I know a lot of parents are on the fence as to whether or not it is a good idea to take their children to see this movie. In this review I am going to put some of the speculation to rest as to whether or not this movie is worth seeing in the theater by adults and children alike.Concern #1: how scary is the movie? To be perfectly honest, while watching it, I didn't understand where this thought was coming from. As a parent-to-be, I tried to look at the movie through a parents eyes to see how comfortable I would be bringing my own child to see this movie. I have to say that any child 8 and above is old enough to see the movie. Why 8? Well, the little boy in the movie looks about that age... I think any child his age and older can relate to what he is feeling and going through. Any younger child will not understand it and will find his early behavior to be a bit confusing and chaotic. That is the only reason I would not take a small child to see it... it has nothing to do with it being scary, but the level of understanding.
Concern #2: the so-called "gore." Okay, so a monster gets its arm ripped off... if anyone really pays attention, they'll see that instead of blood coming out, sand falls out, as if it's a large stuffed animal. Remember, this is a little boy's imagination... it's not gory or gross, it's quite funny and jokes are made by the monsters after this happens. To add more comedy to the situation, the arm is replaced by a stick, which makes the audience giggle every time the monster comes on screen.
Concern #3: the boy never gets reprimanded. I think the people who are saying this don't know how to pick up on things. In the end of the movie, when the boy goes home, he does not get reprimanded by his mother for his behavior. Instead, she embraces him and feeds him... loves on him as she has been worried about him. The thing is, you can tell, very obviously, that she sees that the boy has already been through something big... he looks and seems different, as if he is a different child. The mother knows that he has learned a valuable lesson... a lesson much more valuable than her reprimands... even though she may not know what exactly has happened, she knows he has learned his lesson. You can see it in the boys eyes and her eyes as well. Many parents get upset because they feel as if the boy is being rewarded for his bad behavior. I think this is a little... okay, VERY far fetched.
This movie is a lot like watching an indie film. It doesn't follow the typical Hollywood formula, which I really liked. The music in it is unique and fits the scenes perfectly. It was visually appealing... or as Glenn put it, "It looked awesome." ;) Some people have complained of slow parts in it, but I didn't pick up on that at all... there is a lot of character building and learning in this film, and what may seem slow to some people is actually very necessary. I feel like this movie has gotten a lot of unnecessary flack from people who just don't get it. I went into the movie with very low expectations based on previous reviews I had read and came out pleasantly surprised. I think toddlers would enjoy the fuzzy monsters, but may be a little confused and shocked at how the little boy behaves in the beginning... they may even attempt to mimic him at home. In my opinion, if your child isn't old enough to comprehend what this boy is going through, then don't bother taking them to see it. If you're only worried about it being gory or scary, then you need to go see it for yourself because it's neither of those things.
Personally, I would buy this movie in a heartbeat. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
I completely agree Jessi!
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