There are many qualities that the new animated feature Epic exhibits, that allows this movie to be as enjoyable and entertaining as it is. At its most basic, the plot concept for this film is impeccable yet simple; who hasn't tromped through the woods and experienced a random branch falling from a tree, or the rustle of one bush yet all the others stay still? Epic is here to reveal that these occurrences are caused by the microscopic actions of the Leafmen, the protectors of the forest, making sense of the goings on of the woods.
It is also refreshing to see a film about wildlife where the antagonist is not an evil, corporate, money grubbing human who's only desire is to tear down every leaf and twig to build a condominium or strip mall as is the case in most other movies of Epic's nature. Yes, humans are evil, we're responsible for deforestation, global warming, and the extinction of the dinosaurs-we get it. For once, however, a movie does not follow other nature based flicks, and in fact creates a villain who is actually from the tiny world in which the audience visits. Boggans are evil, disgusting, nasty creatures who are responsible for killing the forest, which the Leafmen fight to protect. As the beloved character Nod (Josh Hutcherson) says at the discovery that his new friend MK (Amanda Seyfried) has never witnessed these beings: "You've never seen a Boggan? Someone had a happy childhood."
While I enjoyed the movie and thought it to be good, I am not the intended audience. So, to get a perspective from those in the targeted demographic for this film, I turned to my movie companion: my eleven year old cousin. She, being a fan of animated movies, said this to me: "I really liked it, but I wish that MK had stayed small, and that she and Nod had gotten together in the end."
I was in complete agreement.
Though the end of the film is sufficient enough-it is not a sad ending and MK does not lose complete touch with her small friends- it still lacks the connectedness between the characters that movie goers yearn for. During the film, an obvious spark grows between MK and Nod (how can one not after their ride together on the antlers of a deer?) and before MK becomes big again they share a kiss. So the question remains, how does this relationship work out? Are they a couple, or just going to remain friends? It certainly would be complicated with one person being as big as the other's thumb, and needing gaudy headgear in order to communicate.
Who knows? Maybe Blue Sky Studios will address this in a sequel, maybe they will let it be. In the end, the movie was entertaining and is sure to be a hit with young audiences.
