Rating: 
Summary: Dream, sweet child, dream...
Review: A mad scientist, operating out of a menacing offshore oil rig, hires a scary sect of blind revolutionaries to steal the small children from a nearby town, so that he can steal their dreams. Directors Juenet & Marc ("Delicatessen") once again create a fascinating and unusual world all their own, carrying the torch as the Fellinis of our generation.
Rating:
Summary: Intense, visual feast.
Review: Haunting and intriguing are how I would describe this movie. Simply watching the movie is a visual feast, and probably too much to absorb in one viewing. The story is marvelously complex, and the viewer is rewarded in the end for struggling in the beginning to put all the pieces together. This is a fantastic movie, but not one for the timid. I would recommend watching it with the English dub, although it is not as good as the original French, simply to help understanding
Rating: 
Summary: Did I see the same movie that everyone else did?
Review: I rented this DVD after reading all the rave reviews at Amazon. I had to see this masterpiece for myself. It took me three attempts to see the whole thing because I kept falling asleep. I really did keep falling asleep, it just didn't hold my attention. I told my wife I should buy a copy just so when I couldn't get to sleep I could watch this for ten minutes and be out. I just didn't get it. I really feel like I must have missed something because so many people here feel it is so great. I am glad they enjoyed it. I guess you will just have to watch it yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Words are not enough...
Review: Wow, it is very hard to describe this movie, but it is an absolute visual feast for the eyes. If you like Terry Gilliam's and Tim Burton's movies, you will probably also like Jean-Pieree Jeunet's movies."City of Lost Children" was his second full feature film, "Alien Resurrection" his third; now if whichever studio owns the rights would only release his first feature as well, "Delicatessen"...
Rating: 
Summary: Oh-kay
Review: Certainly a film in with a lot of ideas and phantasy, great visuals for its time (five years later, though they still look original, my eyes don't react very strongly to this kind of eye candy anymore). There is still a lot of fascinating camera and lighting work in there, and keep in mind that it cost only $18 million. Many scenes in this movie seem rather weird and do not work very well dramaturgically, even though Ron Perlman is such a plaesure to watch. (Somehow I do not like the acting style of Dominique Pinion in this movie, but that might be my personal taste.) Quite a few ideas have been widely reused by other sci-fi and fantasy movies afterwards, including the Matrix, Gozilla, The Lost World... etc. Another plus are the costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier. The music is very good at times, but at other times, same as the dramaturgy, it doesn't work in the scene but sticks out as an independent layer of its own. Overall, still a really nice movie, and fun to watch, even though there are two scenes with Jeunet&Caro type senseless violence. The DVD edition is okay, it is not really widescreen and the extras are a little limited: There is an audio track with comments from Jeunet and Perlman that is not all that exciting, and a picture gallery with sketches of set and costume design, no Making-Of or extra scenes, which could have been quite interesting. Still, I do not regret having bought it.
Rating:
Summary: Gilliamesque
Review: If you love movies from director Terry Gilliam, as I do, you will really dig this one as well. Somewhat in the spirit of Time Bandits, it is very French in many ways. The French adoration of children as adults is prevalent in this movie, and for some people can get a little uncomfortable in the adult-child sensual relationship front. If that bugs you, don't see the movie. I think it is somewhat subtle, but it bugged my mom. But it is a beautiful, fantastical world that is created, and definitely funny.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Jeunet and Caro
Review: I have searched all over the country for a copy of the movie in V.O. (French). Why you ask? Because to watch this film with someone else's voice doesn't do it any justice. The voice of the octopus and of the mad scientist (the omnipresent French actor, Dominique Pinon who worked with Jeunet in Aliens 4) makes up for the annoying yellow English surtitles. This dark fairy tale, reminiscent of Grimm and Perrault, will send shivers down your spine. If you appreciate this movie, I would highly recommend Delicatessen as well. Both are guaranteed to let you see into the darkest corners of humanity.
Rating:
Summary: An Awe-Inspiring Blend of Whimsy and Melancholy
Review: The brilliant team of Jeunet & Caro, creative genuises behind "Delicatessen", have developed the masterpiece of dark fantasy 'City of Lost Children'. This film, a mixture of stunning special effects and provacative cinematography is no doubt a creation well before its time, (the cinematography, set and character designs are shadowed in more recent American productions such as 'Dark City'). Doomed to a place in the Cult Classics section in any video store, this work combines haunting visual effects with steady dramatic acting- despite its tendency to lead the story and figures within towards a humorous domain. Set in a bleak, chilling environment, the characters of One, a gentle circus strongman, and Mittet, an adolescent street urchin, join together in search of One's younger 'brother', but, ultimately, their search is for companionship. Placed in an elaborately designed world, and composed to a stirring score by Angelo Badalamenti, this film will no doubt capture the passion of all movie-goers interested in stepping away from the generic Hollywood world, and entering one enrapturing and life-changing.
Rating:
Summary: Twisted children's Story
Review: This story was twisted in a fun way. I loved the colors used to create the children's storybook look to it. Each scene is dark and done like pages in a well illustrated children's book. The style of filming reminded me of The Crow, but the two movies are two completely different things. A few of my friends didn't like it because it was too confusing and subtitled, but if you just let yourself go and relax it will be a fun ride. The special effects are fluid and not overdone. They do not stand out, but run right along with the movie. But don't get me wrong.. there are a lot of hidden layers to this movie, much like your classic children's stories. I like it more each time I watch it.
Rating:
Summary: Different, but makes you think.
Review: City of Lost Children is a great movie. I have also Watched Delicatessen, which was done by the same people. (Also did Alien Ressurection) It is a science fiction / futuristic movie in which a Man (Krank) Is aging rapidly since he does not dream. He tries to steal and live out dreams from little boys, but things just start to go wrong from there. It is a great movie you will watch time and time again. Ron Perlman plays a great roll in this film. Also If you can't get enough of Dominique Pignon, you will get 5 times more in this film.
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