MISSING LINK : Official Reviews

[jo]

Very impressed!

www.ign.com/articles/2019/04/03/laikas-missing-link-review

Reviews
Missing Link Review

Review by
Simon Thompson

Movie Review / 2 Apr 2019 10:00 PM PDT
Missing Link Review

Yet another win for Laika.



Laika is a studio that never fails to impress and deliver an adventure that evokes sheer awe. Missing Link, again displaying the uniqueness we’ve come to expect from the team there, is no exception.

It follows the Hugh Jackman-voiced Sir Lionel Frost, a “myths and monsters investigator,” who is desperate to be validated by his peers. He gets a letter telling about the whereabouts of a Bigfoot, so heads to the Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature, voiced by Zach Galifianakis.

This kicks off a globe-trotting romp that also involves Adelina Fortnight, voiced by Zoe Saldana, a free-spirited, independent adventurer who just so happens to possess the only known map to their secret destination.

Something that most surprised, and delighted me about Missing Link was the script. The narrative beats land confidently and effortlessly, deftly intertwined with sharp, intelligent yet simple comedy and moments of emotional drama – and this is never at the expense of excitement. From what’s written on the page to the delivery, the script is flawlessly played out. It’s an absolute delight that gives this real life and a brain as big as its heart.



The film is a robust buffet of voices including Stephen Fry as Lord Piggot-Dunceby, Emma Thompson as the Yeti Elder, and Timothy Olyphant as Frost’s nemesis, Tybalt Moriarty, who deliver a pitch-perfect supporting cast of characters that each bring something extra in entirely different ways. It’s also great to hear Little Britain’s David Walliams, as Mr. Lemuel Lint, and Matt Lucas reunited in the mix too.

Ten years on from Coraline, Laika continue to be evolving masters of scope and scale without ever sacrificing the intimate, delicate details of what audiences are seeing. Where previously the look of a Laika movie has been very much uniform across a world, Missing Link is a mix of very linear and more fluid forms. As a result, it seems to be inspired by everything from Aardman-esque design to the straight edge animations that came out of Eastern Europe, all set against this stunning backdrop that utilizes a seamless mix of expansive physical sets and CGI. The results are repeatedly jaw-dropping and will genuinely have you asking how they managed to do what they’ve done.



The film’s design as a whole, and in its parts, is breathtaking. The clothes the characters are wearing, especially Jackman’s Frost, deserve recognition come awards season. The design of the sets is so rich and deep and detailed that you find yourself scouring each shot to try and take in as much of it as possible. The only thing stopping one getting lost in the details is the brilliant execution of the storytelling that is unfolding. As with other Laika movies, I genuinely can’t wait to rewatch it to try to soak in what I missed. It’s a heady mix of creativity from people who are at the very top of their game.

Missing Link is the second time that Chris Butler has directed a movie for the studio; his first was the brilliant ParaNorman, and as the co-writer of the Oscar-nominated Kubo and the Two Strings, he is one of Laika’s strongest assets. In all three of these movies, there is something so evocative about Butler’s creative blend that is quite intoxicating and straight-up fantastical.



The Verdict

Missing Link is another example of Laika raising its bar again. Hugh Jackman’s Frost and Zach Galifianakis’ Mr. Link are a formidable pairing with Zoe Saldana’s Fortnight adding something extra that really makes the journey a joy to go on. Anchored by first-rate storytelling, Missing Link is another jewel in the crown for Laika that leaves you satisfied and still ready for more.


Great

Missing Link makes for another win for animation studio Laika and ParaNorman filmmaker Chris Butler.
2 Apr 2019


8.0

[jo]

Mixed impressions from Variety but leaning towards POSITIVE

variety.com/2019/film/reviews/missing-link-review-1203177518/#article-comments

[jo]

Rating of 8 of 10, but with some reservations - from the UK.

www.thedigitalfix.com/film/content/104857/missing-link/

[jo]

Less than impressed --

www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/missing-link-review-1199084

[jo]

Also from the UK - a 4 of 5 stars review.


film.list.co.uk/article/107676-missing-link/

[jo]

Also impressed with the movie.


www.cnet.com/news/missing-link-review-hugh-jackman-bigfoot-romp-will-charm-your-socks-off/

[jo]

Another positive review with some reservations --

www.cnet.com/news/missing-link-review-hugh-jackman-bigfoot-romp-will-charm-your-socks-off/

[jo]

David Erlich of INDIEWIRE gives it a B+ and writes quite favorably of the movie.
Logan : B
The Greatest Showman : B-
The Front Runner : C


www.indiewire.com/2019/04/missing-link-review-laika-1202055273/

‘Missing Link’ Review: Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifianakis Help Laika Deliver Another Stop-Motion Stunner

A stop-motion adventure that's part Indiana Jones and part John Candy, Laika's "Missing Link" makes other animation look utterly unevolved.

