ParaNorman

Logline: A misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Casey Affleck, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Jeff Garlin, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Directed by: Chris Butler, Sam Fell

Yeah, still no Expendables 2, I know.

I try as hard as I can to keep personal bias out of my reviews, but when it comes to picking and choosing what movies I want to watch I can't help but to go with my gut. Something tells me, as I'm sure many others feel the same, that the sequel will be much of the same kind of stock storytelling with a bunch of action scenes. I will get to it eventually, but in order to get my $10 I really need something more than just that (even if it is the return of Arnold).

Summary

So, ParaNorman...

Norman is the freak of his town because like Haley Joel Osment was able to in The Sixth Sense, Norman is able to see and talk to dead people. It's no secret, he doesn't hide it, and at times his sixth sense can take him into the past to see things other people can't. Neil comes along and becomes Norman's only friend because Neil is somewhat similar to Norman because they both get picked on by town bully Alvin. Norman for seeing dead people, Neil for being overweight.

"The Witches Curse" that will awake the dead and reign hell on the whole town is about to happen and the man that usually prevents it each year has died. It is Norman's job to save the town from evil Witch and her Zombies.

Review

This movie had its ups & downs for me.

The biggest upside was the character of Neil. There wasn't a single moment when he was off screen that I wasn't waiting for him to come back. He's the life of the movie and provides for most of the comedy. Norman is also a character you can cheer on as he pursues his adventure because he's a nice kid that no one believes. I felt bad for him.

Then there was the town bully. Not a fan. He was never nice to anyone, he never really learnt his lesson, and he never really changed at all. Plus, this type of character has been fleshed out a million times in movies already.

In terms of story, again, ups & downs. Running at 1h and 32 mins this felt kind of long. I love the actual runtime, that number is ideal for a movie like this, but it felt longer than it actually was. I think this was mainly due to stretching scenes out just a bit too long each time. However, this film does portray a message which can be kind of hard to do, it provides some good dialogue between Norman and Neil, and it follows a structure that gives a deadline in which tasks have to be completed or else the Evil Witch will win.

Topic of the Day

Movies with a message to them.

It's really hard to deliver a message in a movie without sounding corny or preachy. ParaNorman borderlines both of those problems slightly, but they do it by intertwining it with the very basis of the film's story which is neither. Norman is a kid that no one likes because he's different and considered to be mentally ill. Even his father is embarrassed because of him. By making the main character someone like this it does 2 things. First, it sets up the audience to feel bad for him when they find out he isn't lying about what he sees. And second, when the Evil Witch becomes just as misunderstood as he is, the story begins to make sense. The whole time you're going by word of mouth, assuming the Witch is evil, never considering that she may not be. By using both plot and character development to convey a message, it becomes a lot more meaningful because it has a purpose in the story. 

Adding a message to a story by integrating it into the plot, theme, and character development is way better than trying to portray it through only one outlet.

Consensus

ParaNorman is put together by a decent script containing: humor for both children and adults to enjoy, a few good and a few bad characters, and an adventure that at times seems overlong, but ultimately conveys an important message that every kid should be thinking about. I can't say it was well done, but it's worth giving a shot.

6.3/10