Thoughts on Book of Life?
I'm kinda disappointed. Some parts I really enjoyed and lots of others not so much. Overall I feel like it's a lot of wasted potential. It could've been so much more, especially with dem gorgeous visuals to bank on.
>Maria is an annoying cunt
>writing/story in general ain't very good
>some stupid and unfitting VAs like the Candle Maker (LOL HE TALKS LIKE A NIGGA FROM DA HOOD!!1 XD)
>shitty pop music with the exception of the Apology Song
>>78372859
>Maria is an annoying cunt
What the hell did she do?
Wasted potential, yes. People needed more of those cousins.
I think the pacing is what made the whole thing fall apart.
I thought the story was fine and the visuals were great. Ice Cube as the Candlemaker was a little off. Mostly, I wish they had original music rather than covers of existing songs.
>>78372911
MUH GURRRL POWAH
>>78373212
Use your words, son. What did she do that annoyed you besides having a vagina?
>>78372859
Maria is the very definition of mary Sue
She's pretty much perfect in every way
It a disappointment yes but I only watched it for the visual though and i like El-tigre a lot
I also wanted more of the wins
>>78373286
She was pretty boring as a female protagonist. "Oh, I don't neeeed a man, I'm strong and I know kung-fu and fencing and I, like, totally know how to READ" and then is essentially treated like a prize. I mean, not essentially, LITERALLY a prize for the two main male leads since the gods made a bet over which one would win if one or the other woos her first.
That being said, I still thought she was cute, and it was nice to see something by Jorge on the big screen. Such nice colors, and really cute merch.
>>78373064
I think it was supposed to be a trilogy that they ended up having to squish into one film, so that's why it was so weirdly paced.
>>78372859
Needed more money.
If it was realistically rendered, with them looking more like puppets made from real materials rather than obvious CG, it would have been much better. (so a style more like the lego movie) As it is its instantly dated by the visuals, where color and design really can't make up for.
Get rid of the kids, both in the museum and shorten the segment of all the characters in the past, terrible kid VAs kill that sequence. And they should have just kept the title Dia de los Muertos related and not bowed to Pixar's movie that isn't even named anything remotely related to day of the dead besides being spanish. Having to make the book of life a big part of the movie detracted and was an obvious last minute move.
It's still an entertaining movie and really handles mexican culture well, and after free birds its amazing it was as watchable as it was.
>>78373212
>>78373286
Her character is just the "strong woman don't need no man" stereotype we've seen a thousand times with no weaknesses while the two men in the love breadtangle are fairly fleshed out and realistic. What I especially liked was Channing Tatum's character giving up on "winning" the girl once he sees that she doesn't love him and is more concerned about how her and her father feel than his own ambitions (and then she baits him into saying something sexist because she's so smart and all the men and other women are so dumb)
Also lame Kung fu joke that falls flat in the most climatic of moments
>>78372859
Maria's girl power thing was so over the top that I assumed it was satire, but i can agree with the rest
I still enjoy the movie though
I liked it, specially the visuals.
My only complains are that the time they spent in the underworld was short, and the overuse of that Kinky song whenever the guy who gets the twin's bone pussy did something heroic.
I love el Día de Muertos.
Literally the only good thing in it was the twins. Everything else sucked.
Animation was pretty solid and all the scenes were pretty good. Music was out of place in some scenes but I liked it.
>>78372859
I loved the movie, but mostly for the aforementioned gorgeous visuals.
>>78374863
>>78373522
Same for me.
The El-Tigre inspiration was so plentiful and that final fight scene was the the only great part of the whole movie.
Like watching a classic El-Tigre fight beautifully animated on the big screen.
That's another plus the movie had going for it the animation was gorgeous.
In the end it was mediocre at best. Girl power female lead and a journey to win her heart was pretty shit, the family dynamic was nice and we'll written though.
I also think it might have been better had it not been told in a campfire story tone to annoying kids the movie decided it needed to cut back to every once in a while and ruin the immersion of the tale.
>>78375696
same thing with hotel transylvania, amazing visuals, meh story.
The fact that they spent literally something like less than twenty minutes actually in the land of the dead despite them advertising the fuck out of the place in the trailers, grinds my gears to hell and back.
And fuck the mariachi niggas, they and the rest of the shrek style pop culture humor were hot sand blasting my balls.
>>78375696
Final museum scene would've been better if La Muerte didn't reveal herself at the end.