David Ehrlich
8 hours ago
@davidehrlich


Part “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” part “Mighty Joe Young,” and part “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” — to cite three of writer-director Chris Butler’s most explicit references — “Missing Link” is a sweet, touching, and seriously fun adventure comedy about two lost souls who are struggling to reconcile yesterday with tomorrow in their bid to belong in a world that refuses to make room for them. Set in the Victorian era but progressive in almost every major aspect of its narrative and design, Laika’s fifth feature may lack the weight and urgency of the studio’s previous work, but it reaffirms the studio’s commitment to a future that comes in all shapes and sizes.



Thank God for Laika. At a time when convenience has become the determining factor of most artistic consumption, intellectual property is prized over actual creativity, and the great animation houses are either stuck in some kind of limbo (Studio Ghibli) or lost in the profit margins of their own mythology (Pixar), the Oregon-based stop-motion studio behind the likes of “Coraline,” “Paranorman,” and “Kubo and the Two Strings” is still chugging along, one painstaking shot at a time. The degree of care that goes into every detail of these movies almost requires a certain level of quality, as each handcrafted flourish is born out of a thousand hours of meticulous work.




If there’s something decidedly old-fashioned about preserving such a tactile process in a digital era, Laika has always maintained a fascinating relationship with modernity. From the aggressive use of 3D (and They Might Be Giants ) in “Coraline,” to the cutting-edge 3D printing techniques the company first pioneered with “Paranorman,” Laika has become a bridge that stretches between the past and the future; there are any number of reasons why the studio’s latest film couldn’t have been made by anyone else, but chief among them is the extent to which it’s defined by that underlying tension between where we’ve come from and where we’re going.

“Missing Link” starts with a proud fool by the name of Sir Lionel Frost, the kind of well heeled adventurer who hunts for the Loch Ness Monster in a houndstooth suit. Voiced by Hugh Jackman (whose zestful entitlement and natural sense of wonder help the character to sound like a perfect mix of the two roles he played in “The Prestige”), Lionel likes to think of himself as England’s foremost expert of ancient myths and legends, but the snooty elitists of London’s Optimates Club refuse to allow him into their cabal of old white gatekeepers. Lucky for Lionel, he’s just received an anonymous letter about Sasquatch sightings in America; if Lionel can find the Missing Link, surely Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) will certify his greatness as an explorer and grant him the acceptance he’s always wanted.




But Lionel barely steps foot into the lush, verdant forests of the Pacific Northwest before the greatest find of his career steps out of the forest and introduces himself: Not only is the Missing Link real, but he’s got opposable thumbs, and used them to write Lionel the letter that summoned him halfway across the world. Mr. Link, as Lionel refers to his momentous discovery, wanted to be found. He was lonely — maybe the last of his kind — and eager to meet someone who might be able to lead him to his distant Himalayan relatives in the snowy mountains of Shangri-La. And so begins the globetrotting adventure of a lifetime.

The two characters are natural foils, and Butler (who also wrote and directed “Paranorman”) gets a ton of amusing comic mileage out of clashing Lionel’s urgency against Mr. Link’s nonplussed calm. Mr. Link feels like a guest in this world, even if he was here first, and he always wants to be on his best behavior. Alas, his hyper-literal understanding of the English language has a way of souring his good intentions; when Lionel tells Mr. Link to “crack a window” aboard a train, the 650-pound humanoid obediently punches a hole through the glass. Lionel’s misery becomes our mirth, even as the two begin to adjust to each other and become a team. Both of them are searching for an arbitrary sense of belonging, and both of them are oblivious to the acceptance they’ve found in each other. Interspecies bromances can be tricky like that.

