Monsieur Link

This is a small film that not many audiences were aware of. I became aware of this via Hugh Jackman's Instagram. Other than that, I had never heard of it. Then suddenly it was out in cinemas. The reason I went and saw it was because it was the only film in the cinema, at that time, I hadn't seen. My wallet has become aware of this. I'm glad that I went and saw this because it has been one of the better films of the year so far. POSITIVES! All the actors involved with the project do a terrific job. Jackman is fantastic, Saldana is just as awesome as ever, and Galifianakis was a perfect choice to voice the lovable sasquatch. There is a tonne of great humour for both children and adult audiences to understand and applaud. Chris Butler does an incredible job directing this stop motion animation. Getting these well-received lively performances but also great animated work. The film is edited together to create a classic adventure film and it keeps you very well involved. The animation itself was fantastic. It was an awesome throwback to the classic animated films with its tone and ambiance. The character design was amusing but not off-putting. But there is also awesome artwork in the background. There is some good sound design that's not just a repeated soundboard. An entertaining score from Carter Burwell and some amusing original music. MIXED! The plot and writing are familiar and that makes it predictable. Where the story goes and the character arcs are foreseeable but the fact that they are entertaining and have a lot of charm, it's easy to overlook those aspects! CONCLUSION! So, Missing Link is vastly enjoyable, and I'll recommend it to anyone that enjoys an entertaining animated movie but also to any fans of stop motion. All the cast are great in those roles, especially Galifianakis as the endearing "title character". There is some great humour in the script for all audiences to enjoy but also some hilarious physical humour. My favourite sequence is on the boat when our characters are on the run from one of the antagonists and the boat is on the harsh seas. If you were a fan of Kubo and the Two Strings, this is from the same studio. But this film has a touch of familiarity in its script and that makes it predictable.

Tonight, I finally watched "Missing Link". Part of it is because it just won the Golden Globe award--winning against a bunch of animated sequels. Most of it, however, is that Studio Laika changed distributors and "Missing Link" was difficult to find. For example, my daughter lives in Philly....and no nearby theaters were showing it! This is so bizarre, as the Laika films are works or art...and a lot of fun. And, "Missing Link" is no exception.

The story is a humorous tale about an adventurer who wants to be accepted by the more famous 19th century adventurers (though they were generally jerks). So, he goes off in search of various cryptozoological creatures to impress them. But, after meeting Bigfoot, he learns that one of these jerks just wants to shoot the poor thing...and Bigfoot is really nice! So, the pair run away...searching for Shangri La and the so-called Abominable Snowmen. After all, this discovery will REALLY bring Sir Lionel fame...and Bigfoot really wants some friends...and he assumes these distant cousins will embrace him as one of their own.

I can clearly see why "Missing Link" won this prestigious award. First, and I mention it above, it's wholly original...not some remake or sequel. Second, and more importantly, it's simply gorgeous...and artistic triumph. It also didn't hurt that the film has a lovely sense of humor...and it's a film that will appeal at least as much to adults as kids. Well worth seeing....but so sad that its distribution was so incredibly limited.

I think this movie is a mixed bag.

The animation is well made.

The big names are there.

On paper the story is funny.

.....but

For me the characters never become likeable, at all.

'Mister Link' himself has his moments, sure, but Hugh's en Zoe's characters feel unpleasant, cold and shallow.

I don't know what causes this for me, but my best bet is a combination of the way they look (their faces just look unpleasant, emotionless) and the bad dialogue (no character depth, no charm).

Even when these characters show their so called soft side it doesn't feel right somehow.

To be honest, I thought Hugh was portraying a bad guy the first part of the movie.

Not bad, but not great.

.....but that's of course my personal opinion ;-)

The first association which came to my mind when I started watching this film was that it reminded me of a similar animated story Smallfoot (2018). They both involve going on adventures and dealing with such humanlike mythical creatures as Yeti. Besides, the atmosphere of both films is quite alike.

General impression of the film is very pleasant, the plot is easy-going and undemanding, although every now and then the viewer comes across unexpected plot twists along with the adventurous spirit of the three main characters - the ambitious investigator Sir Frost, his passionate ex-girlfriend Adelina and the adorable Sasquatch.

To some extent, I found the film a bit predictable with many clichees, but nevertheless it kept my interest till the end. It is worth seeing if you want something chilling and relaxing.

Missing Link is a beautifully crafted film that I never would've guessed was stop motion. The background and the details in them are breathtaking! The special effects and visuals are some of the best I've ever seen. Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifianakis were great as Sir Frost and Mr. Link. However, everything else falls flat. The story was unengaging and inconsistent, the jokes were hit or miss, and almost all of the characters feel one dimensional. The movie was so boring that me and my family were arguing about the character designs mostly the noses and I'm trying to see the flaws in the stop motion process where i saw very few. The heart of the movie is in the right place but the execution was a massive disappointment