Wonderstruck didn't make a positive first impression on me, with initial scenes, set in the 1970s, that are filmed like a low-budget 70s children's movie. The film alternates with scenes in the '20s, shot in black and white, but oddly rather than capturing the film style of the period those scenes look more like something from the '40s.
The dual stories start without much explanation, as both children set out for Manhattan. Little is explained as the character in the silent era is deaf and the 70s kid becomes deaf early on (leading to an odd initial approach in which the movie sometimes goes silent for reasons that are unclear.
Nothing in the movie grabbed me until a lovely scene on a boat with a fluttering piece of paper. This was followed by both kid's arrival in New York, and everything clicks in place. The black-and-white scenes come closer to old '20s movies and the 70s look works well in upper Manhattan. It's fun to watch the kid's wander the Natural Museum of History, following similar routes 50 years apart.
And then things slowed down again, and that brief moment of intrigue and tension dissipated. Much of the last part of this short film is devoted to trying to stretch it out to a full 90 minutes, and while the semi-animated sequences have a quirky charm to them, it's not enough to make up for the deliberate pace just when you want things to quickly and dramatically unspool.
By the end, my first impression had been confirmed. This isn't a movie I can get excited about.
The dual stories start without much explanation, as both children set out for Manhattan. Little is explained as the character in the silent era is deaf and the 70s kid becomes deaf early on (leading to an odd initial approach in which the movie sometimes goes silent for reasons that are unclear.
Nothing in the movie grabbed me until a lovely scene on a boat with a fluttering piece of paper. This was followed by both kid's arrival in New York, and everything clicks in place. The black-and-white scenes come closer to old '20s movies and the 70s look works well in upper Manhattan. It's fun to watch the kid's wander the Natural Museum of History, following similar routes 50 years apart.
And then things slowed down again, and that brief moment of intrigue and tension dissipated. Much of the last part of this short film is devoted to trying to stretch it out to a full 90 minutes, and while the semi-animated sequences have a quirky charm to them, it's not enough to make up for the deliberate pace just when you want things to quickly and dramatically unspool.
By the end, my first impression had been confirmed. This isn't a movie I can get excited about.