Is Wildwood really Laika’s magnum opus or a masterpiece? I guess you just have to read my review to see what I think.
Wildwood is the kind of movie that leaves a memorable mark. To me, it’s like a combination of the movies I grew up with and the ones I’ve grown to love. It’s what I’d expect a fantasy movie to be, but nothing like what a stop-motion movie should be… and that’s a compliment. So why did some of the people in my theatre walk out 10 minutes into the film?
First of all, the work that went into making this film is nothing less than impressive. I have a newfound admiration for stop-motion filmmakers and Laika. I’ll be honest, I used to mostly avoid stop-motion movies, but the more I fell in love with cinema, the more I fell in love with the art. This movie once again reignited my love for film and stories.
The movie effortlessly blends modern storytelling with fantasy. It feels like a story I’m familiar with, but looks like nothing I’ve seen before. The film combines the best elements of movies like The NeverEnding Story, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz, while establishing its own lore. It’s new, yet it reminds me of my childhood.
That said, there is hardly anything to criticise in this movie. There are things I didn’t like, but those are for me to deal with. I can, however, say that this film is more for adults than for kids, but I know the whole family can enjoy it. The fact that we still get to watch stories like this unfold on the big screen is a blessing I genuinely appreciate.
Peyton Elizabeth Lee voices Prue McKeel, a teenager who must find her baby brother after he’s abducted and taken into the Impassable Wilderness. She delivers a powerful performance that immediately makes you care about her. She is joined by Jacob Tremblay, who voices Curtis Mehlberg, a hapless teenager who accidentally becomes her sidekick.
The rest of the cast are just as amazing, with Mahershala Ali and Carey Mulligan delivering some of the best lines in the whole film. While the voices bring the characters to life, it’s the actual artists who bring them to life on screen. I can’t imagine how many hours went into moving the characters and sets around.
I don’t have to talk about the production design because, if you’ve seen the trailers, you know that the studio created a whole world around these characters that you just can’t help but admire. I had to pinch myself at times to remind myself that this wasn’t just generated on a computer. People actually built all of it. They even show you some of the work that went into this film during the closing credits.
This is director Travis Knight’s best film to date, and he doesn’t even have a single bad movie. His passion, along with that of the rest of the film’s crew, shines through in every scene. The music and score just add more life to a film that already has so much life.
So why did people leave the cinema after 10 minutes? I don’t know. I guess they just felt like wasting money. To me, this film is worth a movie ticket because this is what cinema is supposed to be. It’s not just about telling a story, but about creating memories that will last a lifetime.
This is an easy 4.5 stars for me.
