Cité des Enfants Perdus

(http://366weirdmovies.com)

Also known as:

City of Lost Children

Rating:

60%

Format:

DVD

Year:

1997

Predominant Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

Scientist kidnaps children to steal their dreams; hoping they will slow his aging.

Theme:

Compassion

Similar To:

Best Performance:

Ron PERLMAN Forever

Movie about stealing dreams from very young children - that quite clearly resembles a nightmare. This is a curate’s egg of a film that does not really add up to very much, but is very impressive to watch.

Part Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Heavy Metal magazine, Terry Gilliam- & Federico Fellini-surreal & Oliver Twist it wears its comic trip heart very much on its sleeve. The problem is that it never overcomes these influences to become a work in its own right.

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Where this movie also fails is in having child performers who live up to the promise of the film as well as the adults. Nevertheless, it is hard to imagine any child actor possessing quite the precocity necessary since this is a difficult-to-understand watch even for adults.

However, the movie passes the time agreeably and its homage to the unwitting psychological strength of the very young in the face of mortal danger is well taken.

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Ron PERLMAN was born to play these larger-than-life freakish roles since he effortlessly conveys a great deal of brute physical-strength without you ever imaging he actually is a brute - his fearsome mien belied by his gentleness and warmth. This is in stark contrast to the other adult performers who are very much in the grip of the dark imagination of the directors (Jeunet & Caro) and so fail to make their characters work well.

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