I have no idea what the name for the genre is, but Monkeybone can be lumped along with Cool World and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? as films where live action is mixed with animation, with hilarity intended. Unfortunately Monkeybone is irritating in that it shows flashes of brilliance and real potential, but is nowhere near Roger Rabbit in overall execution.
Brendan Fraser brings his likeable persona and comic skills to another unlikely hero, this time as comic book writer Stu Miles, creator of Monkeybone, a Ren and Stimpy-lite cartoon which is on the verge of making it big. His life has recently been made completed my finding his perfect match, played by Bridget Fonda. However after a car crash Stu ends up trapped in a coma, a dream world where the unconcious wait either for a return ticket to reality or a call from death herself (Whoopi Goldberg in an enjoyable role) This is where the animation kicks in, both stop-motion and CG. The style strives for a Beetlejuice tone and this is no surprise coming from the director of Tim Burton's pet project The Nightmare Before Christmas.
However it seems to be trying too hard and is not instinctively surreal, with excellent sets and decent (if old school) costumes. What I think lets it down most though is the editing, which is frankly awful. Countless scenes end on the wrong note and scoot off disjointedly into new ones, with plot points seemingly sacrificed and a balance and rhythm which is entirely wrong.
But then there are moments which had me laughing out loud, little glimmers of what this could have been if it was done with more imagination and care. Best of all is Chris Kattan as the gymnast whose escape from the operating table was nothing short of physical comic genius. As for the simian sidekick, Monkeybone, he has nothing on Roger Rabbit and is, like so many other aspects of the film, simply annoying. |
