Liked it quite a bit. It feels slight, but it's terrific fun while it lasts.

It often feels less like a narrative than simply a venue for Henry Selick to show off what he can do but, hey, the man has some impressive tools at his disposal.

why isnt this thread more popular?

because this movie is good.

saw Dakota on Letterman.

Letterman was great and Dakota was interesting, almost animated, as she approaches her 15 birthday.

I think the last time I saw a 3D movie was in the mid 80s, when a really really bad animated film came out called Orin: The Legend of Starbringer or something crappy like that. I hated it; it gave me a headache. I had free tickets though because of my animation magazine so I went, and have had nightmares ever since.

So I was a bit hesitant on trying again, but Coraline looked really good.

I had a great time; the 3D was excellent, didn't bother me in the slightest and added quite a bit to the fun of the film. And with a Neil Gaiman story (and even a They Might Be Giants song!) how could it miss?

My wife the artist loved it -- some of the work looks like the kind of sculptures she is doing now (especially the old lady actors).

I am always happy to see real stop-motion animation still being done. I thought this was better than Nightmare Before Christmas, which while it has great things going for it, ultimately has a pretty boring plotline without any real surprises.

In any event, I give it a high B+.

Be sure to stay until the very last minute in order to see some of the best 3D effects!

Prescott, Arizona sucks for not having 3D movies or any with black people in them. (Notorious, Caddilac Records? Of course not.) Luckily I'm headed out to California this week, and plan on watching this in 3-D at Universal. Can anyone compare this to My Bloody Valentine's 3D? I get the impression that here it's used more subtly and fully, whereas My Bloody Valentine was more of a stunt. Beyond that, while I would never want to see My Bloody Valentine in 2D, a new Henry Selick movie sounds wonderful.

It wasn't blatant, which was good. There weren't surprise moments that didn't fit in with the film (like the ping pong playing guy in "House of Wax") with the exception of the stuff at the end of the title sequence.

I wouldn't want to watch a 3D film where the director cares more about the effect than telling the story. Being a good film is better than being merely a a good 3D film (if you get my point)...

I liked it, but didn't love it.

Coraline had a deliciously creepy edge running throughout, but the story just wasn't tight enough. I'm a huge fan of director Henry Selick, primarily based on his masterpiece: James and the Giant Peach. It's a pleasure to see old school stop-motion animation still be practiced in this digital age, and Selick has taken that art to ever higher levels through his career - - Coraline is exquisite in this regard. The musical score is also outstanding here.

I place the blame for Coraline's story failure squarely on the shoulders of book writer Neil Gaiman - - his reputation far exceeds his meager talent.

out of



(To be fair, I have seen JATGP at least 25 times, and perhaps Coraline would reveal the same hidden treasures that reward the repeat viewer. Selick's work truly is a marvel of detailed style. I can't wait to see what he comes up with in 2015!)

Ain't It Cool's Harry Knowles actually makes one of his rare sensible comments in his review of Coraline:



Then he even goes on to give some good advice:

Lord, a double feature of My Bloody Valentine 3D and Coraline really drove this point home. Where MBV3D (excuse the acronym) was entertaining because of the gimmick, it was just that, and nothing more. I think Harry Knowles nails (!) the 3-D in Coraline, which certainly enhances the story, but never overwhelms it. More than that, Coraline knows how to use 3-D subtly, as evidenced in how the 'other' world uses the effect with considerably more gusto than the real world. The closest My Bloody Valentine ever comes to subtlety is having the murderer's pick axe get stuck in the heroine's shirt without it ripping off her body.

Anyways, I have to thank commments like "It felt slight," - yoshue and "I liked it, but didn't love it." - Bradley Witherberry, for setting my expectations to a point where the film easily surpassed them. I found Coraline to be a real delight, an early contender for the best of 2009, and a reminder of just how spooky, lonely, and demanding it is to be a kid. While one could accuse the story of becoming overly familiar in the last act, (the parents being stolen is a terribly convenient plot device) that would be a minor quibble. The screen was literally overflowing with imagination, something that only happens on rare occasions at the movies, and is an event worth treasuring.

