In Review: "The Book of Life" (2014)

I finally get to see this movie! (Thank you people who post movies online illegally) Right when I saw the trailers for this Halloween release cartoon, I knew I had to see it. But life got in the way, and I'm just watching it now. I have to say, it was definitely worth the wait.

The Plot

The writers must have studied the "How to Make a Great Story" checklist:

Have an original idea that is based off of something familiar (troupe/tradition/toy)
Have a great villain who is truly human
Have the right guy win for the right reasons

In my opinion, all of the best (and most liked) stories/movies/TV shows are based off of these simple rules.

The story is original yet familiar. Two boys are in love with the same girl, and they must fight for her love (classic troupe- "Monte Cristo", "Twilight"- I am not saying this is a good story, "Dawson's Creek"). It's set in Mexico during the celebration of the Day of the Dead (familiar and original). The twist is that the great Mexican spirits get involved- La Muerte (ruler of Land of the Remembered (like heaven)) and Xibalba (ruler of the Land of the Forgotten (similar to hell)). Xibalba is a great villain because he doesn't play fair and therefore we don't like him. But La Muerte can bring out his sensitive side so we don't entirely hate him.

The hardest part of the formula is the last part. The right guy has to win for the right reasons. So if the bad guy does win, it has to be because the good guy needed to be punished or learn a lesson or whatever. If the good guy wins, then it has to be under the right circumstances. So you can't have the good guy win if he cheated.

Ok, done with the theorizing. Back to the story.

Some school kids go on a field trip to a museum, and instead of taking the kids on an old regular tour, the pretty tour guide lady takes them to the back of the museum where she shows them The Book of Life, which contains all of the stories ever written. And she begins to tell the tale of Manolo and Joaquin who are both in love with Maria. When the three are but little ones, the spirits La Muerte (see description above) and Xibalba (see above) make a wager to see who will win Maria. La Muerte chooses Manolo and Xibalba chooses Joaquin. Manolo's father wants him to be a bull fighter like the rest of his family before him, but Manolo only wants to play his guitar and sing. Joaquin's father died in a great battle and is recruited into the army with the expectation that he will be the same. The two best friends grow apart from each other, and Maria is sent away to boarding school.

Years later, they fight for her love and all manner of plot twists and adventure ensues. (I won't give it all away. That's the best part)

The Stars

This was a chance to showcase some of Hollywood's greatest Hispanic actors... and that did not really happen. Some actors fit the parts very well-- Channing Tatum as Joaquin (seriously genius casting) and Ron Perlman as Xibalba (another version of "HellBoy"-- but others fell surprisingly flat-- Zoe Saldana as Maria and Ice Cube as the Candle Maker. Ice Cube doesn't make any sense when he adds in his African American and urban lingo into the mix of a Mexican story. If he was written that way that's fine, but it just doesn't ring true to the origins of the story. Saldana also seems to force the feminism so much so that Maria is more annoying than endearing. She could be witty and clever, but she comes out pushy and snobby.

There are definitely some great Hispanic actors representing here though! Diego Luna ("Milk") plays the romantic Manolo, Hector Elizondo ("Princess Diaries) (of Puerto Rican descent) plays his controlling father Carlos, and Kate del Castillo ("Under the Same Moon") plays a perfect La Muerte.

The Message

Be true to yourself. A message that is mainly reflected in Manolo who struggles to be himself around his overbearing father, in competition with Joaquin, and for himself. There are also themes of how helpful family can be (may be the reason that Manolo won and not Joaquin, who doesn't have any family). There is also an overall theme of life stories and how individuals decide how they are written, not that it is all predestined.

Overall

I really did like this movie. But as it can sometimes happen with animated films, gags and jokes are thrown to the younger half of the audience to make them laugh. Usually these moments are funny to children, but annoying to adults (or anyone older than 7). The mariachi band fills this comic relief spot with only childish and flat humor. And with Ice Cubes total miss of the all-knowing, all-wise Candle Maker, this movie gets bumped down a notch or two.

If you are looking for a movie to explain the basics of the Day of the Dead and what it means to the people of Mexico, this is your movie. The film however is not 100% accurate when it comes to all of the lore of the day and the culture. La Muerte is similar to Santa Muerte, a female skeleton saint who is known for helping people find safe passage into the underworld. Xibalba is the same name as the Mayan underworld, a place of suffering. The reason the people of Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead has nothing to do with whether they will be sent to "The Place of the Remembered" or "The Place of the Forgotten". But the film does do a good job in showing how this seemingly creepy tradition is in fact a beautiful celebration of life and family.

I am also in love with the fact that the animation is almost entirely done to look like wooden figurines. It's just a new way of telling the story. And it's just so pretty! Every shot is a work of art on its own with massive amounts of detail and color that looks like... well, candy!

3 out of 4 Sugar Skulls