Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, a tiny people living in harmony with nature.

Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, a tiny people living in harmony with nature.

First released in France, Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles is a touching computer animated adventure that makes up in look and in character for what it lacks in narrative originality. As a direct hybrid of Excalibur and A Bug's Life, Arthur stars a heroic ten year-old, Arthur (Freddie Highmore), who draws a sword from a stone to fight a miniature battle in the garden before finding treasure valuable enough to save his grandfather's farm from purchase by developers. Arthur's grandfather, Archibald, having long ago discovered the miniscule world of Minimoys, garden gnome-like elves that lived in his yard, shrunk himself in order to hunt elusive rubies that were hidden in their evil Mecropolis, headed by Maltazard (David Bowie). Now Arthur must assist the benevolent Minimoy clan, ruled by The King (Robert De Niro) and Princess Selenia (Madonna), in challenging Maltazard for possession of the jewels. Shots taking the viewer down through grass blades into the microscopic, yet gigantic yard world readjust one's sense of size, as do scenes, for example, in which a small, elven Arthur fights mosquitoes with catapulted tomatoes. Meanwhile, live action scenes of Arthur's worried grandmother (Mia Farrow) provide respite from a completely computerized world. Bowie, as he did in Legend, steals the show, bringing to life his Darth Vader-like character who chose evil over good in a past adventure. Corny one-liners sometimes spoil the mood, but overall the film's thematic blend of fantasy and environmentalism, like Princess Mononoke, will delight children with its positive message. --Trinie Dalton

 

Customer Reviews

COOL
Good unrealistic little people look asian. Unrealistic plot. What is arthur waiting for to kiss the pirncess?

Charming film
Invisibles is quality family entertainment. It's a fairy-tale that's one part live actors and one part animation, but it's not your standard Pixar fare. The animation is more like anime, and has the feel of a ps-2 game.

Freddie Highmore does a fine job again, as Arthur. You may remember him from Charlie and the Choc Factory, and from an obscure little gem called "Finding Neverland" (both with Johnny Depp).

There's enough quality voice-acting here to satisfy anybody, but David Bowie's sardonic performance is outstanding. And Mia Farrow is still so beautiful and has aged very gracefully. It was a pleasure to see her again.

GREAT MOVIE
This is a great movie. I bought it on DVD and I was IMPRESSED!! Freddie Highmore and Madonna were great. It also has Jimmy Fallon, and Robert DeNiro. This is a great film for all ages! Your whole family will enjoy this movie!!

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Posted: 05/25/2007  Popularity: 226