Kubo and the Two Strings: Review

• This is a NON-Spoiler review of Kubo and the Two Strings. I hate claymation! I hate the look of it so much. So at first I wasn't interested in this movie but I decided to give it a chance because the story looked interesting to me and I heard great things about it. And I like Matthew McConaughey.

• IMDB's Plot Summary: "A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past."

• "What did you think?": I think the story was really interesting and the claymation wasn't very bad at all. After awhile I forgot that I was watching a claymation movie. The story is not going to be for everyone. It is very much like an Asian magical type story. It is also a really cool hero's tale. There were some details that reminded me of Star Wars. Don't get me wrong, this is nothing compared to Star Wars. So it is a really fun kinda Kung Fu Panda-ish type hero's tale. It felt like an adaption of an old book. But I will admit that something felt empty about the movie. I might have wanted more characters.

• The movie was pretty funny - especially Matthew McConaughey's character. Some scenes looked really beautiful. I definitely think that some families will really like this tale. But I do warn you that there were some creepy parts that were more intense than any kids movie I've seen in a while. I think It's on the disturbing level of The Polar Express.

• My few complaints are - there were a couple of jokes that fell flat. But that's not surprising - a lot of kids movies still have some jokes I've heard a hundred times. And there was a plot twist towards the ending that didn't quite work for me. Once the twist was revealed it automatically made me think "Well then what was going on earlier?" and those questions were never answered. Not only did the twist not make sense but I wasn't in love with it either. But that's all of my complaints.

• 
  

• I really enjoyed the storytelling for the most part. The movie gets you interested in Kubo's life and his adventure pretty early into the movie. The character Kubo himself even told stories that made me interested. I thought Charlize Theron as the monkey was good casting. I think she fit that role pretty well. I think Art Parkinson who played Kubo was a better kid actor than a lot of kid actors I've seen. But my favorite was Matthew McConaughey. I said in my review for Free State of Jones that I really like Matthew McConaughey I loved him in Interstellar. I love that he's a guy from Texas that has a heavy accent but you can take him seriously and he's cool. The villain was pretty memorable and spooky but wasn't a huge threat in my opinion and I didn't understand the motivations.

• I enjoyed Kubo and the Two Strings. I thought it was pretty good. It's not a movie that I feel the need to watch over and over. When it comes out I will get it but it's something I won't always be in the mood for. It's not a movie that I think you have to see in theaters but I would definitely recommend it when it comes out on Digital/Blu-Ray.