MICHAEL LOMAX: ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ more than just a magical adventure tale
FILM REVIEW: The simplest stories are usually the best
By Michael Lomax
I didn’t know a thing about “Kubo and the Two Strings” before I saw it. I had seen a couple one-liner TV spots, sure, but when I noticed the animated film getting such a positive reaction online, I had to see what the critical buzz was about.
A one-eyed young boy named Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) lives in ancient Japan with his ill mother (Charlize Theron). He travels alone to the village every day and tells origami stories with the help of his mother’s magical Japanese guitar — called a shamisen.
Kubo tells stories of a mighty warrior who collected the three pieces of a legendary armor and fought the Moon King, but Kubo is never able to finish his stories. The sun sets before he can, and Kubo must return home at once.
When Kubo stays out late one night in the village, his stories come to life and an old demon from his family’s past returns to haunt him.
On paper “Kubo and the Two Strings” seems like just about any other magical adventure tale, and that’s because it is. The film makes no attempt to hide it, at least. But what’s often lost in saying what happens in a movie is the emotion you felt when you watched it. The simplest tales are usually the best precisely because they’re so simple.
They strike right at the heart without worrying too much about impressions or glamour.
“Kubo” is a stop-motion film made by the same studio that produced “Coraline” and “ParaNorman,” and if you aren’t ready for it, the visual style might be hit or miss for you. This might explain in part why the film has apparently tanked at the box office.
Faced against stiff competition from “Suicide Squad” and “Sausage Party,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” flew mostly under the radar last week, and I doubt it’s going to get much better moving forward. And it’s a bit of a shame.
“Kubo” is a moving film about accepting loss and expressing your love for others through kind actions. Eventually through the generations something positive will pass along and enrich the community — whatever that community may be.
With as much conflict as there is in the world, if you can afford two hours to remind yourself what’s really important in life, take it. “Kubo and the Two Strings” might be that movie for you, and I would encourage anyone to see it.
Michael Lomax is a writer-filmmaker currently at work on a film script to be set and shot in Albany.
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