Escape from loneliness. Review of the movie ”The Lost Link”
Despite the noticeable technological progress and a chain of undeniable scientific evidence, Darwin's theory is even now in doubt for some, not to mention what happened in the last century. Charles Darwin published his work "The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection" in 1871, stunning the world community with a whole avalanche of conclusions, which she herself would not have come very soon. The English naturalist wrote about many things in his treatise, but most of all scientists of that time in the process of evolution from ape to man were surprised by the absence of the so-called "missing link". In 1925, it was found and named Australopithecus by the South African professor Raymond Dart. The discoveries did not end there: Pithecanthropus, Sinanthropus and other ancient guys, which are described in detail in a biology textbook, "dug up". The search for this transitional link gave rise to many myths and legends, in fact, about the same creature, but known under different names - bigfoot, yeti, bigfoot, sasquatch.The legend of a mysterious humanoid creature of great stature, covered with thick hair and moving on two legs, formed the basis of the fifth animation project of the studio Laika "The Lost Link". The main character is the vain and self-satisfied naturalist-traveler Lionel Frost, who hunts for rare individuals in order to tell the world about them and thereby, of course, become famous. At the very beginning, Frost, armed with the main weapon of any researcher - a camera, swims with his assistant to the middle of a lake shrouded in fog. Their target is far from birds or fish that live in these parts, but some are larger in size. Guesses are confirmed very quickly - the heroes are indeed on Loch Ness, whose famous monster immediately gives them an inhospitable welcome.  Returning back to England in the early twentieth century after an unfortunate defeat (the camera broke), Frost again feels like a laughing stock, especially in the circles of the prestigious geographic community, of which he dreams of one day becoming a member. The telegram does not allow him to completely despair: someone claims to know the location of the mythical sasquatch and even saw it with his own eyes! After checking his notes and previously collected facts / rumors about the alleged habitat of the cherished "intermediate link", Frost is preparing for a long journey - he will have to swim across the Atlantic, and then cross all of America in order to reach the distant and cold state of Washington. But upon arrival, a surprise awaits him that turns everything upside down: his secret admirer, who sent the letter, is the very sasquatch who, It is not for nothing that the animation studio has released only five full-length films in the 14 years since its foundation. Laika is famous for its scrupulous approach, uniqueness of the product and, most importantly, stop-motion animation, which in itself takes a lot of time and dedication. A distinctive feature of the plots in the studio's films is the authenticity and singularity of the fictional world, its own aesthetics. Coraline in the Land of Nightmares, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, told an instructive horror story in gothic tones with grotesque elements, reminiscent of Tim Burton's early work. Paranorman is a comedy horror fantasy set in a small town, in the best traditions of American horror films. In “Kubo. Legend of the Samurai "director and head of the studio Travis Knight managed to charm the audience with the aesthetics of Eastern legends and traditions, enriching an already fascinating story. Even Family of Monsters, widely regarded as Laika's weakest cartoon, had its own mythology of strange creatures living in sewers and loving boxes. The problem with the studio's new animation creation is that aesthetics are its missing link.  Directed by Chris Butler, one of the authors of Paranorman and an Academy Award nominee. That is why his "The Lost Link" and is felt closer in level to the story of a boy who knows how to see the dead, rather than to the highest achievements of the studio in the form of "Coraline" and "Kubo". There are no amazing fantastic landscapes here, only the locations of industrial London, replaced by the wilderness of the American countryside, and then by the snow-capped Himalayan mountains. However, the story itself is devoid of the typical studio of depiction: the development of heroes implies only one direction. Sasquatch, nicknamed "Mr. Link" (play on words: link - link), does not want to be lonely, because he has never been with anyone. And Frost is just very selfish ... because he never had anyone with him either. That's basically it. Where will this adventure lead can be understood before it begins. It is not the first time for Laika Studios to involve big names in their projects. Coraline from the cartoon of the same name was voiced by Dakota Fanning; in Paranorman, Anna Cedrick, Casey Affleck, and John Goodman cast their votes; Ben Kingsley featured in A Family of Monsters, and in the original Kubo, you can enjoy the voices of Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and Rafe Fiennes. In "The Lost Link" Hugh Jackman was invited to voice the main character, and it is not surprising: Lionel Frost is the spitting image of the animated Phineas Taylor Barnum from "The Greatest Showman", less vain, but still as active. Zack Galifianakis is downright stuck with the most bizarre heroes, and this time he got Mr. Link. The main female character, Adeline Fortnight with the appearance of both Keira Knightley and Salma Hayek, is voiced by Zoya Saldana, who is unlike any of them. Besides,  Someone "Lost Link" will be able to attract atypical humor and a certain charm, while others will be disappointed by the extreme simplicity of the cartoon in everything: from the script and characters to morality and animation. One thing is for sure - kids will not remain indifferent from watching this family road movie. They will undoubtedly enjoy the epic adventure of the protagonists and especially the huge, shaggy and adorably innocent creature. The Topic of Article: Escape from loneliness. Review of the movie ”The Lost Link”. |
