'Kubo And The Two Strings' A Review

Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion fantasy adventure film set in ancient Japan about a young boy Kubo(Art Parkinson) and his mother Sariatu(Charlize Theron) who are hiding out in a cave from their sinister family. One day Kubo is out after dark, something expressly forbidden by Sariatu, and is then confronted and chased by his two evil aunts. Thus begins his quest for the magical armor which will insure his safety.

All the actors give credible vocal performances however it is disconcerting the number of white actors portraying Asian characters. It is especially distracting when McConaughey enters as the beetle samurai, there is no hiding those laid back alright-alright-alright cadence. The cast is reflective of a recent trend in cinematic voice work where the intention seems to be slotting the most stars as possible as opposed to getting the best actors to cultivate the best performances. That being said the animation is incredible and imaginative, the story is emotional and evocative, all propelled by fun fast-paced adventure.

The plot itself is somewhat underdeveloped. Motivations, back story, and some of the machinations of the story as it progresses are unclear or muddled. It starts of strong but in the later third it kind of crumbles. It has the potential to be a really poignant beautiful piece of cinema but falls short with the injection of a moral and a beleaguered climax-come-resolution.

 Elegant stop-motion animation with a narrative that doesn't quite match its quality.

Rent It.