Review: 'ParaNorman' is amusing animation for the horror fan in all of us
Paragraph 1:"Coraline"
was amazing. Even though its box office success wasn't nearly as impressive as
it should have been and you rarely hear anyone bring it up whenever
conversations turn to animated films, "Coraline" catered to both
children and adults. It had this extremely dark undertone; children were having
their eyes replaced with buttons. That's so gloriously morbid for a children's
flick. There was also mild cursing, a creepy alternate world where everyone had
a mirror self (with button eyes, of course), and a woman with a massive chest
that was only covered by sea shells in one particular scene. It was just so
unusual and extraordinary. Laika Entertainment, the studio behind
"Coraline," has brought us "ParaNorman," which is certainly
in the same vein and travels a similar path to greatness.
In the first paragraph the reviewer introduces and refreshes
your memory about the Laika Entertainment’s previous film “Caroline”. It gives you an idea of what standards you
will hold for this film. If you were a fan of “Caroline” then you will most
likely be a fan of “ParaNorman”
Paragrah 2:
"ParaNorman" is a stop-motion animated film that revolves around
Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee); a young boy who can talk to dead people
and is ridiculed because of it. Even his family doesn't believe in his gift,
especially his dad Perry (Jeff Garlin) who refuses to think outside the box and
gets angry at things he doesn't understand. Norman is picked on everyday by a
thick-headed bully named Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and is mostly a loner
until he gets to know a red headed boy named Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) who is
bullied just as much as Norman but has learned to turn the other cheek.
In paragraph two you are introduced to the main characters
and who voiced them. Then following the introduction you get a brief summary of
what role they will play in the film.
Paragraph
3: A strange man named Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) claims to share Norman's
gift and under a strange set of circumstances passes the duty of keeping the
witch's curse at bay for another year to Norman. Now in a race against time,
Norman finds himself with a group of unlikely allies including Neil's meathead
brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) and Norman's ditzy sister Courtney (Anna
Kendrick) as he tries to save the town from uncertain doom and a zombie
takeover.
In paragraph three you have idea of what the plot is all
about. Enough detail is revealed to excite the reader so they will go and watch
the film. You have an idea of what the
climax could possibly be.
Paragraph
4: "ParaNorman" treads a thin line between something that's
appropriate for the whole family and only being suitable for a teenage or more
mature audience, but if you didn't have a problem with the content in
"Rango" or "Coraline" then it shouldn't be much of a
problem here. The word "hell" is used more than once and Norman's
grandma calls Perry a "jackass" at one point. It hints at more mature
themes, as well. Perry calls Norman's gift "limp wristed hippy
garbage" and a certain male character mentions having a boyfriend late in
the film. Norman's sister Courtney is very gifted in the posterior region and
there are many jokes that make use of that or could be considered innuendo.
It's kind of glorious, really. Fans of animation will be in heaven.
In the fourth paragraph you are able to compare the content
to other movies and decide if you are ok with your child viewing the film. It also
gives you a list of the characters involved as well as examples of the words that are mentioned in
the movie
Paragraph
5: There's obviously a big horror influence, as well; particularly classic
zombie films, "Halloween," and "Friday the 13th." So the
film not only caters to animation fans, but also horror hounds. There are a ton
of throwbacks, jokes about brains, and zombies with flesh hanging from their
decayed bones. The imagery is just as exceptional; intimidating houses, gloomy
forests, and a heavy use of shadows and lack of lighting.
"ParaNorman" is just the right amount of homage, humor, and
animation.
In the fifth paragraph It mentions the films that influenced
the movie and sets the tone of the film. You know you will laugh and recognize
the connection to classic horror films. The last sentence sums it all up.
Paragraph
6: "ParaNorman" isn't quite as original or as dark as
"Coraline," but it's still extremely entertaining for most ages and
one of the best animated films of the year. The emphasis on witchcraft results
in a rather peculiar final act, but is still very enjoyable.
"ParaNorman" is brilliantly animated with an amazing cast and clever
writing. It's the animated film horror fans have been waiting for and the one
"Frankenweenie" is probably aiming to be.
In the last paragraph you know the film is definitely
entertaining and could possibly be one of the best animated films this year.
When you are finished reading you definitely want to go see the movie and have
a good idea of what to expect.
1 comment:
Allie,
You write, "If you were a fan of “Caroline” then you will most likely be a fan of “ParaNorman." This is true in the sense that using comparison/contrast is often an effective maneuver - it's like using a metaphor in poetry to give readers something familiar by which to judge something less so. I don't often see reviews that detail another film as much or in the intro, actually.
These are good observations: "Enough detail is revealed to excite the reader so they will go and watch the film. You have an idea of what the climax could possibly be."
In the fourth paragraph, you're talking about the use of "dialogue" to demonstrate examples.
In the 5th paragraph, the author is establishing credibility by demonstrating (general) knowledge of the horror genre.
You make some solid rhetorical statements here. You do often summarize a bit more than analyze the writer's rhetoric, but you'll get "more rhetorical" as you move forward. :)
Post a Comment