Epic

Epic isn't quite destined for the “Again, again!” re-watchability of some of the Pixar classics, but for a satisfying explosion of color on a lazy summer day, it does the trick. Read full review

In the roll call of visually distinctive ’toons, Epic looms large. Read full review

Epic certainly manages to tell a compelling tale. Yet in a post-Up era where animated films can pulse with profound truths, the question remains: Is mere entertainment enough? Read full review

While it might not amount to epic animated filmmaking in terms of scope and invention, Epic, a 3D, CG adventure-fantasy from Blue Sky Studios, nevertheless makes for pleasantly engaging viewing. Read full review

Great voice work, stunning visuals, and a witty, full script make this entertaining for all ages. Read full review

Enormously visually appealing, even if the story itself is almost unrecognizably bloated. Read full review

The film's clever use of emerald-colored hummingbirds as transportation is a highlight. Read full review

While never losing its visual dazzle-factor, Epic keeps returning to overly familiar themes and characters. Read full review

Epic isn’t epic, but it isn’t half bad, either. It’s just that as high as the bar has been raised on this sort of animation, this is more evidence that a strong story is worth more than any next generation software. Read full review

And that's the thing with Epic: It's something close to an animated masterpiece, provided it's watched on mute. Read full review

The diminution works its appeal once again in Epic – the latest film from the creators of "Ice Age" and "Rio" – which is just as well, because the rest of the narrative follows a rather predictable route. Read full review

What stands out is the animation. The microcosmic woodland world is luminous and detailed, and there's a nice disconnect of scale whereby humans appear as lumbering, slow-motion giants. Read full review

Although Epic isn't quite an animated masterpiece -- or as enchanting as the vastly underrated "Guardians" -- it's still a fun, sweet-hearted kid-pleaser that boasts some downright lovely animation. Read full review

The film looks terrific, with a fantastical forest coming to 3-D life. Swooping birds, flying arrows and more make good use of the technology. But the best films use technology as a storytelling device, not as a substitute for story itself. Read full review

A reasonably entertaining, adeptly crafted kidpic whose biggest crime is its near pathological reliance on overfamiliar tropes and trappings. Read full review

By no means an epic fail, but lacking the spry wit of more adult-friendly animations, this is big on action and small on originality. Gorgeous visuals aside, Epic is resolutely kiddie fare. Read full review

While it’s not a crossover classic, this has enough wit and charm to entertain both big and little people. Read full review

Director Chris Wedge falls into the common animator’s trap of making the “human” characters a lot duller than the nonhuman creepy-crawlies. Read full review

The ratio of humor and action and parent-child bonding is so formulaic, and the character design and molded-figurine-like animation so typical of the genre in the age of Pixar (and Pixar imitators), that Epic evaporates from the mind within minutes of leaving the theater. Read full review

Generic and forgettable. Read full review

There’s a worrisome failure of imagination at work in the title of this movie. It’s actually hard to imagine a more generic title. But at least it’s succinct. It rolls off the tongue much better than Movie That Feels Not So Much Inspired As Engineered According to Conventional Animated Kids’ Genre Requirements. Read full review

When the movie should touch the heart, it just misses. When moments should produce gales of laughter, it struggles for a smile. When panic and fear should set the heart racing, it doesn't. Read full review

As beautiful as it is, Epic is fatally lacking in visceral momentum and dramatic edge. Read full review

Well-polished and well-intentioned, this human-among-the-fairies adventure is filled with plenty of rousing action for short attention spans. But the beautiful visuals are paired with a mediocre script. The pacing is off and scenes become repetitive. While Epic has broad appeal, it's hard to imagine this will be anyone's favorite movie in 5 or 10 or 20 years.

The animated result isn't bad. It's an adequate baby sitter. But where's the allure in telling the truth? Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios present "Adequate"? Read full review

Epic is heavy on celebrity voices and light on imagination. Read full review

I had the sensation of sitting through a fourth-grade school play that contained no children of my own: the very definition of a nightmare. Read full review

Naming aside, Epic could have been good, except that it wasn’t, it was stone cold terrible, something even a six-year-old might scoff at. I know, I’m just as sad as you are about the whole thing. Read full review

For all its attempts at wonder and spectacle and play, Epic is mostly a slog. Read full review

Even young would-be botanists will find this charmless animated adventure as exciting as watching grass grow. Read full review