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Smallfoot

(★★★★✩)

IS ignorance really bliss?

This is one among several philosophical ideas Smallfoot presents. When a family-oriented animated musical about happygo-lucky Yetis makes you consider challenging primitive conventions in favour of progressive enlightenment, you know you’re in for a fun-laced thought-provoking treat.

Cutting-edge content is what this ingenious film should be most noted for as it presents such deep concepts with surprising palatability while keeping all audiences thoroughly entertained.

Nicely paced, Smallfoot isa hearty energetic wonderland of “myth-adventure”, balanced with integral dark realism. All of which comes through in enjoyably fresh fashion without being cheesy or far-fetched.

The story opens with a simplicity that is beautifully fleshed out with intriguing complexity as the plot progresses, compelling twists at just the right turns and spectacular song and voice performances driving it forward.

The recurring ethical themes and dilemmas presented include integrity, nonconformity, misperception and misjudgment, fear and aggression, power in knowledge, questioning long-upheld beliefs in favour of the truth, and quelling truth for the greater good. These are well-integrated alongside the near-seamless character development and dynamics of the film.

Though some concepts might seem less relevant today than perhaps a few centuries ago and may upset the conservatives, Smallfoot offers evergreen reminders that much is still uncertain and that it is good to always exercise critical thinking rather than blind judgment.

A must-watch, the creation of such a remarkable film is, by any measure, no small feat. – Edmund Evanson

Searching

(★★★★✩)

WHEN someone goes missing, how can a search begin if s/he was never really there? This is the quandary faced by single parent David Kim (a terrific John Cho) when his teenage daughter Margot (Michelle La) vanishes, and he turns up one blank space after another in her life outside their home.

First-time feature director Aneesh Chaganty serves up a compelling suspense drama told entirely through the screens of digital devices. Existing messaging and social media platforms are employed to advance the plot in an immersive rather than gimmicky way.

Crafty use of those tools – even plain old text messages – goes together with taut “dialogue” and natural performances by all involved to make Searching a highly praiseworthy achievement in storytelling.

As the one who is on-screen(s) the most, Cho convincingly conveys his character’s anguish, frustration, bewilderment and determination in a touching and award-worthy performance.

The twists and turns in the last half hour may give you whiplash, but Searching is seldom predictable and never too far-fetched or familiar (aside from an opening montage that seems a little too close to Pixar’s Up ).– Davin Arul

Monstrum

(★★★✩✩)

IS this a creature feature or is it not?

Not to worry, the question of whether there is a monster is definitively answered one hour into the movie. But even then, there is no let-up in the tension.

The premise sounds fantastical but director and co-writer Huh Jong-ho was actually inspired by a passage from the Annals Of The Joseon Dynasty, which were kept from 1413 to 1865. It was recorded that a mul gwe, mysterious presence or event, forced king Jung Jong to abandon his quarters.

From that cryptic description, Huh has crafted an exciting and entertaining movie that has a little of everything.

There is a central mystery, blood and gore from vicious attacks, political intrigue, comic relief from Sung Han (Kim In-kwon), and even a burgeoning romance between Myung (Lee Hye-ri) and Hur (Choi Woo-shik).

It could easily have been too much but the filmmaker manages to pull off a fine balancing act.

The actors also do a good job of fleshing out their characters; while the villains are more rote but ably played by Lee Geung-young as the contemptuous premier and Park Sung-woong as his skilled hatchet man.

The ending is not very believable, though. And a coda to explain things suggests that filmmaker Huh knows that it’s quite a stretch – even for a movie about a man-eating monster. – Boon Chan/The Straits Times/Asia News Network