“Missing Link”

It’s a familiar dynamic with obvious ties to Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, but Zach Galifianakis’ voice performance as Mr. Link is so guileless and open-hearted that it truly feels like his character — who’s spent all of his years watching humanity from an isolated remove — is experiencing everything for the first time. From a Western-tinged bar fight to a voyage on the high seas, a sense of discovery is baked into every moment. While the story manages to sweep up a small handful of other characters along the way (most notably a vaguely ethnic revolutionary voiced by Zoe Saldana and a pint-sized bounty hunter who Timothy Olyphant douses with more than a touch of “Deadwood”), none of them find their way into the heart of a movie that’s ultimately focused on its central friendship.

It’s disappointing that “Missing Link” doesn’t make its duo feel more like a fellowship, or devote a fuller dimensionality to every member of its silicone cast (you sometimes get the sense that Saldana’s character might have been able to carry a more exciting film), but it goes a long way that Mr. Link himself is such a delight. The puppet alone is an incredible creation, as slats of brown fur bristle around an acorn-shaped metal frame and a monkey-like head. He’s cute, but not too cute; woodsy, but not wild. And there’s enough drama involved in the way Mr. Link wears his proper English wardrobe to offset a narrative that doesn’t find any real tension until the third act.




While Lionel’s wants aren’t as clear as they could be, everything about his traveling companion is well-articulated, including the idea that Mr. Link — the greatest anthropological find of all time — is effectively discovering himself. “We don’t shape the world,” someone laments. “The world shapes us.” But Mr. Link, in typical Laika fashion, pushes back against that premise by confidently forging his own identity. Sometimes, that process can be painful: The film’s action-packed climax, staged with Spielbergian clarity and a marvelous sense of place, is full of disappointments for its title character. Other times, that process can be a total joy, as Mr. Link accepts himself in ways that Lionel only wishes he could.

Or accepts herself (or themselves), as Mr. Link eventually shrugs off the name Lionel gave them in favor of being called “Susan.” While the movie wears its forward-thinking identity politics as lightly as it does Carter Burwell’s exuberant score, “Missing Link” finds a number of ways to deepen and texturize its message of mutual self-acceptance; everyone wants to belong, but no group is worth joining that requires you to betray who you are. Friendship is the only thing that allows us to cross that gap — friendship (wait for it) is the real missing link.

Like the computer-generated animation preferred by Laika’s contemporaries, the Optimates Club might seem to have a stranglehold on the future, but “Missing Link” crafts a different outlook for those who choose to see it. By the very nature of their immaculately designed worlds, Laika’s films contend that creating your own identity isn’t easy, but it’s better than being defined by someone else. It’s not the most original message, but “Missing Link” makes a singular argument that any other way of thinking is positively unevolved.


Grade: B+

United Artists will release “Missing Link” in theaters on April 12.

[jo]

Summarizing reviews to-date :


www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1109492/missing-link-reviews-rotten-tomatoes-score-hugh-jackman-stephen-fry-zach-galifianakis

Missing Link reviews: What do critics say about Hugh Jackman's Missing Link movie?

MISSING LINK heads to cinemas on April 5, in direct competition with Shazam. What do critics have to say about the animated movie?

By Gabriella Geisinger
PUBLISHED: 22:07, Wed, Apr 3, 2019 | UPDATED: 22:21, Wed, Apr 3, 2019



The plot of Missing Link reads: "The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost considers himself to be the world's foremost investigator of myths and monsters. The trouble is none of his small-minded high-society peers seems to recognize this. Sir Lionel's last chance for acceptance by the adventuring elite rests on traveling to America's Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature. A living remnant of Man's primitive ancestry. The Missing Link."



What do critics have to say about Missing Link?

So far the movie has had a positive response from critics.
Missing Link has an 86 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Though there is no critics consensus yet, the Metacritic score for the film is also positive with a score of 71.

Brandon Zachary for CBR
The film's characters and tropes of Missing Link may be a bit well-worn, but the movie is effortlessly charming, elevated by the direction and sheer quality of the animation throughout the film.
Promoted Story



THE DIRT REVIEWS: WHAT DO CRITICS SAY ABOUT NETFLIX MÖTLEY CRÜE BIOPIC

Missing Link: The new animated movie from Laika has performed well with critics (Image: AP)

Aaron Neuwirth for We Live Entertainment:
Missing Link may be [Laika's] funniest film on the jokes-per-minute scale.

