Movie/Book Rec: "Coraline"
What a satisfying experience "Coraline" was, an entirely creepy and endlessly inventive movie that pushed the limits of a "children's movie" and its PG rating, but never fell into sentimental or dull territory. What's especially wonderful about the movie is that it lead me to go out and buy the book, something that I've been meaning to do for some time now--and this an equally satisfying reading experience, but even more scary and rewarding than the movie. Movie!Coraline needed the help of an invented character to solve the problem, but book!Coraline solved everything by herself and worked to be brave in the face of incredible, palpable danger.
I also enjoyed the 3D part, too. I'd never actually been to a 3D movie before and was surprised at how the textures seemed richer than a regular film. I also enjoyed elements of the story coming "off" the screen, although it was a little hard to suspend my belief. The most beautiful 3D effect came after all the credits were over and was worth the extra money for the silly glasses.
In both stories, Coraline is a lonely, little girl who has just moved to a new flat in a large, Victorian house. Both of her parents work from home and have very little time for her. One day, as she explores the house, she discovers a door that leads... somewhere else, an ideal version of the same home, with an Other Mother and Other Father, who seem perfect in almost every way: they shower her with attention and presents, make all her favorite foods, and profess their love and devotion to her. The problem is that they have buttons instead of eyes, and the condition of her staying in this Other world is that she has to let them sew buttons into her eyes, too. Slowly but surely, Coraline begins to suspect that the Other Mother has something else on her mind besides making her little girl happy.
The movie version is in love with the Other World and there is a lot of time spent on the lavish lengths that the Other Mother goes to in order to entice Coraline to stay. Coraline's father has created a garden with magical plants that bloom when Coraline walks by; the crazy neighbor from upstairs who professes to have trained mice to play musical instruments actually has a mouse circus and the mice spell out Coraline's name. In a delightfully surreal sequence, the two elderly actresses who live in the basement of the house are revealed in the Other World to be their younger selves and perform for Coraline and an audience of the actress' beloved Scotch terriers, who bark and pant instead of applauding. Coraline's Other Room is any child's dream, with toys that fly around the room and greet her by name and a fancy canopy bed. I could almost understand Coraline's initial urge to stay, were it not for the Other Mother.
The Other Mother, in both movie and book form, is truly a terrifying creature. However, the book version is the one who will be haunting my dreams--she doesn't keep up the kind pretense very long at all, and eyes Coraline from the beginning with an open hunger: she wants that soul. The movie version of the Other Mother is a scary-looking monster, who starts as Coraline's mother and slowly evolves into the spider-woman monster with metal hands. Teri Hatcher did a good job with the voice, starting off as sweetness and light and letting it go, bit by bit, until there was only a metallic, lonely, hungry core. But the book creature is more frightening because Gaiman doesn't let us know what she truly is--a witch? A spider-woman? A ghost? None of the characters seem to know, and only spend their time plotting how to get away from her. The menace of the unknown is a lot scarier than something you've seen before.
And when you're threatened by something that scary, accomplishing difficult tasks upon which souls depend suddenly becomes a much bigger challenge. The movie rushes through the three mysteries that Coraline must solve, having very little time left in the script. The book, on the other hand, leaves about 2/3 of the plot for dealing with these problems, and it suddenly becomes much clearer how much is at stake and the fear that Coraline must deal with in order to do what she has to do. Book!Coraline is truly brave, even when she has to talk herself into being that way. This isn't to say that the movie is bad, not at all. The movie is a much better visualization of a dream, a shared reality through which the characters interact. The book is a true coming-of-age story, with a strong heroine and a compelling story. Both of them are wonderfully entertaining and scary and not to be missed.
Short kvetchery: I know it is unrealistic of me to expect that there will be no children at a children's movie. However, children under the age of 8 should NOT see this film, and there were too many of them in the theater with us. I felt especially sorry for the little girl behind me who said, several times, "Mommy, I don't like this movie" only to be shushed by her mother. (This whole exchange was highly ironic, considering that one of Coraline's complaints in the movie and the book is that adults never listen to her.) On the whole, the kids were well-behaved and didn't make a huge fuss. But I wondered what would happen later, after the movie was over, when they got home. This is the kind of movie that would have bothered me as a child. (Especially the dolls--I never liked dolls as a little girl, and this movie would have sealed my hatred for them.) I understand that it's hard for parents to think of things to do with their kids sometimes, and especially on the long weekend. But I did want to stand up and say, "Really? This movie? With your kids? Are you sure? Because there's a good-looking National Geographic 3D Undersea movie next door that might be a better choice."
