{"id":8909,"date":"2019-04-13T11:49:51","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T01:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=8909"},"modified":"2019-04-13T11:49:51","modified_gmt":"2019-04-13T01:49:51","slug":"missing-link-film-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/missing-link-film-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing Link – film review"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the animated adventure Missing Link, Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) is a fearless adventurer who investigates myths and monsters. He cuts a dashing figure globetrotting, but his peers don\u2019t believe his latest \u201cdiscovery\u201d because he has no proof. But Sir Lionel wants recognition, so he sets off on yet another adventure. This time it’s to America\u2019s Pacific Northwest. There he hopes to discover a living remnant of man\u2019s primitive ancestry \u2013 the Missing Link or Big Foot.<\/p>\n

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\nIn fact, tracking him down isn’t difficult. But he finds a surprisingly smart and soulful beast who’s the last of his species \u2026 and very lonely. He’d dubbed Mr Link (Zach Galifianakis). Mr Link implores Sir Lionel to seek out distant relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. The only known map of the region is held by a former romantic partner of Sir Lionel\u2019s \u2013 and an adventurer in her own right \u2013 Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana). Soon the three of them set out \u2026 with trouble tailing them and more trouble ahead.<\/p>\n

Chris Butler (ParaNorman) wrote and directed this stop-motion animated feature set in the Victorian era. It’s visually appealing, and features a cast of colourful characters and nifty animation. The straightforward storyline and humour will appeal to children.<\/p>\n

As an adult, for me it was all too familiar and predictable. I can\u2019t say I laughed even once. That’s not to say the film doesn\u2019t have endearing elements. It does. Sir Lionel Frost\u2019s laid-back heroics and Mr Link\u2019s literal interpretations of what Sir Lionel tells him are nice touches that work well. It’s more the hero-and-villain stuff that showed nothing we haven\u2019t seen a million times before. And because it’s squarely aimed at kids, the villains are clearly identified from the outset and there are no surprises. I found myself tuning out.<\/p>\n