Review of The Secret of Kells (2009) by Alex R — 20 Feb 2011

Loosely following the origins of the real Book of Kells, the Secret of Kells tells the story of a young boy of the church and his discovery of the real work beyond the walls of his town (or parish, I forget).

This movie, simply put, is a work of art. The animation style is a refreshing change from the usual CGI that seems to be in every animated movie, and the subtle details in the landscapes really makes the whole experience a visually stimulating event.

Players of the Legend of Zelda might see that this movie's style is the love child of classic animations and The Wind Waker, most noticeably in the smoke and fire swirls. The use of abstract shapes to portray the unknown adds to the suspense and mystery of the world beyond the wall.

On the opposite side, the world that Aisling interacts with is smooth, vibrant and detailed. After the introduction of both perception styles, the movie does a great job switching between the two to demonstrate different situations and feelings interpreted by the characters.

Unfortunately, the best quality of this feature was the only great quality. Although very visually stimulating, it lacks in great depth of story. The whole film was like a boring art exhibit. Everything looks pretty, but aside from that one really cool sculpture in the middle of the room, nothing was really too exciting.

Same deal here. There was one cool scene that had potential to go somewhere exciting, but nothing ever really developed. The plot didn't end where it might be expected to, and ended on a bit of a random note.

That being said, don't go into this movie expecting explosions or exciting plot twists, but rather that The Secrets of Kells is a work of art and should be judged as such.