When titling a film with a term such as Epic, it is surely hoped that the movie lives up to this billing. Unfortunately Epic is an uninspired animated adventure.
Professor Bomba believes in a race of tiny people living in the forest, and he has spent his whole career trying to prove their existence. When his daughter M.K. comes to stay, she gets closer to them than he could ever believe…
The problem with Chris Wedge’s Epic is two-fold. Firstly, the narrative is not really engaging. There is no real sense of peril. Despite the protestations of potential calamity, it never feels as if anything bad will happen. There is little in the story for viewers to get their teeth into.
Secondly, none of Epic‘s characters are endearing. The usual archetypes are present here, and there is little to no development beyond this. The comic sidekicks are not really successful in their function as they fail to raise laughs. M.K. has a struggle that is played out rather despondently. The villain meanwhile is so caricature that he never poses any real danger.
As the adventure itself is not captivating, the film needed something to make it entertaining. Almost all the attempts at humour fall flat. An attempt at romance adds nothing to the overall film except posing some puzzling questions with the way the film concludes.
Epic‘s production values excel beyond the narrative restraints. The film looks great, with animation appearing crisp. The 3D works well, as it tends to do for most animated films.
The film features a host of well-known stars voicing its characters. Some, like Jason Sudeikis and Josh Hutcherson, do a good job. With others, it is difficult to forget which actor is voicing them. This is particularly true of Colin Farrell and Beyonce Knowles; their voices are unmistakable for any viewers who are familiar with them.
Epic is an unsatisfying film that is unlikely to engender a strong positive response from viewers young and old.
I Heart The Talkies 