The two of them having the same Voice Actor was evidence enough.
>>78376024
The pacing of the movie in general was pretty fucked. They spend half of the movie doing absolutely fuck-all in the regular world, and then cram an entire adventure in two separate worlds into the second half. So everything drags on forever until it suddenly starts whipping by at the speed of light.
POST
LEWD
BONES
Too little time in the land of the dead.
>>78376473
WE WOULD
IF THE MOVIE HAD ACTUALLY GIVEN US MORE THAN TWO MINUTES OF ANY.
>>78376429
Same, I was thoroughly unimpressed until Xibalba sent Manolo into the land of the dead. Was hoping it would really pick up there, but alas.
A purely 'okay' movie with a few actually great elements, like the art direction and character designs, Joaquin, and Xibalba and La Muerta. I also liked that when they used actual songs they at least covered them in a style that would fit the setting. The mariachi cover of Mumford and Sons was great.
>>78372859
I really loved the art but hated the shitty pop songs and fast pacing
>>78372859
Candle guy and all the songs are what kept it from being a great movie and kept it solidly in mediocre.
>>78372859
Everything was fine until
>Killing bulls is wrong :(
Fuck you, it's our culture. If you are not going to respect our traditions then don't bother to mention them.
>>78378599
Movie was literally made by Mexicans. Not everyone there feels the same way you do.
>>78378628
>Bullfighting
>Mexicans
M8, I don't think you know where this shit started.
![The.Book.of.Life.2014.1080p.BluRay.x264-GECKOS.mkv_snapshot_00.04.23_[2015.09.05_23.14.29].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/g493nRR.jpg "The.Book.of.Life.2014.1080p.BluRay.x264-GECKOS.mkv_snapshot_00.04.23_[2015.09.05_23.14.29].jpg")
![The.Book.of.Life.2014.1080p.BluRay.x264-GECKOS.mkv_snapshot_00.04.31_[2015.09.05_23.14.41].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/K0YXLRQ.jpg "The.Book.of.Life.2014.1080p.BluRay.x264-GECKOS.mkv_snapshot_00.04.31_[2015.09.05_23.14.41].jpg")
Manolo didn't give half a shit about his father dying
>>78373625
Yeah, I didn't hate Maria or anything, but I do think she falls into some tropes that try to paint her as super competent, rather than allow her to have her own flaws or distinct characteristics.
Better than standard cardboard cutout love interests, but her main role still falls into being the object of affection.
>>78378670
that doesnt mean it isnt a common practice in mexico,or at least it was until they started protesting against it, but still hasnt died completely.
>>78373122
>Ice Cube as the Candlemaker was a little off.
Thought he had fun with the role, but it still felt a bit out of place.
>>78375358
Favorite character designs. Shame they only had like two scenes.
>>78372859
The art style made it worth a viewing alone.
They should have stuck with original songs, and could have polished the tone of the story a bit more, but I had fun with it.
>>78372859
I loved it personally, it was my favorite movie of that year.
>Maria is an annoying cunt
True, but she didn't detract from the movie, nor make it any worse.
>writing/story in general ain't very good
Is this bait?
>some stupid and unfitting VAs like the Candle Maker (LOL HE TALKS LIKE A NIGGA FROM DA HOOD!!1 XD)
Fuck off, most of the voices were great. What, people can't have Ice Cube in their movies anymore?
>shitty pop music with the exception of the Apology Song
Oh, so you are just shitposting then.
I cheered the wrong guy. Maria had bitchfit for every little thing he said wrong, and then gets woo'd by Freak by Radiohead.
Its that its so clear who she loves, yet she tempts army man giving him false hope. And then she is "forced" to marry him and broods about it. What? You think this is what the army man wanted? Did you not hear him being against it going down like this? Nobody is fucking forcing you.
All 3 of them knows who loves who in this love-triangle, but Maria just keeps leaning FOR NO REASON.
>>78372859
it was visually attractive, and the story was interesting, but the candlemaker was retarded, and the entire land of the remembered portion was rushed
So, if Maria had just become a lesbian, what would happen to the gods' bet?
>>78378599
>this nigger doesnt know mexican culture is a bunch of stolen cultures mixed up
do you even live in mexico you pinche joto
>>78378599
My people used to feel that way about owning blacks. Times change, sometimes.
>>78378670
The movie takes place in mexico. All bullfighting in the movie is mexican bullfighting. Its origins aren't relevant in this context.
