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Mainly for the little boys
Posted Tue, 03 Jul 2001
| Our Rating |  |
| Reviewer | Lisa Wolff |
| Rated | PG |
| Starring | voices of Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer, Don Novello |
| Screenplay | Tab Murphy |
| Director | Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise |
| Website | http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/atlantis/index.html |
| Movie Details | The Internet Movie Database |
A new Walt Disney full feature? I was as excited as any animation freak would be! Sure, I’m probably about 15 years older than the average Disney target market but no less enthusiastic about the art of moving pictures. But after seeing Atlantis – The Lost Empire, I’m feeling a lot less devoted to Disney and am rapidly becoming a Dreamworks (creators of the fabulous "Shrek") disciple.
Atlantis is pretty much removed from the usual Disney formula (cutesy animals, catchy theme tunes) but at the same time is also missing the sharp wit and double-meaning innuendoes that Disney usually gets spot on. The story is pure adventure and targeted mostly at boys. A sexist comment maybe, but I can’t imagine many young girls being glued to a screen full of shooting, military manoeuvres and monsters. Not that us gals don’t enjoy a little bit of violence, but we get easily bored when the action is not backed up with humour and a dash of sensitivity.
It’s a tale that has potential – most of us are intrigued by the seemingly-lost city of Atlantis – but the creators twisted the story into a superficial expedition concentrating on mindless battles and scary villains, rather than a fantasy for our imagination.
The story starts off well enough, introducing the main character, Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox) - a typically absent-minded genius who’s main objective in life is to discover the lost underwater paradise of Atlantis. He’s possibly the personality with the most charm, wit and gumption as he joins in with a crew of daredevil explorers to seek out the legendary empire.
The head of the mission – Commander Rourke - is wonderfully voiced by James Garner, but even these vocal talents couldn’t breathe life into a character that is essentially square. The rest of the crew differ in their ability to amuse – Wilhelmina – the switchboard operator (voiced by Florence Stanley) is a true highlight with her delicious, crusty sarcasm while the mole-type creature (Corey Burton) borders on plain irritation. The other characters have their good moments but inevitably disappoint towards the end of the movie when they are swayed from one allegiance to the other in a matter of seconds, and not displaying a significant enough motive for doing so.
A fair portion of the movie is devoted to finding the lost city. But while the crew were set back by a number of obstacles before finally reaching their destination, they did manage to find the general location of Atlantis a tad too easily. The city itself is a stunning fantasy and the interactions with the Antlantians are a definite high point in the movie. Princess Kida (Cree Summer) is a gutsy, resourceful character who provides the love interest for our hero Milo.
The plot then branches out into a focus on crystals and the Atlantis life-force and I must admit, I found myself losing the thread. I grappled to follow the logic but I fear that if I was struggling, then the majority of sub-10-year-olds may find the whole thing somewhat confusing as well. The young ones also may find some of the scenes quite scary – although with all the violence on television these days, it's probably old hat to them.
One of the more disappointing aspects of the movie was the animation. Compared to the fantastic computer graphics showcased in "Shrek", the animation technique in Atlantis seems quite prehistoric. The background graphics (the landscapes, buildings and vehicles) were good quality but the character animation dismally failed to impress.
The kids are on holiday, so taking them off to see Atlantis: The Lost Empire will take them off your hands for just over an hour. It won’t exactly be a thrill a minute for you but it should keep the kids entertained. They probably won’t be talking about the movie for days afterwards or beg to go see it again - but that’s definitely something to be thankful about!
