Annapurna Pictures | Release Date: April 12, 2019
6.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 91 Ratings
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55
Mixed:
30
Negative:
6
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6
BrunoVn00Oct 11, 2019
The guys at Laika have pretty much perfected stop motion so much that it basically looks like stylized CGI. Missing Link is gorgeous in the visual aspect. The CGI is so smooth and the visual effects so breathtaking that, like I said, itThe guys at Laika have pretty much perfected stop motion so much that it basically looks like stylized CGI. Missing Link is gorgeous in the visual aspect. The CGI is so smooth and the visual effects so breathtaking that, like I said, it seriously looks like regular CGI, even though it's stop motion. Pretty much like a reverse Lego Movie (that movie looked like stop motion but was CGI). Unfortunately, the hours and hours spent on meticulously crafting every single frame of this amazing-looking movie feel like they were completely wasted, because Laika seems to not give a sh*t about its own movies, thus giving barely any marketing and as a consequence, bombing at the box office. They keep making less and less money and not even with celebrities names attached (like Hugh Jackman and Zach Galifkakfdjag however it's spelled) this movie could make any money. It's a shame. But even worse, the animators also wasted their time because the story is so bland and formulaic. If you have seen another movie where a human meets a rare creature, becomes friends and has to prevent the creature from getting captured by the villains, you've seen this movie. It has so many predictable elements, clichés and plot conveniences worse than those found in Kubo. The characters are not compelling and underdeveloped. No character seem to grow or have an arc, the only character that feels that there was effort in its development is Mr. Link, because he is the only one who kinda learns something at the end. The villains feel so weak and are even pointless, like you could remove them from the story and make some other character (not gonna spoil anything) the main villain. Great movies are those that you can't think of anything to improve them, but here, I was constantly thinking about how the story and characters could've been better, and that's not good. This feels a lot more childish than previous Laika movies, thus lacking any depth in the story, any complex themes that you could understand better as an adult. There's some good comedy though, but most of the humor is predictable fish-out-of-water stuff and slapstick. Don't get me wrong, it was still a pretty enjoyable movie, but it is hard to deny that it feels so standard and uninspired, it's more of a "popcorn" movie. Honestly this was really disappointing. I don't know how could they made a movie worse than Kubo, I really wanted to give this movie a chance. Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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6
amheretojudgeApr 21, 2019
Butler has made a longer than twenty minutes of a sitcom episode, it is light and public opinionated, it is going to get the attention, it is made to.

Missing Link Butler's love story is not of the epic scale its theme suggests, it is more
Butler has made a longer than twenty minutes of a sitcom episode, it is light and public opinionated, it is going to get the attention, it is made to.

Missing Link

Butler's love story is not of the epic scale its theme suggests, it is more rich and high in its poem than it is or should have been electrifying. But then everything is left until the very last moment, whether it be then uplifting conversations or the punchline in the storytelling. Speaking of which, the humor isn't as smooth as it was in The Kubo And The Two Strings, there is a lot of extra effort that is to be dragged. While the rest of the effort is spent upon contradicting your opinion or expectations on how or where the film and characters are leading towards. Ironically, in order to do so, Chris Butler, the writer-director, has somehow managed to spring in that same fragrant flower that we all adore but also are familiar to.

The only possible way to reach for the "get out" clause in such a situation is to derive a maturity that would make him bulletproof. And pinning down the sequence where the lead, the protagonist, is helping his friend from falling into the sea, that very moment paints the poised nature of the film where it doesn't appeal to its viewers with irrelevant and incongruent flight jumps or heroic moments to draw in the gasps but stays true to the narration that makes sense in this loud train of summer blockbuster.

Personally, it would always be a love story for me, and not between two individuals, but one personality split into two diversely behaved men, shaved and not so shaved. The mirror like persona that they carry is a beauty to behold, with two separate paths leading to a rendezvous point which is then evolved into the "Home Sweet Home", is the Missing Link that they solve through shuffling the priorities, it starts off as the tale of "The One" and negotiates with us into the "We" type of allegory.
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2 of 4 users found this helpful22
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5
TyranianAug 4, 2019
Fantastic animation and decent voice acting but the film is otherwise depressingly unoriginal and stupid.
0 of 3 users found this helpful03
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4
TrevorsViewApr 18, 2019
From 1900 to the first photographed black hole, from White men ruling the nation to women finally being allowed to serve as police officers, political correctness seems to get the better of our crazy nature, to the extent where a perfectlyFrom 1900 to the first photographed black hole, from White men ruling the nation to women finally being allowed to serve as police officers, political correctness seems to get the better of our crazy nature, to the extent where a perfectly healthy desire to achieve equal rights becomes our greatest poison. Missing Link tries to fill those gaps between 100 years ago and now with its best intentions at heart, but ultimately doesn’t get most of anything right. No proper insight exposes what anybody thinks about anything, not even a view of the Statue of Liberty under construction, which is there for no reason besides to look pretty.

