★ 9 / 10
Hi everybody. I'm Danny. Why am I introducing
tmdb31139316
Hi everybody. I'm Danny. Why am I introducing myself? Well, this is my first TMDB (spoilers, so be cautious if you even care) review, and I thought I'd…
Hi everybody. I'm Danny. Why am I introducing myself? Well, this is my first TMDB (spoilers, so be cautious if you even care) review, and I thought I'd dedicate it to one of my new underrated gems. Keep in mind I'm saying all of this as a casual moviegoer/streaming viewer/physical media collector/shlingadinga who watched this on Netflix after being very curious to watch it on my lil ImageMovers/Zemeckis binge I've been doing.
Now, I'd definitely understand if someone explained to me why this movie is objectively bad. I have open ears and am ready to hear someone else's opinion, while also having the requirement that the other person doesn't say I'm wrong for liking this just because it's a "bad movie".
Because, for me, this is a really good movie, and arguably the best of Zemeckis' mocap endeavors. I haven't seen Marwencol, the documentary that it's based on (and probably will have to dig in search of it), but I'd say this is trying its best to be respectful to the story of Mark Hogencamp and Marwencol. It's just that Zemeckis wanted to tell it in his own, flashy, sometimes mocap-y way. And for me, it's not all that bad. I also found the screenplay harmless.
As for the acting, Steve Carell is surprisingly great as Mark, and I kinda connected to a few of the elements presented about him, mainly the "I am alone" aspect. I also liked the secondary characters, especially Nicol and Roberta. I kinda felt Kurt was a bit underdeveloped, but I also feel like what we do see of him leaves you with enough of a negative impact that you buy Hogie's terrified reaction to seeing a Nazi version of him.
And honestly, my favorite aspect of this movie is the fact that Mark doesn't "get the girl" at the end, just going to Sushi with Roberta. I felt like that was an ideal way to close the film while also sending a hopeful message to anyone who, sometimes or always, feel like no one would romantically love them, therefore, feel alone.
Overall, I'd genuinely recommend this to people. I really liked it and I think other people would too. I would grade it based on the things I said, but I think my 90% score on the top of this page says it all.
Oh yeah, this is my favorite of Zemeckis' mocap films, as well. Have a good one, y'all!
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★ 6 / 10
Mixed reactions
euroGary
After drunkenly confessing a love of wearing stiletto heels, comic book artist Mark Hogancamp is gay-bashed (ironically, he is not gay). The attack leaves him…
After drunkenly confessing a love of wearing stiletto heels, comic book artist Mark Hogancamp is gay-bashed (ironically, he is not gay). The attack leaves him with what I (not a medical person) assume is brain damage, of which one effect is the loss of his drawing ability. Denied that, instead he channels his artistic leanings into constructing in his garden a World War Two Belgian village, populated with an Action Man-like doll as his own alter-ego, war hero "Cap'n Hogie" (who wears stilettos to "feel the essence of Dame"), and Sindy- or Barbie-like dolls representing various women in his life (his care assistant, a friendly woman in a hobby shop, a pornographic actress...) Using these dolls - often in scenes in which Hogie, captured by Nazis (representing Mark's assailants), is rescued by the women - Mark works through his personal demons and his photographs of the scenes give him a second artistic career. But his emotional equilibrium is threatened both by the arrival of kindly neighbour Nicol (who, somewhat unbelievably, does not find it remotely creepy when Mark immediately gives her her own doll equivalent in Marwen) and also by Deva the mysterious evil Belgian witch doll...This is based on a true story, which may explain why we are spared the usual melodrama in which Mark's awful ordeal would usually be portrayed. Instead, he is presented as someone whose life has been severely affected by his assault, but who, as anyone would, is trying to cope and put his life back together: a couple of shouty episodes aside, he is a subdued, but not totally withdrawn, character. This, however, seems to result in a patchy performance from lead Steve Carell (in what I cynically imagine is the kind of role actors accept in the hope it will bag them an Oscar): whereas he is suitably gung-ho when voicing Hogie, as Mark I found his performance curiously detached. Of the other performances, the stand-out is Gwendoline Christie, but not in a good way: her Russian care assistant is so over-the-top it is as if she has just wandered in from a 'Carry on' film - it says a lot about her performance that she is more realistic when portraying a plastic doll.Speaking of plastic dolls, the animated/CGI sequences are nicely done, both technically and also in injecting a little bit of humour into the film, while never swamping its central message of a man being forced to adapt to a change of circumstances that is not his fault. Ultimately, however, the quieter, real-life sequences - human interest drama I would usually appreciate - suffer in contrast to the colourful animated bits and I left the cinema undecided as to whether I had actually enjoyed the film or not.
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33%
TOMATOMETER
· 171 reviews
48%
AUDIENCE
· 1K ratings
6.2/10
28K
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Good movie..Interesting story...