Review of All the Little Animals (1999) by Danielle S — 09 Jul 2007

If you are into shoot 'em up, no thinking or feeling required movies, then this one is not for you. For those who like animals and like to see the little guy win once in awhile, this is a great film. Characterized by its magical performances (Bale is utterly convincing as the 10 year old boy trapped in a 24 year old's body) and eye-popping, panoramic vistas of the English landscape, the film offers a gentle reminder of mankind's place in the natural scheme of things, though Thomas makes his point without stooping to preachiness or obvious metaphors. In an amusing turnabout from standard Hollywood practices, this UK-lensed film features an American actor (Benzali) playing a Brit villain, the catalyst for a late-breaking plot development which some may find overly melodramatic. By turns humane, frightening and beautiful, this isn't a movie for all tastes, but adventurous viewers will be rewarded for their patience. A possible cult in the making. The ending is unfortunately predictable and unnecessarily long. Also, far too much of the film focuses on Mr. Sommers curious "work" of burying road kill. This would not be so bad had there been more of a story line. Also, this film propounds a simplistic moral message about life being precious. Yet the ending completely undermines this moral absolute.

This film is plot driven, and not a character study, and therefore the good performances are not enough to make this film worthy of greater praise. If not for the powerful acting this film would be merely mediocre. It makes me think twice about driving fearing I might hit an anmial.