Review: KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS is Filmmaking and Storytelling Perfection
I was blown away by the first trailer I saw for Laika's upcoming film Kubo and the Two Strings. It looked like the kind of movie I knew I would enjoy. Like many of you, I'm a huge fan of what Laika has been doing with their films. Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls have all been wonderfully made films, and if you enjoyed any of those you are going to absolutely love Kubo and the Two Strings!
What I love about the films that Laika produces is that they are made with true physical art. All of the Laika films are stop-motion animated, and everything that we see on the big screen is a real tangible work of art that was meticulously crafted by a team of artists and designers and then those characters and set pieces are painstakingly brought to life one frame at a time. It's incredible to see the amount of care and detail that is put into the creation of these films.
Laika has perfected the craft of stop-motion filmmaking, and their latest film Kubo and the Two Strings is by far the best film they have made so far! Not only is it awesomely designed and exquisitely animated, but it tells a story that was also perfectly crafted.
The film tells the harrowing and emotional tale of a boy named Kubo whose left eye was ripped from his head when he was only a baby. There is a detailed history about that and how it works into the story, but I won't spoil it for you. The basic premise of the story is that Kubo embarks on an epic journey to solve the mystery of what happened to his father, who was a legendary samurai warrior. In the process, he has to collect a magical set of armor that includes The Sword Unbreakable, The Armor Impenetrable, and The Helmet Invulnerable. Along the way, he meets two characters named Monkey and Beetle who help him throughout his adventure. As he searches for the armor, Kubo is being hunted down by two witch sisters who want to take his one remaining eye from him. On top of that, each piece of armor that he collects comes with a dangerous challenge.
Kubo is one of my favorite original characters that has been brought to life on the big screen in years. You just can't help but instantly like the kid, and he has such a cool magical power of telling stories with his guitar and origami art. He also has an insanely charming personality. He's very nice, well-mannered, but he's tough and knows how to survive. He's been forced to live in such a hard and challenging situation due his family's dark past.
All of the characters in the film are great as well! Monkey and Beetle are characters that are included to protect Kubo and keep him safe from the dangers he faces. Two of those dangers are the twin sister witches out to take Kubo's other eye. These witches are creepy as hell, and they are absolutely brutal and heartless. There's also one other villain named The Moon King. I won't get into his role in the story, but he plays a main role in Kubo's life.
Kubo and the Two Strings offers an explosion of emotions that includes feelings of danger, fear, sadness, and pure joy. I love movies that bring emotions out in me, and there were plenty of times when I was overwhelmed with them while watching this. The film really tugs on the heartstrings, and I'm sure the story will bring many of you to tears.
This is a very deep and adult story that is told in a way that kids will also enjoy and understand. It has everything thing that we love about the movies including drama, adventure, comedy, and action.
Even though I give a lot of positive reviews for films, I rarely call a movie perfect. That is a term that I don't use lightly. But to me, Kubo and the Two Strings is a perfect film. It is one of my favorite films of the year, and in terms of filmmaking and storytelling, I would say it's the best film I've seen in 2016 so far.
Director Travis Knight and his team really created something very special with this original story. I saw the movie about a week ago, and I just can't get it out of my head. I need to see it again! It's like a great song you hear for the first time that you just want to listen to over and over again. The only problem is the movie isn't even in theaters yet, so I haven't been able to do that!
I'm going to be dragging so many people out to see this film! I'd drag you all out to it if I could, but that would be impossible, so I hope you all take the time to see it on your own. It's a movie for everyone, it's a movie that everyone can enjoy, and it's a movie everyone has to see! So go see it, it's an amazing film that you're going to fall in love with!
