It has taken me too long to see Micmacs. As a self-confessed Jeunet fanboy I should have seen this in the cinema but it passed me by. Glad I finally got round to getting the Blu-ray
Let’s run through the Jeunet checklist:
- Quirky characters and plot ✔
- Great and varied cast ✔
- Imagination in spades ✔
- Looks beautiful ✔
- Not Alien Resurrection ✔
- Yellow filter ✔
As you can see, we’re already on to a winner. So, the story. How about “Loveable loser takes revenge on 2 arms companies with the help of a quirky collection of misfits“? That about covers it. Except that it is told in Jeunet’s signature style of comic art imagination and visual invention. What can go wrong when you have a guy with a bullet in his head, an ex-con, a gadget man, a contortionist and number geek helping to barrel the plot along.
Visually, the Blu-Ray print is stunning. Jeunet’s films are generally beautiful and on Blu-Ray the whole thing really pops. The night scenes in particular are glorious and throughout the interior production design bristles with style – think Hudsucker Proxy meet Lucky Number Slevin (for the office scenes at least).
You can see some of the night time awesomeness in this trailer.
The performances are also excellent, the strength and variety of characterisation at work here stands out above the plot itself and Dany Boon as the lead is brilliant.
As gang capers go, the plot isn’t the strongest. Micmacs doesn’t have any intricacy woven into it, it’s a straightforward approach to an older style of revenge/heist plot which is brought to life and made modern by the approach to telling it and unerring innovation. Although the schemes at work have some complexity, you are a little outside of the plot so things just happen and you’re not taken along with the plan as it goes. Some of the plotting gets a little slow in places but is always helped out by nice touches and quirks. Fans of Social Media will particularly appreciate the viral aspect of the closing sequences.
As a comedy it won’t have you laughing out loud, as a thriller it won’t have you gripped by as an overall movie experience both in looks and content it never fails to entertain. Imagination and beauty, Jeunet at his best.
So where is “A Very Long Engagement” on Blu-Ray? Get on with it people.
