Review of Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) by Alianoraree — 25 Nov 2017

For all that we associate bright colors and animation/stop-motion with kids, this isn't a children's movie. The hero is an eleven-year-old boy, but the themes aren't childish.

There are moments of silly humor, but nary a fart joke to be seen. "And that really is the least of it." Ultimately, the movie is more about joy than happiness; if you don't get that, you won't like the ending.

The visuals are gorgeous, with only one or two times during the whole movie where I felt something was off.

Kubo and the Two Strings also has something else most movies lack for me: a kind of poetry. A good poem uses the fewest words necessary to achieve the desired result, packing meaning into every phrase. This movie packs meaning into every scene, every line and every visual. I almost never buy movies because I won't re-watch them, but as soon as I finished Kubo I wanted to restart it, to catch details I'd missed and to see how knowing more about the characters and story would shade my understanding.

"If you must blink, do it now." Because once the movie starts, you won't want to.