Good, but not exactly the masterpiece everyone makes it out to be.

Rating: 5/10 (3 August 2009)

Yes, I know I may get flamed for this, but Coraline was an okay kids movie and was better than average. Out of all the films being released in 2009, this is the best kids movie I've seen (I also haven't seen Up yet).
First, the visuals are fantastic. The storyline? Tightly woven and very strong. Characters? Creative, interesting, and very fleshed-out...except for Coraline. I couldn't stand her (especially at the beginning, though she did get better) and Dakota Fanning's awful voice work nearly ruined it for me. Everyone else's voice acting was near perfect, except for hers. The major drawback to this film was the casting of Fanning in the lead role.
I'm not saying I don't like this movie, I do. It's just nothing special to me, either. I love dark fables like this, but I don't know. I just feel like it's a bit overrated. Still, though, it's better than average and is definitely one of the better films of the first half of 2009.