>>78378599
>slavery
MUH CULTURE
>genital mutilation
MUH CULTURE
>elaborate torture
MUH CULTURE
>>78380763
>Nobody is fucking forcing you.
Actually, her dad was pressuring her pretty hard and he as well as circumstances had led her to believe marrying Joaquin was the only way to save her town from the bandits. Basically
>bandits are coming to destroy town
>no way to stop bandits without Joaquin
>but Joaquin won't stay to protect town UNLESS he gets married- after all, he has his own life traveling helping other people and he's only here for a visit and to see if he has a chance with Maria
>Therefore, Maria must marry Joaquin to get him to stay and save the town.
It was literally, to her, "If I don't do this, many of my loved ones and a bunch of innocent strangers will die."
The real hole here isn't Maria's decision to marry Joaquin, but that Joaquin knows how messed up this whole thing is and doesn't do anything about it like say "hey, I'll just stay anyway and you don't have to marry me." or "no, I won't marry you because you don't love me and I'll make my own decision whether to come or go instead of being held by a sham marriage." I guess maybe he felt he had to go through with it as a point of honor because he'd already proposed and didn't want to retract his proposal? Also it's important to note that Manolo was already "dead," and Joaquin was very likely the man Maria loved the next best, being such good friends and all, so it was either eventually marry Joaquin or never marry. And her decision was rushed because, again, lives were on the line that minute.
Her decision kind of reminds me of Princess and the Frog, how Naveen decides to marry Charlotte to get money for Tiana's restaurant, but nobody thinks to just ask Charlotte if she'll just loan the money because she's a good person, which she eventually figures to offer to do herself.
>>78378741
To be fair, his dad didn't seem too cut up about being dead either.
>>78380763
>she tempts army man giving him false hope
>All 3 of them knows who loves who in this love-triangle, but Maria just keeps leaning FOR NO REASON.
You projecting here?
>>78372859
I wish it was more serious and less kitschy
>>78372859
Absolutely loved the aesthetics and design of the movie, it's just a shame that the story was merely 'OK' rather than good.
The tone either needed to be darker or lighter and not just occupying the middle ground. It's a shame Dreamworks didn't keep a hold of it as they might have been able to make it meatier.
these two save the whole thing
this movie had a really strange effect on me. the first time I saw it, I didn't really care about it. but for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about it. the more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me. I just found the characters delightful and the wooden puppet style charming.
I ended up re watching it three or four times in a row.
Those kids were annoying as hell though.
The movie should have been about La Muerte and Xibalba and had a lot less mortal realm stuff in it.
>>78378724
>>78378729
fucking hell, that looks amazing
such wasted potential
>>78372859
never seen the movie
but I wanna fuck that corpse
>>78387482
kinda same here. I rewatched the movie in the same week, it's just absolutely great to look at.
I don't even care much about the plot, has there ever been an animated movie with an A+ plot? fuck no.
There's a reason disney mostly remade fairy tales
>>78385044
Does that kind of reaction surprise you somehow? That's kind of how cultures & people work, brah. Unless you live in a fairytale, it shouldn't surprise you that cultures around the world aren't all sunshine & daisies.
>>78387202
>like 10 lines between them
>save the whole movie
just say waifu you fool
>>78381849
I'm pretty sure it was already destined that she would've ended up with one of the two, the only thing up for debate was which one exactly.
>>78381849
>skeleton tits
whats the point
>>78394480
Do you have some kind of problem with skeleton tits anon?
>>78378599
stfu nigger. I'm mexican and some of our traditions are shit and need to die. Bullfighting and cockfights are a disgrace to any culture.
>>78394480
She's made of sugar, m8.
Literal sugar-tits.
La Muerte is muh waifu
>>78372859
They didn;t do a very good job of covering up the joints on the CGI models. Made them look like mannequins.
And all the flowers and dots and shit scribbled on the dead characters go old quick
>>78396386
Personally I didn't understand why everybody sounded like fucking beaners. Like it's a big production, surely they had room in the budget to hire real voice actors and not just stuff a truck south of the border and bring them up.
>>78396386
Werent they supposed to look like puppets
>>78396817
That's ridiculous, why would they make a CGI movie and then just make the models look like puppets anyway. Think before you speak next time, anon.
>>78372859
Looked fantastic, awful story.
>>78397265
they were made to look like puppets because they were represented by puppets in the museum, the museum kids had a different design.
>>78387875
She's actually made of sugar.