The stop-motion animation and subtle yet evident, and quite frankly brilliant use of 3D make this an absolute delight visually. However this is entirely expected considering its' Henry Selick. The impressive thing is how Selick includes a dicy and creepy edge while maintaining brilliant and often beautiful images. The story is well told, both by selick's direction as well as the story of Neil Gaiman, and the voices fit in perfectly with the moments. All in all the execution is damn near flawless with a wonderful score, great plot twists that are not completely obvious, and 3D that is not so much a gimmick as an enhancement. I absolutely adored this movie, easily the best so far in this still young 2009.
9/10

pretty good.

I agree with bradley. Selick's work is orgasmic, but the story doesn't do anything special for me... it's sort of been there and predictable.

I wish they didn't throw in the "game", by that stage in the film they only have like half the 3rd act to fit it in, so it just feels WAY too easy and rushed, there's no riddling or game she has to solve at all, she just goes to the place and gets the eyes basically handed to her.

I think I actually prefer the film at the beginning when Coraline is just wandering around the house to the awesome score and the film doesn't even need its plot to kick in yet. It reminded me a bit of My Neighbour Totoro actually. This film really could've serviced just fine without being a fantasy at all.

But for what it's worth it's enjoyable. I haven't seen many 3D films, but I quite liked how Selick didn't let the 3D gimmick become the film - It was more like watching a really, really high-definition quality picture.

I'd normally say this is a good rental quality film, but yea, in this case you have to see it in the theatre. But you get the point.

3/5

It's no Nightmare Before Christmas, but really, what is? It's still pretty good. Wonderful visuals and a beautiful (They Might Be Giants!) score. The story may be a bit too easy, but this is a kid's movie. Gotta take the good with the bad.

I only saw it in 2D, and it was still pretty impressive. I'm not sold on this 3D phenomenon - too gimmicky, plus it freaks me out. I prefer my cinema to be flat, thank you very much.

man that sucks. now you have to go back and see it in three dee too : (

3D freaks me out, man!

I felt the same way. Until I saw this movie. :O

you should watch it in 3D, especially this movie, becuase its' a good display of how to be interesting and not be gimmicky, very well used.

Coraline - 9/10

Beautiful film.
Wanted to make Coraline the first film I saw this year, and I did. And I just realized the only fims I'm probably going to see this year will be animated excluding Potter/New Moon. So many good ones coming out this year. Ponyo, Up, 9, Princess and the Frog.

Not sure if I like it more than James and the Giant Peach or not though. Grew on on James a bit, but Coraline is certainly just as good.

7/10 -> B-

I was left a bit disappointed. It took me a while to get into the movie. Coraline is off putting and really annoying at first. But once I have gotten used to her I did enjoy the movie pretty much. Visually it's stunning. A treat for the sore eyes. I love stop motion and I really wish there were more stop motion movies. They just have a great feel to them.

The story is good, but it definitely needed a bit more work to it. Again the beginning is really weak and the pacing is poor (I was bored and uninterested). But it soon gets much better and it continues to get better until the end.

I'm also torn between it's kiddie moments and not-even-remotely-kiddie moments. Yes, it's a contrast of two worlds, but the movie leaves a feeling that there was some undecidedness during the film making. You can be kiddie light and kiddie dark or you can be adult light and adult dark. Kiddie light and adult dark didn't mesh well.

The 3D was the best part. Subtle uses, inventive uses. No 3 for the sake of it. I loved it. I'll definitely give Coraline a few more tries. Though I'm afraid theatre 3D won't be an option anymore. Me and my friend were the only one in a ~180 seater.

BJs Grade:

A/A-

Awesomeness.

Surprisingly limp and lacking in innovative quirks to render it in anyway memorable. A piano that plays itself and a nicely laid out garden does not an interesting film make.

Coraline herself is an amusing feisty character but she gets nobody interesting to play off bar maybe the cryptic musing cat. The animation style is nice, Nightmare before Christmas with all the vestiges of shit from the former cleaned off, outside these I come up short on pluses.

I wish I had watched this in 3D. Maybe I would have found it more .. interesting. B

B

Interesting story and great clever use of 3D.

Coraline is a wonderful visual feast from Tim Burton and Henry Selick. While the "other" world concept has been used alot in the past, Coraline branches itself as its own original treat in the genre. The voice work is wonderful ranging from Dakota Fanning to Teri Hatcher. The film also provides enough scares and thrills to really push the PG rating in ways. Overall its another wonderful treat from Mr. Burton and can hopefully become even bigger now with its DVD audience. ***