Missing Link

Missing Link

I hadn’t really planned on seeing Missing Link it looked like one of those animated films that could go either way.  Really good or really awful.  So, I went back and forth on whether or not to see this one on the big screen.  Being a stop motion animated film from Laika (Kubo and the Two Strings) put me over the top so I gave this on a try.

While to stop motion animation looks amazing, the colors and textures are out of this world, and the fluidity of the film looks akin to CGI, Missing Link falls short on overall narrative and character development.  The narrative is choppy and unevenly paced and suffers the dreaded “drag” at the beginning as you await the setup so the story can begin.  The same can be said of various moments throughout the film as well.  The characters, in particular our “hero” Hugh Jackman’s Sir Lionel Frost comes off flat and one dimensional for the bulk of the film.  Belaboring the point of him being a selfish d--- until the last few moments of the movie undermines the character’s arc, so his “evolution” comes off as a bit forced and hollow.  As for the other characters, Mr. Link (Zach Galifinakis), Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), and Mr. Stenk (Timothy Olyphant), well they’re almost totally linear as well and suffer the same fate.

Despite these shortcomings, when Missing Link works, it really works.  The story is thoroughly engaging, cute, sweet, charming, and emotional.  Topping that off, it’s visually and verbally witty and outright funny.  All of which made me wish the film was more consistent throughout.  There is some good action and thrills as well, emphasis in the third act. 

I didn’t love Missing Link however, despite its shortcomings, I did in fact enjoy it.  When all is said and done, I found myself wanting more and interested in further adventures with its characters.  SPOILER ALERT!?  Not!  Something the ending left open to that very possibility.  

All things being equal for me Missing Link is a solid 6, borderline 6.5.