dir. Luc Besson
Luc Besson wrote a series of fantasy novels for children, featuring young boy protagonist Arthur and his adventures with the miniature creatures named Minimoys. If the first film adaptation – naturally helmed by Besson himself – is anything to go by, these books simply cannot be any good. Blending live action and animation, the film veers from the perplexing to the downright disturbing. The plot is a mess; if the story solely focused on Arthur trying to save his grandmother’s farm, it might have worked. But unfortunately it’s closely accompanied by: tiny creatures living in the garden who are terrorised by a villain who’s been corrupted by a weevil (this is never really explained); members of a vague African tribe who randomly materialise in Arthur’s garden through no discernible method to dispense advice; an extremely forced and possibly age-inappropriate romance; and some of the most downright terrifying animation that has ever been created. Astoundingly, Besson continued making further films and a TV series, perhaps proving that abundant passion is not enough to justify any project.
BMDb 