Review of Micmacs (2009) by Chris S — 04 Aug 2010

It seems as though I have a lot of catching up to when it comes to director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. With Amelie in the top 250 on IMDb and many people talking about how great both Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children are, it's definitely something I'll have to look into. In the meantime, before Micmacs Alien: Resurrection had been the only film of Jeunet's that I'd seen. It had been way too long since my last viewing of that, so I didn't make the connection that it was the same director until after Micmacs was over. There are quite a lot of positive reviews and comments about Micmacs all over the internet, so I felt like I had to see it. Unfortunately, it didn't click with me as much as it did with others.

The film does have a unique look to it that was originally what grabbed a hold of my interest. The first thing that comes to mind is how quirky and eccentric the animation and visual effects are. Whether it's the mechanical creatures Petit Pierre creates with recycled materials or the unusual bits of animation in the film, it's all incredibly eye catching.

The biggest element the film is missing, however, is character development. There really seems to be not much of any in this film. You're introduced to these oddball characters, but then the rest of the film is devoted to this intricate plan on how to take down these two weapons manufacturers. Even the one subplot that has two of the characters fall in love doesn't get enough screen time. It's like the film becomes too wrapped up and involved within its own whimsical desires to really establish much of anything else. To add to that, the film isn't really funny despite being labeled as a comedy. It has its short lived charming moments that will put a smile on your face, but there's maybe one or two scenes that might make you snicker audibly.

Micmacs devotes too much time to its playfully involved and original tale of revenge that results in you not really caring about the characters by the time the film ends. It's visually stunning, but has little to offer other than fantastic visuals that ooze creativity from every frame. Despite being a rather elaborate tale of revenge, the film is slightly reminiscent of what Michel Gondry's take on Snatch would be like. Whether that's good or bad lies entirely within the person viewing the film.