Kimber Myers for The Playlist:
Missing Link isn't a bad film when compared to most kids animated movies, but it falls so far short compared to its Laika peers.

Jordan Raup for The Film Stage:
The sweet-natured, grand adventure contained within Missing Link is worth going on, even if the accompanying dialogue from those leading the way is too simple-minded to make a memorable mark.

Simon Thompson for IGN Movies:
Anchored by first-rate storytelling, Missing Link is another jewel in the crown for Laika that leaves you satisfied and still ready for more.



Yolanda Machado for TheWrap:
As beautiful in animation style as its predecessors [but] saddled with an overwhelmingly monotonous story and lifeless humor, with little entertainment for either generation.

John Nugent for Empire Magazine:
A charming family-friendly story about adventure and friendship - told with bar-raising artistic craft and technical skill. We'd expect nothing less from Laika.

Tim Robey for the Daily Telegraph:
Laika may not be conquering the world with this outing. But if every studio's three-star films were as bounteous with the eye candy, we'd be in clover.

Adam Woodward for Little White Lies:
Breathtaking visuals, slightly disappointing characters.
US REVIEWS: WHAT DO CRITICS SAY ABOUT JORDAN PEELE HORROR MOVIE?

Jesse Hassenger for the AV Club:
A sweet, distinctively animated bit of all-ages entertainment.

Michael Rechtshaffen for the Hollywood Reporter:
A globe-trotting Victorian-era adventure that, while often a magnificent sight to behold, never goes the distance in terms of engaging characters and involving plotting.

Peter Debruge for Variety:
As proof that humans can evolve... "Missing Link" makes a most excellent case. And that doesn't even count the cutting-edge technology required to pull of such a hyper-detailed and visually dazzling feat as this.
Missing Link is out in UK cinemas on Friday, April 5, 2019.

[jo]

From a site that is well-identified with comic book movies --

www.cbr.com/review-missing-link/

[jo]

Barely positive from the UK's The Guardian ( 3 of 5 stars) -- but all praise for the voiceover performances!


www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/04/missing-link-review-laika-studio-hugh-jackman-zach-galifianakis

[jo]

4 of 5 stars from The Times ( UK) --

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/missing-link-review-cfjk58s88

[jo]

The Irish Times condensed review - 4 of 5 stars!

MISSING LINK ★★★★☆
Directed by Chris Butler. Voices of Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, David Walliams, Timothy Olyphant, Matt Lucas, Amrita Acharia, Zach Galifianakis

New this week: Missing Link
Daredevil explorere Sir Lionel Frost (Jackman) longs to be recognised for his feats but has, thus far, failed to impress the snoots at the club. When an expedition to photograph the Loch Ness monster goes wrong, Sir Lionel heads westwards in search of Bigfoot. When he finally meets the lonely sasquatch (Galifianakis), he hatches a plan to travel to Shangri-La, where, in theory, the loveable creature can finally be among his own kind. Director Butler, cowriter of Kubo and the Two Strings and codirector of ParaNorman, has fun with British colonialism. A vertiginous sequence on an ice-bridge is as nail-biting than any live action (or CGI) scene you care to mention. There are good jokes, a playful sensibility, and a genuine sense of jeopardy. PG cert, gen release, 94 min TB

[jo]

While The Independent gives it a 3 of 5 stars --

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/missing-link-review-hugh-jackman-zach-galifianakis-zoe-saldana-emma-thompson-a8852501.html

[jo]

Hugh's animation choices have always been winners ( Flushed Away/Happy Feet/Rise of the Guardians...and now Missing Link)!

05th Apr
2019
‘Missing Link’ Review
by Matthew Turner
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Saldana, David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Timothy Olyphant, Amrita Acharia, Ching Valdes-Aran, Emma Thompson | Written and Directed by Chris Butler

Written and directed by Chris Butler, hugely entertaining animated adventure Missing Link is the fifth film from Laika, the stop-motion studio behind Coraline and The Boxtrolls. As such, it’s significantly lighter and less nightmare-inducing than their previous films, but is likely to prove just as much of a hit, thanks to impeccable artistry and a witty script.
The film opens with dashing British adventurer Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) attempting to photograph a decidedly camera-shy Loch Ness Monster, in a mission that goes disastrously wrong and causes his hitherto loyal assistant to quit. In search of a discovery that will gain him entry to London’s exclusive Optimates Club, Frost accepts the invitation in a mysterious letter that invites him to Oregon, in the hopes of proving the existence of the Sasquatch.


