19 Nov 10 - Tangled

*SouthSide usually doesn't cover movies however she (along with the test audience - Vyolet and Sunday) attended the Tangled movie premiere this week.*


Disney has done it ...again and this time, it's in 3D!

It's latest addition to the princess lineup - Rapunzel - clearly shows how un-imaginative this archaic animation/movie company has recently become and it has its new movie sucked into the 3D fad too instead of the traditional use of 2D.

Tangled is a loosely-based story of Grimm Brothers' fairy tale, Rapunzel. And SouthSide literally means "loosely based" ...watered down to the point that Disney only kept the bare basics to this story (the girl with long hair, tower and a witch, affectionately named Mother Gothel) before adding filler which was never part of the original fairy tale. SouthSide won't reveal much about the plot - let's just say Rapunzel uses her lovely locks for more than pulling a full grown witch up the tower however she doesn't remember reading about Rapunzel's hair having healing powers (reference to Disney's Atlantis movie) or an outlaw named Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) ...or a kingdom that lights lanterns every year on the missing princess' birthday. Somehow the legendary Grimm Brothers missed that part in their fairy tale version.

Now toss in a horse named Maximus (a Russell Crowe Gladiator reference?) that "acts" like a trained dog (Hunchback of Notre Dame reference) during the film and a chameleon named Pascal with a Robert DeNiro "I'm watching you" complex. SouthSide found the animals (as well as the gang of ruffian bandits) far more interesting in Tangled than the main characters, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) and Flynn (Levi). There's plenty of Disney action, adventure in which binds Rapunzel and Flynn together, romance (of course - think Little Mermaid during the boat scene when Moore and Levi sing the duet I See The Light) and lame Disney humor (most of the funny moments are shown in the Tangled commercials). Sadly none of the humor didn't attract a single guffaw from SouthSide's eight year old daughter - take it as a bad sign when a movie doesn't generate any excitement from a tween girl who's loves dressing up as a princess.

Usually Disney movies are filled with ear-popping, memorable songs such as Can You Feel The Love Tonight (Lion King), Pink Elephants (Dumbo) or A Girl Worth Fighting For (Mulan). However Tangled fails miserably in the song category. The songs are mostly big production, Broadway sounding pieces like Mother Gothel's Mamma Knows Best - SouthSide liked the Shadow Man's song Friends On The Other Side (from The Princess and The Frog) better. It was darker, creepier and scarier unlike Mother Gothel's in which this reviewer had to stop herself from laughing out of her seat from lack of scariness (even in 3D it wasn't scary). Yet Tangled does have one memorable (but not Oscar worthy) song - I Got A Dream that had the feel and fun of Gaston from Beauty and The Beast. Alan Menken is at the helm for Tangled's original score and songs (with Glenn Slater on lyrics) but this reviewer noticed the recycled themes from his past films and lack of creativity on lyrics.

Yes, Tangled will generate the usual Disney money numbers amongst families during this upcoming holiday season however it's not truly a Disney hit or best. It won't ever rank up there with Beatty and The Beast, Cinderella or its first cinematic classic Snow White.

Tangled is simply too tangled up to believe its own hype for this reviewer to like ...even in 3D.

Save your money...


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide