Epic (2013)
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Critics Consensus: Though its narrative themes are all too familiar, Epic is beautifully animated and crafted with just enough flair to make for solid family entertainment.
Critics Consensus: Though its narrative themes are all too familiar, Epic is beautifully animated and crafted with just enough flair to make for solid family entertainment.
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Movie Info
EPIC is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO, EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world...and ours. -- (C) Fox- Rating:
- PG (for mild action, some scary images and brief rude language)
- Genre:
- Action & Adventure , Animation , Kids & Family , Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Directed By:
- Chris Wedge
- In Theaters:
- May 24, 2013 Wide
- On DVD:
- Sep 20, 2013
- US Box Office:
- $107.5M
Cast
-
Beyonce Knowles
as Queen Tara -
Josh Hutcherson
as Nod -
Steven Tyler
as Nim Galuu -
Aziz Ansari
as Mub -
Jason Sudeikis
as Bomba -
Pitbull
as Bufo
Related News & Features
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Digital Multiplex: Star Trek Into Darkness, Epic, and More
– Rotten Tomatoes
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Critic Reviews for Epic
All Critics (118) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (76) | Rotten (42) | DVD (1)
For all its attempts at wonder and spectacle and play, Epic is mostly a slog.
Although the basic story is too juvenile and simplistic to entertain anyone with an age in the double-digit range, the themes and underlying ideas are too complicated to capture the attention of someone younger.
Director Chris Wedge falls into the common animator's trap of making the "human" characters a lot duller than the nonhuman creepy-crawlies.
With its array of goofy sidekicks (Aziz Ansari as a slug almost runs away with the whole picture) and carefully crafted relationships, Epic certainly manages to tell a compelling tale.
A 3D eco-fantasy whose mantra-like insistence that we're all connected by nature is one of the main things that underscores the abject insincerity of the sentiment as the movie articulates it, "Epic" is very nearly epic in its stifling mediocrity.
Anyone over the age of 7 or so - not to mention their accompanying adults - isn't going to find too much here to truly engage them, let alone linger past the final fade out.
It is a testament to how spoiled we have become by mainstream animated features that a film as visually arresting as Epic would be considered run-of-the-mill.
The story is pretty routine, but it's the vivid colors and sense of excitement that comes with the crisp animation that makes it really work.
Boasts sometimes photorealistic animation and some cool concepts (the heroic 'Leafmen' ride hummingbirds like horses), but it's grounded by the cliche aspects of everything else.
The story has a nice combination of reconciliation, drama and humor. There are some very funny jokes and pratfalls in the film. The kids in the audience laughed at the jokes aimed at them, but this film works for adults too.
However closely you look, "Epic" is epically gorgeous in its art design and animation.
Boasts plenty of thrills, good humour and an empowering, tall and angular female protagonist - even if things sometimes feel a little rushed and aren't always in balance.
An absolute delight from start to finish, Epic features an award-worthy sequence where giant figures in extreme close-up move in slow motion as the tiny heroes scatter about. There's a freshness and originality to it that we see all-too-rarely.
Though the story may be slight, the film is stacked with brilliantly colourful characters, a fabulous voice cast and simply spectacular animation.
Sure there's not much original here ... but it's well done, and that can't always be expected. Like a dandelion thistle, Epic is light and fluffy and quickly lost in the breeze.
A fantasy forest is a fabulous setting for animation; it is filled with all shapes and sizes and colours of flowers and animals ... Sweet and funny and sometimes exciting, Epic is a cleverly made visual delight, certain to keep younger kids entertained
... has enough excitement and visual flair to appeal to moviegoers of any age.
Beautiful 3D animation coupled with a compelling story and fantastic writing make this the best animated movies since Rise of the Guardians.
Beautifully animated forest fantasy for undemanding families.
I will now review this movie using the lyrics to the song "Epic" by Faith No More, which I think you'll find are eerily fitting.
I remember, not so very long ago, when most of the protagonists in children's movies were male. The change in recent years has been, well, 'Epic.'
Extraordinary! A magical and wondrous - and blessedly original - animated movie experience for everyone.
Produces images of poetic power ... The catch is that the world the filmmakers create is far more interesting than the story they tell in it in it or the characters they put in it.
At least it's pretty.
It's not quite an animated masterpiece, but it's still a fun, sweet-hearted kid-pleaser that boasts some downright lovely animation.
Apart from the visuals, it's pretty undistinguished.
Audience Reviews for Epic
Truth in advertising would demand a title change, something more appropriate like: "not quite as epic as we would have you believe". Yah sure, unbelievably eye-popping animation, but the story doesn't allow for anything deeper than mere character introduction. The action happens but you'll hardly give two shiny pennies. Yer grammar school children won't feel gypped but you'll be looking out the window. Is the neighbor taking out the trash this time of day?
MoreSuper Reviewer
Funny, and very entertaining. The animation is excellent, it has an interesting Bug's Life-inspired story line, and is a really good movie that the entire family would enjoy...
MoreSuper Reviewer
Epic is the new Rise of the Guardians, brilliant but completely overlooked. The title is rubbish and has understandably confused people. The story isn't that original, human being shrunk/fairies etc, it's part FernGully and part Avatar but I'd watch this over them any day. The characters are well thought out, the voice talent is good, the script is very funny, the story is strong and the overall feel of the film is really nice. The special effects are extremely impressive, I didn't think much of the humans as such but everything looked so lush and detailed, there were times where I was just blown away. This film deserves more love than it's received so far, it's miles better than Frozen!
MoreSuper Reviewer
Epic may not be epic, but Chris Wedge manages to keep the leaves on the trees.When all is said and done, the story actually works out for 95 minutes of work. The characters are a tad underdeveloped, but the plot details, while simple, move the story along when needed.The bright colors revolving around the leaf men and the grey of the boggans play off each other, creating appropriate scenery for the story; however, aside from the characters themselves, there isn't much to remember regarding the visuals.The voice work takes getting used to. It's not a big hurdle, since all is fine and dandy by the end. Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, and Christoph Waltz lend their voices to the major characters. Aziz Ansari and Chris O'Dowd are held in check for what could be a huge annoyance.Epic is an overstatement of a title, but that doesn't mean this should be avoided.
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Epic Quotes
- Mub:
- Ugly says what?
- Mandrake:
- What?
- Mub:
- Nothing.
- Ronin:
- Many leaves, one tree. We're all individuals, but we're still connected. No one's alone.
- M.K.:
- Put your arms around me.
- Grub:
- I'm a slug, baby. No shell over here.
- M.K.:
- I had a nightmare, I was a tiny little person surrounded by tiny little people and a talking snail.
- Grub:
- Hello.
- M.K.:
- Oh man.
- Mub:
- Ugly says what?
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