The Book of Life is the second film to come out of animation studio Reel FX. This is a great film with gorgeous visuals, imaginative storytelling and a powerful message.
This is a pretty difficult film to write down a plot synopsis for, but I am still going to try my best. The Book of Life is about two guys, one named Manolo and one named Joaquin, who are both going after a girl named Maria. There are also two spirits La Muerte and Xibalba who make a bet over who they think Maria will choose. But, as Maria starts taking a shine to Manolo, Xibalba cheats and kills Manolo, bringing him to the Land of the Remembered. Manolo must find a way to get back to life and become reunited with Maria.
This is a very imaginative story. There's a lot of Mexican mythology in the film, so obviously it doesn't make too much sense, but it's also very creative in its storytelling.
This is also a very powerful film with a lot of heart. This film is all about Dia de los Muertos, which is the Mexican Day of the Dead. With that knowledge, you can assume that the film revolves around death and could get really, really sad at times. As someone who lost a loved one (my grandfather) earlier this year, I instantly connected with the characters who also lost people they loved. This film also teaches a valuable lesson that I will never forget: as long as you remember those who passed on, they will always be with you.
Of course, with a lot of talk about death within the film, it's not always talked about in a serious matter. The idea of death is talked about jokingly sometimes, particularly in one scene where Manolo meets his dead relatives in the Land of the Remembered and they tell him the stories about how they died, and they ended up dying in the dumbest and funniest ways possible. Personally, I had no problem with these death related jokes and found them to be hilarious, but those who lack a sense of humor might find them offensive. But most of the time, they take a very serious approach on the idea of death.
Speaking of the comedy, this is a really funny movie. The humor is perfectly balanced with the more heartfelt moments and the timing is great as well. I found myself laughing a lot. However, some jokes did fall a little short.
At its core, though, this is a romance movie, and it's as romantic as romance movies can get, especially with the film's Spanish roots. However, it never becomes clichéd. Instead, it brings a unique Day of the Dead spin on the romance genre.
The characters in the film are instantly likable. The film mainly focuses on Manalo, a guy who loves playing the guitar, but is struggling to live up to his family's bull fighting history as he thinks killing the bull is wrong. This gives him a very complex character arc, when compared to Joaquin, who is simply a defender and fighter, but little else, though he is still a good character. Maria is also a great and strong character.
One of the standout aspects of the film are its visuals. Thankfully, it doesn't stand out enough to overshadow the story, but the animation is gorgeous and the art direction in jaw dropping. The film is also very well directed with many beautiful shots and outstanding cinematography. Everything has a very painterly look to it, especially the sky, and you could tell how much effort the animators and visual effects artists put into the film.
There is one big problem I have with the film though, and that is the pop culture references. At some points in the film, there is modern music playing in the background and one character literally says "come at me, bro." It was definitely pretty disappointing to see a film with much potential get a date slapped onto it, rather than it being something truly timeless. The movie would have been perfect if they just got rid of those references!
The Book of Life is a heartfelt, creative and visually stunning film. I am shocked that this is coming from the same studio that brought us the disastrous Free Birds. If you want to see a truly engaging film in theaters this Halloween rather than another run-of-the-mill modern day horror film, The Book of Life is the film to see.
Film Grade: A-
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