Missing Link (2019)

Can we please go back to a world where voice actors exist... Oh and bland stories don't, ideally? _Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product._

Didn't find enjoyment with this, personally. I found things a bit off with 'Missing Link', none of it really clicked for me - it's without a little added oomph. I was watching it unfold, as opposed to feeling invested in it. The plot is fine, just a bit bland. I found the dialogue decent, particularly with Link's schtick - though that wore off eventually. A lot of what I just mentioned probably comes down to the casting, which is meh to me. Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman and Zoe Saldana are all very good actors, but none of them stood out - Galifianakis, especially, feels flat. The supports don't impress either, despite some decent names. From 'Kubo and the Two Strings', my favourite Laika production, to this - my least favourite entry from the studio. They are, however, still yet to produce a film I dislike - so that's a plus.

After a perilous encounter with "Nessie" and - of course - a consequently broken camera, intrepid explorer "Sir Lionel" encounters a rather curious orange bear deep in the forest. It turns out that "Lint" is actually quite a friendly fellow who dreams of finding his distant cousin, the yeti, in the fabled land of "Shangri-La". Now here is a challenge worthy of our adventurer, so he decides to take up the task. First things first, though: he must change the name of his travelling companion to attract less suspicion. Is "Link" better? Well it fits into the storyline better! Their odds also start to look a bit better when they manage to recruit the services of the resourceful "Adelina" and off they set. No Himalayas, no - they think his long cousin might actually exist in the USA, but having stayed hidden for so long what chance is there that this trio of travellers can succeed? Whilst this isn't the best in terms of characterisation, indeed those are distinctly superficial, it is quite an enjoyable, end-to-end, adventure film that has a few funny moments as it takes it's predicable trip into the snowy wastes. There are some shades of "Indiana Jones" and the tiniest hints of ecological warnings peppered throughout and I have to say, I did think the expressive faces worked engagingly well. As a story, it's hardly innovative, no - but it's quickly paced with a dastardly baddie and is more about the fun of their frosty exploits than anything more deep and meaningful. I quite liked it for that, and though I probably won't bother to watch it again anytime soon, I found it quite a refreshing animation that also benefits from being devoid of that other, not so elusive monster, the power ballad.