I thought it was pretty good, the pacing seemed a little rushed though, but all in all a good flick.
>that feel when you're white and all your friends are Hispanic for some reason
>they're surprised I watched it because of my racist humorbecause racism as a joke is fucking hilarious
>"What did you think of it?"
>"Well, now that I've seen it, I feel that I now truly understand the lives and plight of the Mexican people. I think that I'm now closer to you and your people than ever before."
I think that's the closest I've ever been to having someone want to murder me.
>>78399259
Why did you say that?
>>78399409
Because 'I' thought it was funny.
>>78380508
>Didn't detract
It kinda does, Anon. Generally logic goes that a poorly constructed and annoying character tends to bring down the rest of the film
>bait
The story is partially a little uninspired, but mostly we seem to feel that its concepts were poorly utilized and executed. The afterlife could have been used for so many more cool things, but the plot instead seemed content to meander on the romance instead of the fucking skeleton people that niggas like me came to see.
>VAs
I restate. Fuck the mariachi niggas, fuck the townspeople, fuck the Candlemaker. Is it too much to ask for some of the side characters to not be pop-culture fountaining faggots?
>shitposting
You're hardly being fair here. If you want to refute him, talk about how the songs being pop ADDED to the production. In my book, the recognition distracted me from the scene, like the other pop culture spouts, and for a movie that really went and tried to make its own world, I just find it heavily disappointing that they so frequently just painted on some vaguely mexicano facades to otherwise pretty unfitting songs.
>I'm open to other cultures except when they offend my sensibilities.
![The.Book.of.Life.2014.1080p.BluRay.x264-GECKOS.mkv_snapshot_00.52.17_[2015.09.05_23.26.16].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/OPwtTps.jpg "The.Book.of.Life.2014.1080p.BluRay.x264-GECKOS.mkv_snapshot_00.52.17_[2015.09.05_23.26.16].jpg")
>>78400181
>>78400174
i dont know why i find this so creepy, but it is
>>78374649
yeah this. It was not well thought out, hamfisted, and so insincere
>>78378724
it makes me want to go back to san antonio mexican town (which is like the closest I've been to mexico)besides chicago
>>78376514
we've done more with less.
The underworld should've been the majority of the movie rather than a big bait-and-switch that didn't end up having any relevance until the last fourth or so of the film.
I wish it had been much heavier on the underworld escape arc
I went into it thinking it would be mostly him dealing with various supernatural trials based on the trailer
I was disappointed
>>78403198
>>78403567
based on the trailer I thought manolo would die in like the first 15 minutes
>>78373212
I thought this movie made deliberate fun of girl power tropes, given that she goes to a Catholic convent and comes back knowing swordfighting and kung-fu. Her lines even draw attention to the fact that she was taught this by nuns
>>78387202
What the fuck does primo even mean
>>78403701
This makes me wish we got to see those nuns.
>>78397373
>that kid is wearing a fedora.
>El reddit: the film
I wanna impregnate La Muerte!
>>78372859
>Maria
She is like so many modern female protagonists EXCEPT that she is only bluster on the outside. Yes she comes off as "Imma Independent Womyn!" a few times, but let's be honest, those couple of times the guys weren't treating her like a person.(Of course women treat men like they aren't people all the time and no one bats an eye or mentions it... But I digress.)
I actually liked Maria's character though, because in the end, she doesswallow her pride and prepare herself to marry Jaquin in order to keep the villain safe.That shows she's not a terrible person/woman/character.
I will say the line "I alsolearned kungfu!" seemed kinda thrown in there for women-power but I don't believe that. I think it was just for laughs.
>writing/story in general ain't very good
You'll need to elaborate if you want that comment to stand up to criticism. Many movies have extremely simple plots and characters but are well done nonetheless.
>some stupid and unfitting VAs like the Candle Maker (LOL HE TALKS LIKE A NIGGA FROM DA HOOD!!1 XD)
Sheesh, he had a SMALL part. I don't like it but the rest of the movie still has value.
>shitty pop music with the exception of the Apology Song
That's like, your opinion, man.
>>78372859
But I would have just loved to see a feature length El-Tigre episode. Not gonna lie.
At least Guillermo got signed to a multi-film deal now, after the modest success of this film. That's pretty great in my opinion, especially for someone who loves his craft and his creations as much as he does.
He appears to be unlike the other shmucks in here to produce even more formulaic drivel. You know who you are.
