 |  | | Enchanted |
Review #573 of 365
Movie Review of Enchanted (2007) [PG] 107 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.25
Where Viewed: Metropolitan Metrolux 14, Loveland, CO
When 1st Seen: 22 November 2007
Time: 5:20 pm
DVD Release Date: 18 March 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
Soundtrack: Download now from 
- or - order the CD below
Directed by: Kevin Lima (102 Dalmatians)
Screenplay by: Bill Kelly (Premonition)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Amy Adams (Underdog) • Patrick Dempsey (Freedom Writers) • James Marsden (Hairspray) • Timothy Spall (HP: Goblet of Fire) • Idina Menzel (Ask the Dust) • Susan Sarandon (In the Valley of Elah) • Rachel Covey (Duane Hopwood)
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Click to see photos from the Premiere of Enchanted
Click to read the spoiler points for Enchanted
"… the CGI chipmunk steals the show."
On the right side of things, Enchanted brings some good twists on the time-tested formulas better utilizing the heroines. The animation both 2-D and CGI were well done. Amy Adams is spectacular as the fish out of water Giselle who believes in True Love's Kiss more than anything in the world. Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden are great foils for love interests to Giselle one demonstrating some more modern chivalry than the other. A lot of people will talk and write about how great Amy Adams is, but James Marsden deserves nearly equal praise even though he's not the true star of the of the film—the chipmunk is—no, Amy Adams is. Timothy Spall, who's made an entire career playing the shrewd and conniving worm like characters, makes a perfect Nathaniel. As for wicked Queens, Susan Sarandon gives Michelle Pfeiffer, the latter a witch not a Queen but who wants to split hairs on that point, a run for her money if the two were to face off as rival sorceresses from Stardust and Enchanted.
On the off side of things, and unfortunately, the film has some inelegant aspects offsetting the good, the film is very scary. Quite a bit of a return to the roots of these children's films such as Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, where the horridly wicked queens and witches were drawn with such capacity as to give generations of kids horrendous nightmares, Queen Narissa falls squarely into their category. Guardians and parents of young children who were scared themselves by the flying monkeys of the Wizard of Oz or Maleficent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty should take this PG-rating seriously. Moreover, there's an entire faction of fans of Disney® animated films just for the music alone. With Alan Mencken on board, one would expect another film chock full of amazing tunes for a new generation. Unfortunately, there's barely a memorable musical number to be found. Finally, once things get going, the fresh concept of having the animated characters plopped into the real world loses its focus as a point of the film. This results in, despite the great performances, a mostly predictable film with some surprisingly contrived and repetitive elements.
Given the confusing ethics in Bee Movie, and a chilling tale in that of Fred Claus, Hollywood didn't give families with young children much else to see that's really 'enchanting' this Thanksgiving. And it would be unwise for either of these two outcomes to become conventional wisdom, that any of these films is really very good on the grand scale of adult entertainment disguised as children's films, or that the box office numbers are indicative of how good they are.
"… despite the great performances, a mostly predictable film with some surprisingly contrived and repetitive elements. "
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Enchanted (2007)
Cast Members
Amy Adams
• Patrick Dempsey • James MarsdenTimothy Spall
• Idina Menzel • Susan SarandonRachel Covey
Director
Kevin Lima
Writer
Bill Kelly
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