Book of Life

The first poster of Book of Life appeared in my local cinema months ago. At first glance I had mistakenly thought of it as a Tim Burton film, much like how I thought Boxtrolls was also directed by him. Let's just put, anything that is a dark rendered animation I assume Tim Burton is responsible by default. But by the end of the film it occurred to me that it did not have that magical Disney touch nor Brother's Grimm...grimness. No, it was distinctly beautiful in its own right that I'm actually glad that I decided to watch it in the big screen. Fox Animation did well on this one. The animation was flawless, even for supposed clunky wooden dolls running around doing chop-chop moves. The colors used--oh the gorgeous rendering of shiny glowing objects (because I'm obviously attracted to luminous stuff) that fills the background with flare--has mesmerized me throughout the film. The colors used remind me of videogames and locally published children's books, and that is always a good thing, personally. The soundtrack was also vibrant despite it being mostly acoustic ballads, thanks to the relaxing guitar plucking mixed with that velvety voice and Latin twang of Diego Luna--I ended up looping the song "I Love You Too Much" for at least an hour after the movie! 

I live for your touch

  I whisper your name night after night
I love you too much

The end credits was also catchy as it was sung by one of the happy couples who makes beautiful music together, Us The Duo. Urgh! If only I have a knack for music...makes me feel bitter to know their love story--Michael and Carissa Alvarado's--they even sang "No Matter Where You Are" at their wedding! >_< 

As for the movie...

The movie is a straightforward love story with that usual against-all-odds thing going on, but the theme also taps on death with the involvement of Mexico's famous fiesta Dia de los Muertos. There's an obvious tap on Mexican folklore, with the characters and terms being said. The skulls in the movie were more vibrant and ornate than Alexander McQueen's, far different from Jack Skellington's anatomy as well. There's the occasional humor mix of slapstick for the kids, and lines like "Why are you telling us these things!? We're only kids!!!" for the older folks like me. I actually found myself chuckling, especially at the emo kid.

Although there are some setbacks when it comes to character attributes, particularly on the supposed villain Xibalba, because he practically gave up nearing the end of the movie. He basically just stared at the hero and did nothing--wait--a lot of villains actually do that to help end the movie! My bad. Even the rivalry between the two leading men seemed confused many times, often overshadowed by their genuine friendship. What I did like was the portrayal of Manolo though, as his character didn't seem too linear unlike most leading men. He was like the wooden action figure of Prince Charming, only more well-rounded and a better version of. I also liked Joaquin, he was awkwardly charming and voiced sound's exactly like Channing Tatum! I also liked the characterization of Maria as this strong-willed woman, yet also hopelessly romantically inclined...a rather believable depiction of a modern-day woman. Other than the minor-forgivable setbacks, it's a delight to watch.

So watch it! Even Rottentomatoes certifies its freshness.