Epic: Movie Review

"Epic" may fail to be one film that stands out in an extremely popular and overcrowded family fantasy genre, but what it lacks in emotional oomph it clearly compensates with its dazzling and semi-realistic visuals - one that clearly rivals any big 3D animation entry in recent times. The visuals are so effective in fact that it might have just isolated some of its core audience by seemingly too scary for the younger ones. Although this is the case, "Epic" still turns out to be a respectable, enjoyable and funny 2 hour romp.

Mary Katherine or M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) is a smart, spirited and headstrong 17-year-old who finds herself on the journey of a lifetime. After returning to her childhood home to connect with her estranged father, Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), M.K. loses patience with his endless stories of unseen people who live in the woods. But when she is magically transported into the Leafmen’s world, she gains a new perspective. To find her way home, M.K. must do more than believe in this world - she’ll have to help save it.

Visually, "Epic" is rather epic. This is the single thing that makes the film good and make it enjoyable. The visual style is a mix of cartoonish characters backdrop in hyper-realistic vistas. Honestly, we loved the unlikely pairing as it accentuates the fantasy theme and still makes this feel like it can happen in real-life. And if you are a 3D nut, the film extensively uses the technology and rather quite well in fact. Unfortunately, one quirk we did find is that the film had a tendency to scare younger kids due to its darker tone and moire realistic look than similar films. As for the voice-overs, it was okay; the voice-dubs were not bad but nothing spectacular. While the script was well-balanced with a funny quips and one-liners especially from Chris O'Dowd and Aziz Ansari. Sadly, even with all its visual glory, "Epic" fails to make a mark being hampered with a generic story that does not differentiate itself from an overcrowded genre. Worse, the film fails to bring out strong emotions. We think this is in fact due to the rushed nature of "Epic". It fails to introduce and develop characters in a compelling way. Overall though, "Epic" is a recommended watch. Even with all its faults, it is still an enjoyable watch.

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- impressive and dazzling visuals
- the film is funny at times

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- generic story
- lacks emotional oomph