It's a good kids movie.

Rating: 2/10 (21 August 2005)

In all fairness, it's a good kids movie. But I'm afraid that all the hype & numerous awards will fool some people into believing it has artistic merit. Once again, let me stress: IT'S A KIDS MOVIE.
You'll find no subtlety, no symbolism, no real character development, no underlying theme, no clever dialog, and nothing really to challenge your mind. Instead you'll get action, dazzling landscapes, special effects, a rushing musical score, good costumes, good makeup and action (I say that twice, because it's the best thing the movie has going for it... really, the action scenes are pretty good).
But if you're looking for an *artistic* fairy tale (like City of Lost Children, Brazil, Big Fish, The Crow, Nosferatu [1979] or Arizona Dream), you'll not only be disappointed... you'll be downright annoyed.