Depressing, nihilistic film

Rating: 1/10 (21 May 2007)

Not sure what the point is here: cool graphics? This is a film with a child's fairy tale storyline and adult violence. Evil is pure evil, goodness is purely good. There is only one truly complex character in the film - looking out for the little girl though not believing in fairy tales, distrusting of the world, yet full of idealism and love.
Aside from adding realistic and violent imagery (in both the real and magical elements), I don't see that this is much of an update or significant (valuable) reworking of of a typical fairy tale. Perhaps it is in the ending where we get the true point: there is no hope in this world.
I, for one, don't buy it. And the cardboard cut-out characters who supposedly illustrate the point constitute the main problem. The film did nothing for me but leave me grumpy and feeling quite a bit cheated. All the great special effects and phenomenal acting simply serve to cheat us even further: it all serves the function of a facade. Strip it away and there's not much underneath. It is for this reason I am refusing to give this "bonus points" for all of it's excellent qualities. These are the very qualities that make the film that much more offensive.