles" is a mix of live-action and CGI which merge seamlessly into each other as the action switches between two scales - that on which humans lives, and that of tiny elves the size of an ant and known as the invisibles or "Minimoys."

Arthur, a ten year old boy played and voiced by Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is staying with his grandmother (Mia Farrow) in Conneticut. His parents, who are trying to cope with a difficult financial era, have packed him off, first to boarding school in England (conveniently explaining Freddie's English accent) and then to his grandparents' farm during the vacation, while they try to find work "in the City".

Arthur's grandfather Archibald (Ron Crawford), an engineer who spent many years working on projects in Africa, has mysteriously disappeared some four years before. Somewhere on his land, he had hidden a valuable collection of rubies with which he had been presented by a grateful African tribe. This treasure is desperately needed because a greedy developer (Adam Lefevre) is setting up the compulsory purchase of Archibald's home, following which he plans flatten the entire area for redevelopment.

With two days to go before the developer will be able to evict Arthur and his grandmother, Arther finds a message from his grandfather about his mission to get the rubies back, which tells Arthur how to contact this microscopic tribe. The adventure which follows is more extraordinary than he could have imagined ...

The world of the tiny Minimoys is brought to life in charming CGI with a star studded voice cast. Robert de Niro voices the King of the Minimoys with Madonna playing his daughter, Princess Selenia, and Harvey Keitel his minister, Miro. Snoop Dogg voices Max, the proprietor of a micro-nightclub: Jason Bateman provides the voice of the sinister Darkos, who is the son of the even more sinister "Evil M," brilliantly voiced by David Bowie.

While most of the film is aimed at small children, there are plenty of jokes which will amuse grown-ups. For example, when using a clockwork toy car to escape from danger at high speed, Arthur says "Just hope there arn't any speed cameras down here or we've had it."

Extras on the DVD include music videos for two of the songs: "Quest for Love" performed by Jewel and "Beautiful Day" performed by Elijah.

Overall, the plot isn't the most original I've ever seen, and the film might not appeal to some older teenagers or to adults who have difficulty entering into the spirit of children's stories. It isn't in quite the same league as "The Incredibles" or the first two "Shrek" films which is why I've given this film four stars rather than five.

However, the vast majority of small children will enjoy "Arthur and the Invisibles" - mine certainly did - and many parents will not find it too difficult to watch with their children.

an enjoyable and enteraining family film
Review date: 2007-10-31 Rating: 8 out of 10

i found this film an excellent film for all ages, the animation was fantastic and so was the story, this film brings magics, hope and dreams out in to the real world.
As a believer of magic, i was amazed by a film that was funny and enjoyable and made children believe in magic and also quite funny as it was an adventure film too.
this is a film that anybody of any age can watch, as it is enjoyable and very enteraining, very enjoyable well worth it.

Good but could be better.
Review date: 2007-09-26 Rating: 6 out of 10

This is a good film, funny in places but with a plot which sadly gets lost along the way. It starts well but the middle leaves you feeling "OK what happened there"? and approaching the end I kept thinking "well what about the treasure"? Which is the reason for Arthur starting his adventure in the first place, how it ended was disappointing. Shame about the plot this could have been an excellent film.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Snoop Dogg
Robert De Niro
Madonna
David Bowie
Freddie Highmore

Creators:
Robert De Niro (Primary Contributor)
Madonna (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Momentum Picture Home Ent
Manufacturer: Momentum Picture Home Ent
EAN: 5060116721850
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-06-25
Audience rating: To Be Announced
Region code: 2
Running time: 89 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007
Language: English (Original Language)

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