Film digest
WOLF WALKERS(PG)
HUMANITY’S combative relationship with Mother Nature sparks civil unrest in Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart’s enchanting animated fable.
Distinguished by expressive hand-drawn visuals and emotionally-rich storytelling, Wolf walkers extends the winning streak of Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon, which deservedly snagged Oscar nominations for The Secret Of
Kells, Song Of The Sea and The Bread winner.
A bold, angular aesthetic, which has become the studio’s trademark, is a handsome fit for a coming-of-age story set in mid-17th century Ireland – a time of magic and myth, religious fervour and forceful incursions by Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army.
One character’s eye-catching design draws comparisons to Princess Merida from Pixar’s 2012 animation Brave.
While both films share themes of adventure and selfdiscovery, Wolf walkers howls to its own rapturous beat.
MULAN(12)
NEW Zealand director Niki Caro’s live-action rendition of the Ballad Of Mulan – reportedly the most expensive picture overseen by a female director – challenges suffocating, traditional gender roles and encourages self-expression within the comforting embrace of a family unit.
Scriptwriters appropriate structural elements from the 1998 Disney animation, including a centrepiece avalanche, but Eddie Murphy’s wisecracking dragon Mushu has been excised to strike a self-reflective tone, echoed in understated yet deeply moving performances.
Yifei Liu is radiant as the eponymous heroine and Gong Li slinks elegantly through handsomely mounted scenes as a conniving sorceress, whose heart has been blackened by repression.
Balletic fight sequences are breathlessly choreographed, enhanced with acrobatic camerawork that tumbles perfectly in sync with the actors.
Composer Harry Gregson-Williams incorporates melodies from the 1998 film into a sweeping score that gifts Christina Aguilera a chance to reprise her signature ballad Reflection over the end credits.
HOST(15)
WRITTEN by director Rob Savage, Gemma Hurley and Jed Shepherd, Host mines video conferencing during the Covid pandemic for spine-tingling chills as a group of friends conduct an online seance and inadvertently summon a malevolent spirit.
In 2014, low-budget horror Unfriended used a video call between pals to take the philosophical concept of a ‘ghost in the machine’ to the outlandish next level. Savage’s film attempts the same trick, albeit with some artistic licence – a free 40-minute Zoom call during one balmy evening in July is stretched to 54 minutes of screen time – and obvious nods to The Blair Witc hProject and Paranormal Activity with some jump-out-of-seat scares. For the most part, the nimble dramatic conceit works well although the extended use of the flash of a Polaroid camera to illuminate darkened rooms feels increasingly contrived. The cast operate their own cameras and a frenetic finale engineers a couple of truly gobsmacking moments that scratch our nerves and mercilessly exploit universal fears of things that go bump in the night.