I've had the privilege of watching the worldwide premiere of Arthur and the Minimoys on Friday, December 1st 2006. French director Luc Besson (Leon, The Fifth Element) arrived at the "Yes Planet" theater in Ramat-Gan, Israel early afternoon, to attend the show. Right before the screening began, he asked the audience to open it's heart, and added something about the film being aimed mainly for kids. He was right.

Maybe it's that bitter 26-year-old guy in me that just couldn't let go of that aching sarcasm that prevented me from really enjoying this half CGI animated/half live action film. Maybe it's the fact that i've just seen so many similar products through the course of my life, that I found it heard to be excited or (god forbid) enthusiastic during this one. Whatever the cause, I couldn't help but reaching the eventual conclusion that Arthur and the Minimoys didn't live up to it's potential. If Besson had just moved one step forward with his imagination, if the twists had been just a tad more original, if the ending hadn't felt so quick and rushed - I could have had a much better time.

The plot line is easy to follow: 10 year-old Arthur, played by Freddie Highmore of Charlie and the Chocolate fame, lives in a small town with his grandmother, portrayed by Mia Farrow (Rosemary's Baby, The Purple Rose of Cairo). It's the early 1960's and Arthur, who is neglected by his parents, escapes his loneliness by hearing stories of his absent grandfather's journeys to imaginative lands. Reality, however, is grim, as Grandpa has been missing for three years and Grandma must raise a large sum of money in 48 hours, or her land will be seized by the local authorities. Determined to save the property, Arthur sets out on a journey to the land of the Minimoys, extremely small beings who live in his garden, in search of expensive rubies that can put an end to Grandma's debts. From here on out the story turns CGI, as Arthur is shrinked to the size of an average Minimoy himself. On his journey, he falls in love with princess Selenia (voiced by Madonna), befriends a rastaman underground dweller named Max (Snoop Dog) and faces the evil being referred to as "M" (David Bowie).

While the animation is colorful and filled with imagination, the plot moves so fast you don't have much time to really notice the details. Also, there are some supposedly subtle remarks about sex, marriage and corrupt leaders which I don't think are fully appropriate for kids.

Bottom Line, Arthur and the Minimoys is an OK ride, but nothing we haven't seen before. From the recent animated The Ant Bully, through the classic 1980's Honey I Shrunk the Kids, the famed story of King Arthur and even The Matrix - it's all homaged, if not copied, in this new entry.

Based on the book by Luc Besson and rumored to be his final directing project this is the story of Arthur who is spurred on by the tales of his missing grandfather to find the land of the Minimoys where a great treasure is hidden. The treasure is needed because a developer wants the land for apartment buildings. Arthur is shrunk and begins a journey to Necropolis where he hopes to find his grandfather and the treasure.

Set seemingly in "America" with lines of dialog that are filled with British English this is a mixed bag of a movie. Most of the live action stuff isn't very good. Its poorly written and not very interesting on the whole, though the stories of the grandfathers inventions and adventures are pretty neat.(I'm sure kids will have a better time with the film since they won't have seen it before). The animated sequences, which make up the bulk of the film, do have some wonderful bits. Some of the dialog is knowingly funny in the right sort of way (I loved the forlorn Arthur bemoaning that the princess was too old for him, he being 10 and she being 1000). Bits such as Snoop Dog at a club are often scatter-shot funny,though I wonder if the Snoop sequence will date badly. The animation is often quite good with some bits being better looking than others(though I suspect that what looks to be the marrying of animated bits to live action plates is what got the film yanked from Oscar contention-not that it ever really had a chance.). I liked the character designs which are very Brian Froudish. I also liked the voice cast which included Robert DeNiro as the old king and David Bowie as a delicious villain.

Yea I know how is it? Its okay, As I said better in pieces. There is a really good story in there somewhere, its just not all on the screen. I think somewhere it got dumbed down or changed around. I blame Besson who must have been counting on the visuals to carry the film. You're not going to love it. I doubt anyone other than a small kid will love it- and odds are when they grow up they won't know why they loved it. Adults (or those passing as adults) will find it an okay time killer- though I do recommend waiting for video where the fast forward will make it easier to zip through the tough spots.

If you're curious worth seeing- though wait for video

If you're seeing this with your kids, my opinion is to ignore this review. However, watching as an adult, I found this movie annoying. The character and plot development at the beginning of the movie is first-rate. It's only after Arthur descends into the world of the Minimoys that the movie also descends in quality. At that point, the plot gives the characters only 36 hours to complete their mission. For whatever reason, director Besson goes into speed-reading mode with the plot. Mentally, I kept saying to myself "what just happened?" as scenes come and go like you're flipping through a magazine. Correspondingly, the character relationships lack depth - most importantly for me, how does the Princess go from barely tolerating Arthur to my-god-he's-my-soul-mate? Personally, I also found the celebrity voices intruded upon the characters - I kept picturing Madonna and Bowie talking to each other rather than the story's actors. As with previous Besson movies, the scenery is not just eye candy but integral to his story-telling style so he does not disappoint there. This is a good movie to see with children and I have no complaints there.