KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS – Review

LAIKA’s new film, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS opens tomorrow… but does it live up to their innovative reputation? It certainly does, with one slight (Eh… big. It’s pretty big…) problem.

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS is the story of a magical young boy who finds himself on a mission to solve the mystery of his fallen warrior of a father, while avoiding evil spirits that will do anything to stop him. Along the way, young Kubo encounters Monkey (Charlize Theron)  and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) who help guide him on his journey. Together, the three of them set out to find out just what happened to the greatest samurai who ever lived, and finally find an end to his tale.

Let me start off by saying that the story of KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS is incredible. Set in Japan, the film honors the heritage and culture of the country in a magical and enchanting way. LAIKA never disappoints when it comes to story. The same can be said for the look of the film. The rich colors, details in emotions, hair, the elements, etc. are all breathtaking, and draw the audience in. It’s hard not to get lost in the beauty. I can’t say enough great things about Travis Knight. He always picks incredible stories that are original, layered, and saturated with issues that are pertinent to humanity.

Art Parkinson from ‘Game of Thrones’ is the voice of young KUBO, and he does an incredible job. His sort spoken voice and incredible laughter bring life to the character. I could tell you how incredible Theron and McConaughey are as Monkey and Beetle, but you already know that, because they are incredible actors. This, however, leads me to the part where I talk about my one big problem with the film…

It’s the blatant Hollywood ‘white-washing.’ Really? All three of the main characters are white? In a Japanese film? It’s 2016… This has been a major issue with films in the past couple of years. It’s been all over the media. It was a huge scandal with the Oscars. Someone had to think that this would be a slight problem. I’m just saying, maybe they should have gone back and corrected this… Or at least included a person of color in one of the three main roles.

I can’t end this review without mentioning Regina Spektor and her incredible rendition of The Beatles song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” I normally hate Beatles covers because I am a HUGE Beatles fan, but she did a phenomenal job. I love it!

OVERALL RATING : 4 out of 5 stars

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