However, when he arrives, Frost is astonished to discover that the Sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis), who he names, “Mr Link”, can not only speak English, but also sent the letter in the first place. The pair quickly agree on a deal: Mr Link will prove his existence, if Frost will escort him to Shangri-La in the Himalayas, where he hopes to be welcomed by his distant cousins, the Yetis. With the assistance of Frost’s old flame, Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), the duo embark on their quest, but they’re pursued by ruthless, snaggle-toothed wrong’un Willard Stenk (Timothy Olyphant), who’s been enlisted by Frost’s Optimates rival Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) to ensure their mission ends in failure.

The animation is utterly gorgeous throughout, even by Laika’s already high standards. As detailed in a fascinating mid-credits scene, the technique is almost entirely stop-motion, with some digital enhancements, particularly in the backgrounds. The result is simply breath-taking, from the appealing character designs to the fabulous use of colour and the stunning level of detail in the backgrounds (Laika have an undeniable talent for world-building) that will richly reward future viewings.

The script is consistently funny, serving up a series of witty lines and great visual gags. In particular, Butler gets terrific mileage from the relationship between Frost and Mr Link, not least in the latter’s somewhat literal-minded approach to the English language – a sustained set-piece on that theme (“Throw this rope over the wall”) is one of several comic highlights.

The voice cast deliver note perfect performances. Jackman is a joy as Frost, making him warmer and more understanding than the blow-hard, self-obsessed adventurer he could easily have been, while Galifianakis is superb as Mr Link, giving him an inquisitive, thoughtful quality that is utterly charming. Similarly, Saldana brings fiery spirit to Adelina (tellingly, the film eschews a romantic subplot), while Fry is eminently hissable as the main villain and Olyphant adds a welcome touch of Bill Paxton to Stenk. There’s also an unexpected but welcome turn from Emma Thompson, though to say any more would lessen the comedic impact of her appearance.

On top of that, Butler’s direction is extremely impressive, particularly when it comes to staging a stop-motion action sequence – both the opening rescue scene with the Loch Ness Monster and a climactic sequence involving a deep chasm are genuinely thrilling, with the latter providing more nail-biting suspense than any number of recent live-action thrillers.
In short, Laika have done it again - Missing Link is a beautifully made, brilliantly acted and thoroughly enjoyable animated adventure that’s a treat for adults and children alike.

**** 4/5

Missing Link is in UK cinemas now.

[jo]

Very good news on the early critical reception to MISSING LINK.

With 43 reviews in, it is holding an average rating of 91%. That would be about 1/5 to 1/6 of likely total reviews. Were it not for a few outrageous negative reviews, the score would have been so much better!


www.rottentomatoes.com/m/missing_link_2019

[jo]

That will certainly help the box office appeal of the movie. Parents have a chance to enjoy the movie as much as the kids whom they escort to the cinemas

Btw, for the new releases, Missing Link is given the most number of screens among the WIDE releases , per Box Office Mojo--

Friday
12


NEW IN THEATERS/DISTRIBUTOR/RELEASE
After (2019)
Drama
Aviron
2,000

Hellboy (2019)
Action
Lionsgate/Summit
3,200

Little
Comedy
Universal
2,600+

Missing Link
Animation
United Artists Releasing
3,500

Hope the new youth army of Jackman's fanbase give the movie their full support! After the Barnum musical, hopefully they will extend their Hugh support to "Missing Link" and think it is the Second Greatest Show !!


Jo

[jo]

The RT rating is expected to move up and down, as more reviews are submitted.

The famous/infamous Grace Randolph just called it BORING and gave it a negative review.

We'll see … it is likely though, given the trend, that it will get a CERTIFIED FRESH rating ( minimum of 60%).


Jo

[jo]

From The Sydney Morning Herald - the Aussie view

Missing Link review: It's got Hugh Jackman but animation is missing Pixar touch

By Sandra Hall
UpdatedApril 10, 2019 — 12.28pmfirst published at 11.19am


Missing Link is the story of Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman), a 19th century British explorer basking in the illusion that he's entitled to claim the world's wonders as the property of the British Empire.


★★★½


A sad side effect of Hollywood's perpetual search for the next big franchise has been the major studios' increasing indifference to grown-up films made by independents.

On the plus side, the franchise market has made room for a more sophisticated brand of family movie in deference to the adults obliged to share the concentrated doses of comic book fantasy and elaborate animation being served up to their children.


I'm also guessing that the expensive talents in charge of creating the market's cinematic universes would be in imminent danger of dying of boredom if they couldn't occasionally sneak in dialogue and storylines aimed at pleasing a wider audience than the one made up by fanboys and 10-year-olds.

Pixar and Aardman Animations were pioneers in this art but others have joined them, such as Laika, a stop-motion animation company established in 2005 by Nike's co-founder Phil Knight, and has won Oscar and BAFTA nominations with a series of films which have adopted an edgy angle on family viewing. Chris Butler, who wrote and directed Missing Link, co-wrote Laika's 2016 samurai adventure Kubo and the Two Strings and worked with Tim Burton on The Corpse Bride. He was also story supervisor on Laika's Coraline (2009), adapted from a Neil Gaiman novella which reads like a Grimm fairytale grafted onto a Greek myth.


Missing Link dwells on the lighter side of Laika's line-up, finding its jokes in a story about Sir Lionel Frost, a 19th century British explorer basking in the illusion that he's entitled to claim the world's wonders as the property of the British Empire. Voiced by Hugh Jackman, he looks a bit like a tuning fork in houndstooth tweeds and bounces around the screen as if elasticated.

He's brave and resourceful, but not exactly kind. The opening scene has him on Loch Ness, watching with academic interest as the monster swallows his assistant.

But when it comes to pomposity, he's completely outmatched by Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry), chairman of the Optimates' Club, the London home of all the Imperial explorers who matter. Sir Lionel has been denied membership because Piggot-Dunceby has decided he's a charlatan.

When the Loch Ness sighting fails to firm up his credentials, he takes off for the Pacific Northwest in search of a fabled creature which could be the missing link between primates and human beings. To his astonishment, he soon finds him – mainly because the creature wants to be discovered. Despite the fact he's voiced by Zach Galifianakis, the comedian from The Hangover, he's a sensitive soul who has somehow learnt to speak and write English. Against all the odds, he elicits sympathy from Sir Lionel, who calls him Mr Link, although Link prefers the name Susan.


The next chapter turns into a parody of Around the World in 80 Days. Sir Lionel acquires a love interest – Adeline Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), the fiery Mexican widow of a fellow explorer – and the three of them set out for the Himalayas to see if Link can claim the yeti as his relatives.

Laika are calling it their most ambitious film yet and the puppetry and the animation have a wonderful zest. With a silver mane under a top hat and whiskers to match, the statuesque Piggot-Dunceby thunders out his lines – Moses in no need of a mountain – and Emma Thompson matches him, sonorously voicing a sanctimonious yeti elder with a flair for sarcasm.

The settings, too, are wittily designed, conjuring up comparisons with the imaginings of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and H. Rider Haggard and gently sending them up. But the script hasn't the same sharpness. It comes nowhere near the heights that Pixar's writers have reached at their most inspired. They are experts when it comes to marrying a sense of the ridiculous with a poignancy that stops well short of sentimentality. And despite his sorrow at being the last of his kind, Mr Link's predicament isn't in that class.

The film is inspired silliness of a high order. In other words, it's definitely not "a hand-tugger" – industry jargon for the kind of film that parents have to be coerced into seeing.

[jo]

With 102 reviews counted, MISSING LINK has been certified FRESH at 88%


www.rottentomatoes.com/m/missing_link_2019#contentReviews

[jo]

The reviewer for THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY hits it bullseye!


www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/04/missing-link-review-laika/586918/


Exceprts/Summary :

The film won me over with the lessons that Butler (who also wrote the script) tries to impart about the limits of Frost’s perspective, and with the way Frost’s bond with Susan becomes the first genuinely respectful relationship in his life. Animated movies usually follow a romantic or fairy-tale arc, but Missing Link communicates far more with a smaller scope. Amid the noisy, epic action of most kid-oriented features, this film’s story is clear and effective: a sweet-hearted narrative of how friendship can broaden one’s horizons.

