Epic (the movie)

Last monday, we went to go see Epic. I was really excited about the movie, because the previews made my heart go a flutter, made Ducia freak out and in general just got a good response from the whole family. I had very high hopes going into the movie theater, but I was somewhat disappointed with the film. The cinematography was excellent, the characters were excellent, but some how the whole story just kind of dragged on for me, and it felt like it would last forever before it was over (something you do not want your viewer to feel). There were parts where I felt like the movie would just be fine without it being in there. But all in all the movie was good.

The movie starts out with cameras watching a fight between birds going on in the woods. This is when we get introduced to Bomba, who is a person most have brushed off as crazy because he believes that in our world there are other worlds. Worlds of tiny soldiers fighting a good fight against the evil forces that try to overtake nature. We find out pretty soon that he is right, that there are things in natural that seek the destruction of the forest, but just as there are bad warriors (boggans) there are warriors who seek to protect the forest called "The leaf men." The general of the leaf men is called Ronin, and he has got his work cut out for him with another team member named Nod. Nod has lost his father, and can't seem to find his place within the leaf men, and thus wants to venture out on his own. We see that the kingdom of the leaf men is ruled by one queen. Queen Tara, and she is due to pick out a bud to take her place. Ronin and Tara have an obvious connection to each other, but because Ronins sworn duty is to protect Tara he is more than serious about that job. He warns Tara that even though tonight is the night that the chosen bud would bloom, she should not hold a ceremony. Against his wishes Tara proceeds to hold a parade and go to the pond where she picks out the smallest bud. And we get to meet the two animals protecting the buds, Mub (a slug) and Grub (a snail - who wants to be a leafman). Shortly after picking out the bud, the Boggans attack. The attack is lead by Mandrakes son - Dagda. We find out earlier that is the plan of Mandarke to destroy the forest with "rot." Basically killing off all of the living plants, and having everything nasty little creature live there. In the attack, Tara runs off with the pod. She is rescued by Ronin on his bird. Mandrake and Dagda follow suit and end up in a battle with Ronin. Dagda ends up falling off his bird and dying.

We go back to the world of people and find out that at one point, Bomba wasn't just a crazy old man but a loving father and husband. His wife left him, with their daughter, but after years his wife passed away and his daughter is driving back to live with her father. Mary Katherine, or as she likes to be called M.K. Both of them are very awkward around each other, after so many years not seeing one another, and of course M.K. thinks that he dad is totally bizarre. In a few short hours she is fed up with him and decides to venture on her own, she leaves her father a note, packs her things and attempts to call a taxi. Her dog, Ollie, escapes and she has to go chasing after him. All the while not knowing that this great battle in going on around her, she stops in a clearing and notices a light fluttering down towards her. Little does she know, it is Queen Tara, who has been shot and is dying. M.K. notices that it could be a human shaped little person, a gust of wind blows up the bud and when M.K. catches it, she starts to spin. When M.K. awakes she sees Queen Tara lying near her, Tara tell her to bring the bud to Nim Galuu. M.K. is startled when leadmen begin to surround her and mourn their queens death, Mub then tells M.K that she is responsible for the seed until they get to Nim Galuu, it is at this point that MK realizes that she is shrunk and has a mini break down.

Meanwhile, Nod has seemed to have found his place in the outskirts of society racing in set up birdraces, and getting bead up by a local bookie Toad called Bufo. Ronin finds him to deliver the news of the queens death, and to borrow Nods bird. Nod tells Ronin that he'd be happy to help since Ronin is not with anyone that knows how to fly a bird. So off Mub, Grub, MK, Ronin and Nod go to see Nim Gualuu. They get in trouble along the way because of Nod's recklessness and have to fight off some more Boggans. All the while, Mandrake has orders put out to bring Bufo to him and tell him where Nod and the leafman headed off to. Bufo supplies this information, after being threatened with death. When the bud finally makes its way to Nim Galuu, we find out that he is a keeper of all magic scrolls of all that was. He leads MK and company down to the bottom of the trees, looking for the scroll that tells them what to do with the bud. When they find it, they notice that half of it is missing.

But the jest is that the bub must be in direct moon light, when the moon is at its highest in the kingdom of the leafmen. With that information, everyone thinks that it is safe, and Nod and MK go off to do their own thing. Clearly the two have developed feelings for each other, and both have the feeling of not belonging in common. This, is however, not the last of Mandrake. Who has planned an assault on the tree where Nim Galuu lives. Mandrake steals the bud and its two care takers Mub and Grub. Of course Nod and MK feel responsible and off they fly with Ronin to retrieve the bud. At Mandrakes layer we learn that if the bud blooms in darkness, instead of the light, the growth would be a dark prince and together they could destroy all of the forest. The trio have to find a way to penetrate Mandrakes layer without getting noticed, and thats when MK suggests that they should go to Bombas house to get some of the samples that he's collected. This does not go as hoped, both Ronin and Nod see the humans in a negative light, and tell MK that he only finds what they want him to, and they have been leading him away from the kingdom the whole entire time. After some trouble they collect the boggans armor, and just as they are about to leave MK gets captured by her dad, who promptly passes out after seeing that his daughter has shrunk. The trio continue forward to Mandrakes layer, but not before MK marks the spot where the leafmen actually live on her fathers map. The epic battle begins here, three people vs a lot of boggans. Of course, MK and Nod escape with the bud, the slug and snail while Ronin insists to stay back and fight. Meanwhile, MK's dad Bomba is coming to the realization that his he may be crazy and it may be time to put his work behind him. Back with the leafmen, MK and Nod made it safely to the kingdom and have placed the seed directly into the moonlight, this is when Mandrake attacks with bats.

Thousands of bats circle the night sky right above the castle, casting darkness on to the seed as it is starting to bloom. The leafmen, including Nod suit up and fly out to try and get the bats away. MK flies towards her fathers cameras in an attempt to get his attention for help. Little does she know that as she is frantically trying to get his attention, Bomba is disconnecting all of his equipment, throwing everything away. Then he notices....a spot on the map that was not marked now has a bright red pin sticking out of it. He instantly realizes that it was his daughter that he saw, and he runs to find her. He gets there right in the nick of time too. We find out that Ronin is still alive when he comes to help Nod battle Mandrake. MK pulls out her father ipod and to clear the sky of the bats, plays the bat sounds that her father has recorded, all the bats pull away from the moon and chase her dad. MK is however, not there when the bud blooms and she thinks she has lost her chance forever, to regain her height.  However, to her surprise the new queen (who ends up being the child Tara rescued at the begging of the movie) is undoing Taras magic. Its bitter sweet when Nod and MK kiss goodbye, fearing that it will be the last time that the two see each other. MK returns to her father, and now helps him study the leafmen. She still has regular communication with Nod and on occasion helps him out. And thus ends the movie.

One thing I really loved about the movie was the soundtrack. Especially snow patrols music that was in the movie.

Such a catchy song, beautiful words and wonderful beat.
So, once again, even though this movie wasn't exactly what I had hoped it would be, it was still a pretty great movie. I can understand the PG rating that it got, because some of the love scenes were kind of awkward, but otherwise, its something that I would recommend to take your child to see. Especially if your child likes nature.