Review of The Secret of Kells (2009) by Enna — 24 Nov 2014

THE SECRET OF KELLS is an unforgettable visual experience. The art flat-out blew my mind. It takes inspiration from medieval illuminated manuscripts, so the movie plays out like a series of pictures with the characters moving in very straight, two dimensional ways through them. The plays with perspective and movement are endlessly creative. Furthermore, just like the titular Book of Kells, each frame is meticulously detailed and drenched in rich colors - greens, golds and browns for the beautiful forest, and harsh reds and blacks for the scary viking invaders. It's simply GORGEOUS. My description is by no means doing this film justice - you must see it for yourself!

Unfortunately, the story doesn't match the visuals - it's a collection of great ideas, story arcs, and scenes jumbled together with not enough development. Brendan's coming-of-age arc is thinly developed and never moves beyond the expected. The Christianity vs. Paganism conflict is falls flat because both sides aren't developed beyond Christianity = good, Paganism = evil monster worship (and we never see what makes them so. It's just taken for granted.) The vikings attacking Kells is a scary threat, but the storyline comes off as silly. (The Abbot wants to make the illuminators build the walls to keep the vikings out, and the illuminatiors want to finish the book of Kells. However, when the vikings nonetheless break into Kells, the Abbot realizes that his plan was wrong all along and that the illuminators were right in wanting to work on the book instead (??? This stuck me as bizarre because, well, if they had worked on the illumination instead, the monestary would still have been destroyed!)) Furthermore, these storylines are not tied well together, preventing the movie from gliding along and "casting a spell" on the audience.

Now, the movie is still very enjoyable. The storylines are still engaging, the characters are charming and likeable (especially Aisling!), and the setting of a 800's monastery is compelling, and unusual for a children's movie. The movie shines in certain scenes - the forest is full of organic, awesome beauty; Brenden's battle with Crom Cruach takes place in a dark, ethereal space with many strange glowing lights; and the scene where Aisling sings to Pangur Ban is filled with so much beauty, mystery, and visual poetry, it haunted me for days afterwards. I get chills every time I think about it!

So - THE SECRET OF KELLS is a little treat.