El reino animal

When people start randomly turning into animals, a father and son must keep a secret from a small town.

Firstly this is one of the best opening scenes to a movie I've seen in a while. It sets up the whole premise while circumnavigating your expectations.

It's not a superhero movie but it definitely has the feel of the earlier X-men films. Focusing on teens transitioning into adults/ mutants/ animals.

I doubt The Animal Kingdom had the budget of a Marvel movie but the action is used sparingly and to great effect. Unlike most comic book movies it feels grounded in reality, which makes it even more shocking when a new beast appears.

The relationship between father and son is believable and you want the best for both of them.

Overall, a great coming of age film with a fantasy twist.

If you're new to the 1 inch barrier, than this is a great way to induct yourself into the world of foreign film.

The Animal Kingdom is screening at the French Film Festival now.

@WatchItWombat.

No pun intended - with all the cloning going on ... it might just be a matter of time, that some of what we see in this movie actually happens. Of course this is more than just our animalistic side - hidden inside us, now quite obvious (at least in the movie). It also shows how we discriminate - against anything we deem ... not "normal". Who decides what is normal you ask? Good question ... it changes and shifts a lot.

The acting is really good and the effects are great too. The movie works really good and the ideas are well done. Also it may have the best class room dynamic scene you have seen in a while ... realistic while being fantastic? Yes it is possible .. see this movie for more ...

A New disease is causing people to mutate into various animal species. Francois' wife Lana is hospitalized, and in the process of mutating. Francois and his son Emile move closer to a center where she is being treated. One day, a bus carrying infected patients veers off the road and dozens escape into the forest.

Now, Francois and Emile is on a mission to find Lana, but Emile also notices abnormalities as he starts mutating. Emile's transformation is so effectively done. I enjoyed the way the film treated these mutated people with respect, and didn't make them out to be freaks or monsters (although they are considered by some of the characters as such, and referred to as critters.)

Emile meets a young man, Fix, who is transforming into an eagle, and the friendship between them was beautiful. Fix's mutation is also so well done, and almost believable.

This fantasy adventure concentrates on characterization, and I enjoyed all the characters. I loved the bond between Francois and Emile. The performances are excellent. The make-up effects are excellent. I loved the script, the setting near the woods, the hauntingly beautiful score, and the great visuals. The film has depth and substance. In general, I had a really good time with 'The Animal Kingdom'. This truly is a remarkable film.

The term "multilayered" is so overused in reviews but this is the first word that came into my mind as i am writing this. This is the definition of a "multilayered" movie. There are so many interpretations for this movie, even contradictory to each other. But it's not even an "open to interpretation" movie, i mean, you can take literally what is happening here, it's not necessary to look for metaphors or allegories. Personally though, i don't think this is a straightforward story. I believe there is a message here, in fact, this is a GREAT message, not like some suspicious and weird Holywood messages. The message here is : UNITY. Don't let powerful people/Governments/International or local Institutions/billionaires and even our inside fears and bad part of ourselves divide us. Power to the people.

Regarding the movie per se : Not just multilayered but even a multiple genre movie. A coming of age dramedy? A drama fantasy? A sci fi thriller? A post apocalyptic movie? A dark comedy/allegory? It's difficult to categorize it. In any case, this was enjoyable, even exciting at times. The biggest flaw here was its running time, this should have been 15 minutes shorter because there were some unnecessary/boring scenes. And the pace was not good at times. But overall, these things were not a distraction. Characters are so likeable that you root hard for them. Duris is a famous, great actor but Kircher was also amazing. Exarchopoulos did also a good job. There were many intense moments, many emotional moments and whilst there were not mindblowing twists, still i couldn't guess exactly where it goes.

The ending was MAGNIFICENT.

More ambitious movies like this, please.

Caught this at the Sci Fi Day of Leeds Film Festival 2023. Like most good Science fiction it's got me thinking and reflecting on the modern issues explored by proxy. It's sort of an ecological anti-othering of different people and a great father and son bonding film.

I don't want to spoil any of the plot which is great. But for me, this film has a rarely seen perfect casting. The son is superb all gangly pout, angst and joy and sympathy. Together his father and him have a spot on relationship and great chemistry.

Every other member of the cast esp his school chums really fit their roles to a T. Ps also loved Fix and Froggy. The make up effects are fantastic too.

This one is going to stay with me for a while.