Opening on a grainy, dirty “feature presentation” screen straight out of the grindhouse era, it’s clear that “ParaNorman” is committed to paying tribute to the horror classics, even before we get a glimpse of a ghost, witch or zombie. True, there’s a strong message to be found here, but the new stop-motion film from Laika (the same studio that brought us “Coraline”), is mostly interested in providing scares and laughs in equal measure.
Set in a small New England town not unlike one Salem, Mass., “ParaNorman” tells the story of Norman Babcock, a seemingly typical 10-year-old kid, albeit one with the ability to interact with ghosts. Unsurprisingly, Norman’s daily conversations with his deceased grandmother are a cause for concern for his parents and his strange behavior gets him ignored or ridiculed by nearly everyone at school (save for fellow outsider Neil). As the 300th anniversary of a notorious witch trial approaches, Norman is informed by his uncle that he must protect the town from said witch’s curse, which threatens to wreak havoc of all shapes and sizes.
The film’s horror-comedy approach proves to be both an advantage and disadvantage to the film. On the plus side, “ParaNorman” sports some of the most stunning visuals in any movie this year, shifting effortlessly from gorgeous backgrounds to delightfully grotesque character designs and back again. In fact, “ParaNorman” is one of few movies worth watching for the imagery alone.
It’s a shame, then, that the story can’t reach those same heights. The set-up is strong and the finale packs a punch, yet the film seems content with letting gross-out humor, chase scenes and constant slapstick dominate the entire middle section. At first, it’s enjoyably kooky, but after nearly 20 minutes of zombies running after humans and vice versa, one yearns for the plot to kick in again. It doesn’t help that several characters here are tired stereotypes, e.g. the dumb jock or the bratty teenage sister.
That being said, a lot of work was put into “ParaNorman” and it shows. In addition to the animation, the usage of sound is terrific, especially during the film’s creepier moments. The voice acting, provided by the likes of John Goodman, Casey Affleck and Anna Kendrick, is nothing short of stellar. The story is a bit of a disappointment, but when all is said and done, “ParaNorman” has its heart in the right place and the film’s technical expertise makes it worth, at the very least, a Blu-Ray rental.
3.5 out of 5 Dolphins