This story remains completely typical as it replicates beat-by-beat the unemotional American love story—where the girl at first hates the boy but then she changes after accepting his immaturity. This “boy” is actually a well-dressed grown gentleman named Lionel, one who isn’t ashamed to join in on a fiddle-and-string saloon bar fight during his glossed-over travels to the United States. Lionel’s story really isn’t worth exploring anyway, since in his first scene, he seems unfazed when a prehistoric lake monster drags his colleague underwater, automatically making him a jerk not worthy of sympathy.

These childish characters go through absolutely no change by the end, particularly Lionel’s passive co-lead, the legendary sasquatch. Despite being the last of his kind in a disappearing home, the big-footed beast never gives the viewer a reason to care about their journey to the Himalayas. It’s not charming when they ride on a negatively depicted Indian transportation vehicle (saddle and elephant), it’s not hot with high stakes when a one-dimensional villain tries to stop them for money, it merely settles for getting the job done.

Although production designer Lou Romano (The Incredibles) still reflects reluctant old, old tribal art styles in the colorful set pieces. Right from the opening shot of a bare snow footprint that transitions into a shoe-bearing human footprint, Romano keeps feet a consistent metaphor. There’s a huge castle that is framed to compensate for the tonal coldness as it triggers acrophobia icier than a grassy civilization, and there’s Lionel running on the walls of a boat as it scales ninety degrees up a wave. Director Chris Butler (ParaNorman) knows how to combine the ancient craft of making figurine dolls with modern technology to tell stories in a way inspired off centuries-old traditions.

Now, it’s time to highlight the film’s biggest laugh beyond a photorealistic bird’s-eye desert sea view: It’s Ching Valdes-Aran, the best voice actor in the cast, who voices a confused, quiet old lady named Gamu. Especially when she shrieks, the reason is strong enough of a joke, but her delivery of that shriek makes the final punch complete. Valdes-Aran is not the only one whose voice connects perfectly to the puppet eyes, everyone in the cast does all that they can to attempt a full experience in spite of the dreadful script. It results in some really funny moments, including why one character is named “Susan,” and why that name connects to the literal thought process of the big orange behemoth. It’s nothing special or memorable, but most certainly gets the chuckle going.

The laughs aren’t enough though; it would be much funnier with a logical explanation as to why Mr. Sasquatch speaks and reads perfect English, aside from just being around humans all the time. Not to mention the disguise Lionel dresses him up in has the buttons bursting at the seams, yet nobody notices. The comedy would also ring truer if there were more prevalent questions addressed beyond just the third scene about the authenticity of evolution.

The distance from reality results in another core of humanity this film wrongfully ignores: religion. One just can’t talk about the missing links between man and ape without bringing Christianity, Science, or Christian Science into it as well. Instead of something that deserves a watch and rewatch, this widely atheistic story about White folk centers around typical tropes, those that would no longer become clichés if there were just more philosophical concepts brought up for the audience to ponder over. That goes as well to its lack of international representation, which seems to have low priority to the designs of bug-eyed seagulls with unrealistically oversized heads.