[jo]

This review is very audience-friendly. It depicts the movie for the truly fun entertainment it is, while also pointing out some mis-steps. From CNet.com --

www.cnet.com/news/missing-link-review-animated-hugh-jackman-bigfoot-romp-will-charm-your-socks-off/

Missing Link: Hugh Jackman Bigfoot romp will charm your socks off

[/I]
Review: The latest stop-motion stunner from Laika Studios is bursting with charm.
By
Richard Trenholm
April 12, 2019 3:09 PM PDT


New animated movie Missing Link is about the search for the legendary Bigfoot. But it doesn't take much searching to uncover an irresistibly charming tale of friendship and adventure told through endlessly stunning animation.

Breezy, funny and lavish, Missing Link, in theaters now, is the latest stop-motion story from Laika Studios, the company behind Kubo and the Two Strings, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls. Like those films, it's an original story in a world crowded with sequels and reboots. And like those other stop-motion animated masterpieces, it's an absolute delight.
Breezing across the globe like Around the World in Eighty Days crossed with Bigfoot and the Hendersons, this old-fashioned romp isn't as emotional or impactful as Kubo and the Two Strings. But it makes for a lighthearted palate cleanser after Kubo's frequently devastating emotional roller coaster. And even though it's about mythical creatures, Missing Link is far less creepy than previous Laika outings, taking a friendly group of cheerful oddballs on a family-friendly trip through a colorful and sumptuous world.

Hugh Jackman is infectiously appealing as Victorian adventurer Sir Lionel Frost, a winning combination of Sherlock Holmes-style indefatigability and childlike passion for mythical creatures. We meet him and his spearlike chin on the hunt for proof of the Loch Ness Monster, which leads into a stunning underwater chase that audaciously demonstrates just how dynamic stop-motion animation can be.

Returning to London's stuffy gentleman's clubs, the debonair Sir Lionel stakes his reputation on a search for a mysterious hairy beast. No, not Wolverine -- the elusive Bigfoot. Venturing into the backwoods, Sir Lionel encounters a gentle giant he names Mr. Link. Adorably nervous but endearingly friendly, the only thing bigger than this Bigfoot's feet is his heart.

Zach Galifianakis gives Mr. Link a mild personality, although his voice acting is possibly too low-key. Zoe Saldana is a bit more lively as the straight-talking Adelina, who joins the odd couple on their international adventures.



The bad guys are, of course, hot on their tail. Stephen Fry hams it up mightily as the aristocratic jerk opposing Sir Lionel's adventure, although Timothy Olyphant is a little bland as his weaselly henchman. Game of Thrones star Amrita Acharia also lends her voice, as well as David Walliams, Matt Lucas and an imperious Emma Thompson.

Like all Laika films, Missing Link looks absolutely beautiful. From fog-bound loch to sun-dappled forest to towering mountain ranges, each scene washes over you with gorgeousness. There's a thousand shades of color in every wonderfully realised green field or russet desert. And of course the stop-motion puppets are full of the vitality of real physical objects, from their sprightly posing to their expressive 3D-printed faces to the fabric of their real costumes.

The puppets come to life in a string of comic set pieces, bursting with some of the most dynamic action you'll ever see in a stop-motion film. One highlight is an Inception-style chase through the revolving corridors of a seesawing cargo ship in the jaws of a savage storm.

Stick around for the end credits for a glimpse behind the scenes. This all-too-brief peek behind the curtain brings home the epic scale of these films and the artistry that goes into creating them -- and could be as inspiring for young minds as the action that went before. If your kids enjoy the film, be sure to seek out how such flicks are made.
Missing Link's Victorian setting gives the action an air of old-fashioned adventure. There's a very, very gentle critique of western colonialism and exceptionalism bubbling underneath, but the focus is very much on the friendship between our oddball adventurers.


The middle of the film sees our heroes travel across the world in a globetrotting montage, and I've got to admit I wanted to see more of this. Instead of Phileas Fogg-style international high jinks, we skip from protracted setup to protracted ending without much in between.

This skipped-over middle makes the film feel a bit insubstantial. More importantly, because we don't see the challenges to Mr. Link of being in the human world, we don't get as much emotional impact from his quest for a place he feels at home.

You could say, in fact, that in the middle of the film there's a missing link.

But that's a minor quibble. If nothing else, the wispiness of the story makes a nice change from whizbang kids movies. It's not as scary as Kubo, as deafening as superhero movies or as bewilderingly complex as The Lego Movie 2 and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

[/quote]

Check out the link for some of the visuals and links to related stories.


Jo