The Amazing Maurice Reviews

In 2004, Terry Pratchett released his novel, "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents," a child-centric spinoff to his Discworld series of fantasy books. The Amazing Maurice is based on that popular novel, but it never hits its stride. Throughout the entire film, something just feels off. Maybe it's the disjointed storytelling telling, the breaking of the fourth wall, or just the lifeless backgrounds, but co-directors Toby Genkel and Florian Westermann turn in a run-of-mill animated adventure. The movie also takes some surprisingly dark turns, something that may be scary and off-putting to the smallest of children.Maurice (Hugh Laurie) truly is an incredible cat. Not only can he talk, but he leads a gang of talking mice from town to town, tricking the villagers and solving their "rat" problem, and making off with his reward. He uses the help of Keith (Himesh Patel), a Pied-Piper imposter, to lure the rats away with his hypnotizing music. One day, Maurice and his crew run into a mysterious town that seems to be rat-free but is also in the midst of a famine. When they meet the mayor's daughter, Malicia (Emilia Clarke), the unlikely team set out to solve the mystery.The Amazing Maurice is not among the worst of films; it is even quite entertaining at times. However, the film, as a whole, fails to capture the audience's attention. This may be due to the lack of anything going on in the background from scene to scene. It's as if the entire setting is lifeless, while the characters are acting out front and center. The disjointed storytelling also disrupts the flow of the movie. Constant cuts to the narrator, who also happens to be a main character in the story, seem more forced than they need to be. Breaking the fourth wall can give any film a boost if done correctly. Unfortunately, The Amazing Maurice misses the mark. On the other hand, the voice acting is done very well, and the talented cast does their best to keep the audience somewhat engaged. At the end of the day, this animated adventure is for the kids, and they should enjoy it for the most part (barring a few scary scenes towards the end). It doesn't overstay its welcome, as viewers may get the feeling that the co-directors were struggling to even fill up the 93-minute run time. Nothing groundbreaking should be expected while watching this cat-and-mouse adventure, but one could do much worse for the kids.