Review of Christopher Robin (2018) by Greg R — 14 Sep 2018

The message that is conveyed, and the story structure and form are by no means new or fresh. Yet, the distillation of Pooh's philosophy is nothing short of ingenious!

The primary strength of the movie is how the plot reflects the message of the story by making an astonishing use of almost every element in it. Every line, character, and story line deepens and enriches the message, while expanding the imaginary world of innocence.

Without the slightest exaggeration, the allegories and images that were used in this movie are some of the best ever put to a children film. Honestly, sometimes I was about to shed some tears, not just because how the faithful representations of the beloved characters brought back my childhood memories, but also because how some of the dialogue, especially some of Pooh's lines, are both poignantly heartwarming and surprisingly witty.

Speaking of the faithfulness of the characters' depiction, every fan of these sweet characters would be more than satisfied. For all of the characters here differ from how they are in the books and the classic animated movies only by the use of CGI. So, expect to see Eeyore with his depression and gloominess, Piglet's tenderness and anxiety, Pooh's brainless wisdom, and Tigger's vanity and energy. Needless to say, both Ewan McGregor and Hayley Atwell gave great performances that suit their incredible acting abilities, and gave this silly children movie some weight that was enough to make it more convincing. As for Jim Cummings, he simply delivered one of, if not the best vocal performance of 2018!

The setup for the story was rushed, and also too cheesy for its own good, that it squandered a great deal of potential for making the movie feels more original, and also more appealing to adult audience. In a similar way, the resolution of the plot is nothing but a cheap and corny ending of a kids movie. But this time the silly nature of the movie served it, and therefore made ending, ironically, sounds less cringeworthy than it could have been.

Marc Forster is not stranger for bringing nostalgia, and balancing sweet and bitter tones. And that's exactly what he did in Christopher Robin, which is equal parts silly and saccharine, all without the stickiness of Pooh's "HUNNY". As he definitely has replaced it with a considerable amount of wit.

(8/10).