Well, where to begin with this one? I suppose I should say, I spoke a while ago about how the location I watch a movie in might well have something to do with how much I enjoy it - after all, how can a mass-market-appeal cinema compare with the rickety glory and creature comforts of a small-time cinema such as the Electric? In a similar vein, I suppose I may have enjoyed the ending of Home a little more had it not been interrupted by a fire at the restaurant next door, but that's really selling the movie short.
To put it simply: Home is an alien-invasion story told from the point of view of the aliens. It opens as the Boov, an adorably colourful alien race with no time for play, descend upon Earth and relocate all humans to a pastel-coloured super-suburb across Australia in their attempt to escape from their mortal enemy. Our journey at this point follows Oh, an atypical alien who wants nothing more than to play and wishes only that he is not alone. On the other side of the story, the human side, we have Tip, a girl who was left behind during the "relocation" and who is on a quest to find her mother. When Oh inadvertently exposes the Boovs' location to their enemies, and Tip realises her mother can't come back to find her, their paths cross as fugitives of the Boov. Running from their new alien settlers, Tip and Oh must learn to work together in order to escape from the arrogant Captain Smek.
Now, the thing which struck me immediately about Home was the detail: kudos to Dreamworks for their animation on this movie, from Tip's hair (which we see in some amazing close-up scenes, there is really so much detail) to the rain effects and the stars - there is so much they've put into this, it's really great quality as far as animation goes. While a lot of it feels like it's making up in part for the Boov's own CGI-ness - a comparative lack of detail which surprisingly doesn't grind against the design of the humans - it lends a lot of beauty and reality to the movie world. The world is clean and pastel-coloured, thanks in no small part to the Boov's totally-harmless aesthetic (everything of their world is rounded and looks safe, it's some very good design from Dreamworks) and it really contrasts with the sharp, triangular shapes of their enemies.
As far as movies go, it's a kids movie. There's not a lot more to say about it, character-wise. If you're seeing it with your kids, it's a bit predictable (a fire, for example, didn't exactly stop me visualising the ending with ten minutes left), but it's fun, the music is upbeat and happy and it's really something to dance to. It made me smile, and my brothers enjoyed it, and it's supremely detailed, so much so that Pig the cat's fur looked almost like real cat fur. Technologically, and aesthetically, it's worthy of great praise.
Criticisms? Predictability, lack of detail in the Boov, and perhaps the character of Oh was a little grating. But given that Jim Parsons was voicing him, and his character begins essentially as a self-centred jerk (albeit a jerk with a heart of gold), that really shouldn't be surprising.
Overall, then, it's a good movie. It's fun, light-hearted and cute, and when things get dark it gets really beautiful. It's beautifully detailed, the story is complex and fun, if a little predictable, and there's very little I can say against it. See it with your kids, dance to it a little, have some fun, you'll enjoy it.
Adieu!
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