The Amazing Maurice

Terry Rossio, one of the writers of “Shrek,” brings some of that fractured fairy story power to this week’s ordinary duck of an lively film, a CGI myth that blends the acquainted with the literary work of the mythical delusion creator Terry Pratchett. 

the author of the Discworld collection took a detour for the twenty eighth ebook in that series, 2001’s The brilliant Maurice and His knowledgeable Rodents, triumphing the Carnegie Medal (a prize given by British librarians for the 12 months’s fine children’s ebook) for his efforts. The book sounds pleasant, but Toby Genkel’s film isn’t quite so. 

The terrific Maurice

it may be because of deviations from the source, the bland visual fashion of the film that’s just unambitious sufficient to be stressful, or the unengaging tale, however “The terrific Maurice” is, nicely, much less-than-outstanding. handiest a recreation voice cast continues it from total disaster.

Hugh Laurie voices the name individual, a fascinating, speakme cat in a international wherein no longer all animals communicate. (Why he and his rat buddies can speak is one of the plot's mysteries.) 

anyway, Maurice is going to small villages and sings approximately their rat problem, revealing that handiest he and his pal Keith (Himesh Patel) can “pied piper” the rats out of town and store the day. For a price, of direction. 

It’s all a rip-off. Keith, Maurice, and even the rats (which includes ones voiced through Gemma Arterton and David Tennant, amongst others) are simply trying to make a bit coin on their way throughout the united states of america.

Maurice and the crowd move paths with the precocious Malicia (Emilia Clarke), who additionally narrates the film in a manner that pushes the boundaries of meta-quirkiness. 

Beauty of a framing

She’s a narrator who is aware of all the tropes and clichés of a fantasy journey story and so frequently calls interest to them with strains like “That’s the beauty of a framing device—i can inform you matters about this tale you wouldn’t in any other case realize.” 

Clarke has a few a laugh with the individual tool of a person who seems to recognize the genre of film they’re in, however it’s a chunk that grows tired before it stops, one of several picks through Rossio that feels find it irresistible thinks it’s smarter than it's miles. 

It’s often a trouble with meta-, self-conscious screenwriting due to the fact it may easily verge into pretentious condescension.

The children in all likelihood received’t note. They’ll go along for the ride as Malicia, Keith, and Maurice look into why all of the meals has gone lacking in a new village. Is there an actual famine or plague at the horizon? 

Or ought to or not it's the fault of the masked villain (David Thewlis) who seems to be pulling a few very weird strings? Thewlis is the king of the malevolent voice paintings (his selections on “huge Mouth” are inspired) and he digs into the villain role right here with gusto. 

To be fair, Clarke has simply the proper playful spirit, and Laurie nails the sly wit in a manner that makes you need to look him honestly voice the Cheshire Cat of Alice in Wonderland repute.

The character design

it's an A-listing voice cast saddled with a screenplay that’s just now not up to their talent set. “The extremely good Maurice” is likewise another laptop-lively film that in no way gets visually bold enough. 

Oh, it threatens to accomplish that, with village streets that promise adventure down every alley, but the global-building right here is quite susceptible given the source cloth and the potential of the tale to get weird. 

It’s almost as though the producers knew they had a weird ebook to evolve but by no means truely embraced the quirkiness of this riff on the Pied Piper. some of the rats are delightfully bizarre, however the character design is by no means as adventurous as it have to be.

I normally keep away from direct comparisons however there’s another fantasy-primarily based tale about a cat in theaters right now that makes it difficult. 

“Puss in Boots: The last want” became arguably the most surprising lively movie of 2022, a family movie that prevented sequelitis with bold visuals and a tale in which dad and mom and children should get invested. It didn’t depend on the familiar, giving its universe a rich visual language and unexpected twists. 

“The exquisite Maurice” nearly feels more like a stupid “Shrek” sequel than that Oscar nominee. Malicia may additionally realize everything approximately the clichés of the delusion style, but that doesn’t make it any greater tolerable while her movie falls into so a lot of them.