Post by Baar Baar Jinx on Aug 10, 2018 15:12:11 GMT
(Mild spoilers follow)
For those who've seen it, what did you think? The plot was clichéd and predictable, of course: Middle-aged man in a stressful job berated by his wife for neglecting his family due to the exigencies of his employment finds happiness by reconnecting with his forgotten childhood memories". How many times have we seen variations on that theme before? What was he supposed to do, quit his job with no clear alternate plans in place and put his family in financial jeopardy? A very lighweight storyline, resulting in a movie that's not very deep or memorable. The final "resolution" of the financial crisis at Winslow Luggage was ridiculous, unrealistic, and an insult to the intelligence of the audience. The first half of the film does manage to hit notes of genuine sentimentalism, especially the scenes dealing with Christopher Robin's departure for boarding school and the trials and tribulations that he goes through on the path to adulthood, but it all seems to sag and feel somewhat forced after that. I did like the character designs for the most part; they were obviously aiming for a blend of the Disney versions of these characters and the original Shepard designs, and it generally works, except for the creepy-looking Tigger (a look closer to the original Shepard design rather than the very distinctive Disney iteration, which does not translate well into stuffed animal form, might have worked better, but admittedly would not have been as recognizable). And I'm glad they made the visual distinction between Owl and Rabbit, who are real animals, and all the others, who are toys, clear; it often gets lost in other entries into the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise. The spirit of the original short stories and character personalities was well-represented. One more gripe, though: "Robin" was never meant to be his last name. If they didn't want to use "Milne", so as to (understandably) keep the main character purely fictional, then why not come up with a new last name?