For a different cinematic experience that attempts to spark our fear of vulnerability, but actually succeeds, then watch Us, which is so far the best movie of 2019 for confronting our national fear. It’s even better to go off away from all civilization to hang out with the penguins in Antarctica, kind of like what Disney’s latest documentary filmmakers just did. Now there’s another worthwhile cinematic experience which deserves more attention than a stop-motion letdown like Missing Link!
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0 of 3 users found this helpful03
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6
JLuis_001Apr 23, 2019
I watched it without expectations and I was surprised. Nothing extraordinary but not mediocre either.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
GrantD243Oct 9, 2019
The animation style of Missing Link is beautiful. Some of the wider shots are truly worthy of being hung up on a wall, and I could watch a large number of films that have a similar style to this. The story, however, lacks depth. It goes fromThe animation style of Missing Link is beautiful. Some of the wider shots are truly worthy of being hung up on a wall, and I could watch a large number of films that have a similar style to this. The story, however, lacks depth. It goes from point, to point, to point without the main characters facing much resistance. In the end, it's entertaining but extremely simple. I'm sure kids would love it, though! Expand
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6
DawdlingPoetNov 27, 2021
This is quite an entertaining film. Sure its cheesy and predictable, to an extent, but its amusing (the fact that the villain is called Mr Stank did make me laugh!) and as I say entertaining as well, for a family film. It features a new rangeThis is quite an entertaining film. Sure its cheesy and predictable, to an extent, but its amusing (the fact that the villain is called Mr Stank did make me laugh!) and as I say entertaining as well, for a family film. It features a new range of quirky Aardman characters and has a bit of a feel of a mix of perhaps Around the World in 80 Days and Pixars Up maybe? not as good but certainly a watchable, um, watch. I also found myself thinking of the Shanghai films starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson as well, with the scenes set on a train in the wild West and in Asia. The main character is one that will likely appeal to most children. I'd recommend this film to fans of Aardman studio films and people looking for family friendly films. Expand
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5
hnestlyontheslyOct 7, 2019
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Missing Link is the latest film by the storied Laika Studios, creators of a creepy adaptation of Gaiman’s Coraline, the delightful Boxtrolls, critically acclaimed Kubo and the Two Strings (despite an old teacher friend’s description, “a lifeless movie with no heart”), and the excusable misstep of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. Link is good fun, all the quips and sideways political humor of Boxtrolls and the fastidiousness arrangement of a Wes Anderson film.

Kubo and the Two Strings was one the last films Wife and I ever saw at the Camera 12 before it closed, so Laika holds a special place in my heart, even aside from its attempts at telling a bicultural story that reflects my own. Brother told me once that every time Pixar makes a new film they try to conquer a different technical challenge of animation: the water in Finding Nemo, fur in Monsters Inc., Merida’s hair in Brave, etc. With animated movies I’m constantly on the look out for the aesthetics that give the film its signature look and feel. For Laika, it seems like the focus for this project were things like rendering snow and jungles and fabrics of the mid 19th century. The way that the film plays with guns (shotguns and Colt 45s and and purse pistols) and glass is mesmerizing, but a film should not rest on its intricacy alone.

Missing Link is admittedly more of a character study than a plot driven film. Spoilers ahead: the trailer, as one suspects mournfully and with tears in her eyes at the end of one’s first viewing, gives away most of the twists and turns, if not all of the jokes. We know, for instance, that our adventurers ultimately make it to their Shangri-La in the mountains of the Hindu Kush and likewise that they will be captured and placed into an ice cave. We are not aware, however, that our villains will give us metatheatrical gems like, “The people we don’t want here are getting away! Get them and force them to stay!” Our villains, in fact, are a great deal of fun and so very diverse. The film throws quite a lot of shade at the anti-science, white supremacist old boy’s club who mistrust “electricity, suffrage, and evolution,” which, I suppose, shouldn’t feel quite so timely, but does nonetheless.

Our protagonists are capable voice actors, especially Hugh Jackman’s self-assured and a little tone deaf Lionel Frost. The first meeting between Mr Link and Adelina Fortnight feels weird–Adelina seems to recognize Link’s identity too quickly without explanation and then gushes over the discovery on the wrong side of the conversation. I’m left wondering if a much longer film was edited down for brevity or if the writing was clumsy or uneven, which I find harder to believe.

All in all, a fun trip, and I’m surprised it took me this long since its opening to finally get around to it.
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6
haylinJan 11, 2020
It's not my favorite Laika movie, but it was entertaining, I loved the designs and the scenery.
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6
r96skJan 3, 2021
Didn't find enjoyment with this, personally.

I found things a bit off with 'Missing Link', none of it really clicked for me - it's without a little added oomph. I was watching it unfold, as opposed to feeling invested in it. The plot is
Didn't find enjoyment with this, personally.

I found things a bit off with 'Missing Link', none of it really clicked for me - it's without a little added oomph. I was watching it unfold, as opposed to feeling invested in it. The plot is fine, just a bit bland. I found the dialogue decent, particularly with Link's schtick - though that wore off eventually.

A lot of what I just mentioned probably comes down to the casting, which is meh to me. Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman and Zoe Saldana are all very good actors, but none of them stood out - Galifianakis, especially, feels flat. The supports don't impress either, despite some decent names.

From 'Kubo and the Two Strings', my favourite Laika production, to this - my least favourite entry from the studio. They are, however, still yet to produce a film I dislike - so that's a plus.
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5
WindlessNightSep 9, 2023
The movie looked nice, stop motion was really good, I don't think my family even noticed. But for the nice art direction it was just a plot and story that was just simply mediocre.
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