I also enjoyed the 3D part, too. I'd never actually been to a 3D movie before and was surprised at how the textures seemed richer than a regular film. I also enjoyed elements of the story coming "off" the screen, although it was a little hard to suspend my belief. The most beautiful 3D effect came after all the credits were over and was worth the extra money for the silly glasses.
In both stories, Coraline is a lonely, little girl who has just moved to a new flat in a large, Victorian house. Both of her parents work from home and have very little time for her. One day, as she explores the house, she discovers a door that leads... somewhere else, an ideal version of the same home, with an Other Mother and Other Father, who seem perfect in almost every way: they shower her with attention and presents, make all her favorite foods, and profess their love and devotion to her. The problem is that they have buttons instead of eyes, and the condition of her staying in this Other world is that she has to let them sew buttons into her eyes, too. Slowly but surely, Coraline begins to suspect that the Other Mother has something else on her mind besides making her little girl happy.
The movie version is in love with the Other World and there is a lot of time spent on the lavish lengths that the Other Mother goes to in order to entice Coraline to stay. Coraline's father has created a garden with magical plants that bloom when Coraline walks by; the crazy neighbor from upstairs who professes to have trained mice to play musical instruments actually has a mouse circus and the mice spell out Coraline's name. In a delightfully surreal sequence, the two elderly actresses who live in the basement of the house are revealed in the Other World to be their younger selves and perform for Coraline and an audience of the actress' beloved Scotch terriers, who bark and pant instead of applauding. Coraline's Other Room is any child's dream, with toys that fly around the room and greet her by name and a fancy canopy bed. I could almost understand Coraline's initial urge to stay, were it not for the Other Mother.
The Other Mother, in both movie and book form, is truly a terrifying creature. However, the book version is the one who will be haunting my dreams--she doesn't keep up the kind pretense very long at all, and eyes Coraline from the beginning with an open hunger: she wants that soul. The movie version of the Other Mother is a scary-looking monster, who starts as Coraline's mother and slowly evolves into the spider-woman monster with metal hands. Teri Hatcher did a good job with the voice, starting off as sweetness and light and letting it go, bit by bit, until there was only a metallic, lonely, hungry core. But the book creature is more frightening because Gaiman doesn't let us know what she truly is--a witch? A spider-woman? A ghost? None of the characters seem to know, and only spend their time plotting how to get away from her. The menace of the unknown is a lot scarier than something you've seen before.
And when you're threatened by something that scary, accomplishing difficult tasks upon which souls depend suddenly becomes a much bigger challenge. The movie rushes through the three mysteries that Coraline must solve, having very little time left in the script. The book, on the other hand, leaves about 2/3 of the plot for dealing with these problems, and it suddenly becomes much clearer how much is at stake and the fear that Coraline must deal with in order to do what she has to do. Book!Coraline is truly brave, even when she has to talk herself into being that way. This isn't to say that the movie is bad, not at all. The movie is a much better visualization of a dream, a shared reality through which the characters interact. The book is a true coming-of-age story, with a strong heroine and a compelling story. Both of them are wonderfully entertaining and scary and not to be missed.
Short kvetchery: I know it is unrealistic of me to expect that there will be no children at a children's movie. However, children under the age of 8 should NOT see this film, and there were too many of them in the theater with us. I felt especially sorry for the little girl behind me who said, several times, "Mommy, I don't like this movie" only to be shushed by her mother. (This whole exchange was highly ironic, considering that one of Coraline's complaints in the movie and the book is that adults never listen to her.) On the whole, the kids were well-behaved and didn't make a huge fuss. But I wondered what would happen later, after the movie was over, when they got home. This is the kind of movie that would have bothered me as a child. (Especially the dolls--I never liked dolls as a little girl, and this movie would have sealed my hatred for them.) I understand that it's hard for parents to think of things to do with their kids sometimes, and especially on the long weekend. But I did want to stand up and say, "Really? This movie? With your kids? Are you sure? Because there's a good-looking National Geographic 3D Undersea movie next door that might be a better choice."