Good but could have been great

Rating: 7/10 (4 December 2011)

This is a good film, as demonstrated by many of the reviews below. But it could have been great. The imagery, core story and 3D features are very well done. But watching the film, I kept getting annoyed by the constant clichés and odd plot choices.
For instances, why in a French setting are most of the actors English and American? The constant mix of accents is annoying. There is even a scene where they are reading a French book, but in English.
There is the drunk uncle, innocent flower girl, mean inspector, odd romance between two completely superfluous characters in the train station. So many of these characters and their roles seemed like add-ons at best.
Finally, I wish they had cast another kid in the lead role. I didn't find the choice to be particularly believable or interesting. I still give this film a 7/10, which tells you how good are some of the other elements, but it could have been a great film.