Rating: 
Summary: Just watch it!
Review: Forget about a lengthy preamble. The mastery of this film is in the visual realm. Believe me, unless your a very "concrete" thinker or have a problem with the abstract, you will absolutely be mezmerized by this gorgeous, delightful, haunting, piece of eye candy.
Rating: 
Summary: Visually interesting but hard to follow
Review: I have to admit, at the end of this movie, I still wasn't exactly sure what it was that I had just been watching. The movie is very visual, with many wonderful things to look at, and something always happening, but I didn't completely understand the movie. It wasn't because of the subtitles either, I don't mind reading along to follow a movie, as a matter of fact I frequently watch a movie with the captioning turned on in case I can't understand what someone is saying, but what I was reading during this movie didn't always explain what was happening on the screen. The basic plot of the movie, as far as I was able to gather, was that a mad scientist type is unable to dream so he kidnaps children, hooks himself up to them, and experiences their dreams. Reading what I just wrote, I have to say that the movie is just about as crazy as what I wrote sounds. Still, there were moments when I regarded the screen in awe, as strange things I had never seen before filled the screen and showed me a new world. Where exactly this film is supposed to take place I don't know because the world I was watching seemed to incorporate technologies from differing eras. Ron Perlman, of Beauty and the Beast fame, plays One, a circus strongman who is looking for his brother, one of the little children who was kidnapped. He frequently drifts off track during his search for different reasons. One of the main ones being that he isn't one of the greatest thinkers of the movie, and often seems to be lost, or acting before thinking. Actually, he doesn't do all that much thinking, that is left to his sidekick, an orphan girl who joins him on his quest and seems to be about three times smarter and about a dozen times more shrewd than he is. I won't give away any more of this movie, mainly because it's too hard to try to follow the twisting story line or to make it seem coherent. I can't say this is really a great movie, but it did hold my attention, mainly because of the visual splendor of the whole thing. If you're in the mood for something really different, I'd say pick up this film and give it a try. Oh, just two more thoughts. After seeing this movie, it's hard to look at Santa Claus again as a benevolent elf, you'll understand what I mean if you watch the movie. Also, we've all heard about the chain of events theory, where something small can set off a large scale catastrophy, well, we are given a depiction of this is this film which stretches the limits of believability, but judge for yourself. I, at least, kind of enjoyed that moment.
Rating:
Summary: A Departure from the norm
Review: A young boy is kidnapped so that a monstrous villain can extract his pleasant dreams, dreams that he himslef can longer have. This film has the unique quality of originality and quirkiness which is so lacking in Hollywood lackluster product these days. It has a capturing colorful gothic feel to it and cast of characters provide a backdrop every bit as effective as the wonderful stage sets that take place in an underwater laboratory, a seedy harbor side slum area and a number of other memorable locations. Although the film is subtitled, I tend to forget this as I get into the first five minutes of the film, and most of the humour is clearly not lost, as in a series of scenes where the villains numerous identical cloned children argue amongst themselves about who is the "original". Another reviewer compared it Pi, which for originality and creativity is about right, but I would compare it more along the lines of a slightly more cheerful and utlimately redeeming Brazil.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: The movie opens its doors to a child's innocense bombarded by a multitude of sinister "Santa Clauses." Immediately, we sense that the most sacred of all places is a place to fear. As in Shakespeare's Hamlet we find that "...something is wrong in the State of Denmark." Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's film shows high art without losing grounded reality in filmmaking. Although plot can be a bit confusing for the average viewer whose first language is not visual, the story of the mad scientist kidnapping children to steal their dreams is fascinating and metaphorically accurate. A real-life example would be a man going through mid-life crisis. He'll shed all that which is old, such as his wife and station wagon, in favor of a 19-year old mistress and a Harley-Davidon Motorcycle to recaputre a dream or goal he had given up long ago. A brain floating in a glass aquarium, commands a set of clones made from the original scientist. Through these clones and the innocent children, the filmmakers show that childhood can embody both selfishness and cruelty as well as joy and innocense. Visually stunning, the evil, sinister, and moody tone is balanced by humor. Such combinations are not only a mark of sophistication, but also of grace. The superior technical efforts only added to the overall storytelling process
Rating:
Summary: A feast of a movie that shouldn't be missed
Review: It is true that City of Lost Children is a visually stunning movie, with some truly breathtaking sets and a feeling of atmosphere that few American films can match. It's also true that City of Lost Children isn't like your average American potboiler movie, where the characters charge through the setting at top speed, in a rush to kill the villain and set off as many explosions as possible. The movie is ultimately about atmosphere, and if it takes a long, contemplative look at its characters, it's at the expense of the kind of frenetic pacing to which American moviegoers (including myself) have become accustomed. I think those who complain about City of Lost Children's "incoherent plot" or "muddled script" ultimately miss the point of the movie. The movie is part dream, part fairy tale, with bold, simple characters and a bold, colorful setting. Nothing in this movie intends to make you think deeply about the human condition. The movie doesn't feature a complicated plot, nor should it. It's ultimately a fairy tale for adults, and doesn't aspire to reinvent the dramatic wheel. Watching City of Lost Children, I was grateful for its slow pacing, and the leisure with which the film develops its simple story. Very few movies create a compelling, absorbing sense of time and place, and many of those rush through them self-consciously, pushing you towards another car chase, explosion, or gunfight. City of Lost Children has none of these. It allows you a good, long look at this other time and place, and I found that a highly rewarding change from the average movie experience. You owe it to yourself to watch this at least once. It's a gorgeously made film, and film is ultimately a visual medium. Drink it in.
Rating:
Summary: Visually a masterpiece, script lacks a little though.
Review: A beautiful set and costumes give this film its dark and haunting appeal. The entire movie seems as though it was created for arts sake. Metal, darkness, and wires is what the set and the costumes of this movie are all about. It is all very fantastic. It personally reminds me of Tim Burton's film and set design. It truly is a visual haunt. The script and the acting is not in the same league as the set though. The script and plot are at times confusing and filled with holes. The acting is sometimes over done and not truly believable. However, the movie does have some very rewarding scenes that are both well directed and acted. This movie is worth checking out. It is a visual masterpiece and although the script isn't to fantastic it is quite a good movie. It is almost a modern day fairy/horror tale. Worth a watch or two.
Rating: 
Summary: Great set design does not a great movie make
Review: First off let me say that I typically gravitate toward films that are not marketed toward the masses. I prefer films that make me think over films that most sheep, I mean people, like, i.e. the kind that Hollywood churns out regularly. I had wanted to see COLC for a long time, and finally had the opportunity to rent it. While it is not a horrible movie, I cannot say it is a good one, either. It starts promisingly enough, but quickly disintegrates into a big mess. Sure, it looks great. But what about those minor things called plot, character development, and, oh yes, a coherent story structure? Oops, seems we forgot those things in favor of cramming as many "weird" characters as we could in. I have no trouble with non-linear narratives. In fact, I prefer them. But this was just too disjointed for its own good. What good are visually imaginative scenes if the story and plot are a jumbled mess? It seems breathless fans of this film have gotten too caught up in the stunning sets. And yes, they are indeed provocative. But the rest of the film suffers for it. If you want to save some money and still get a similar experience to watching this film, eat a rich meal before going to bed. Your dreams will be just as confusing as this movie...only a lot cheaper.
Rating:
Summary: Magically Wonderful...
Review: It's not just the effects... It's a wonderful story placed in a dark-magical city. I insist: It's not just the effects... We got the incredible design of the city, the misterious and right placed music, the out-of-world costumes of Jean-Paul Gaultier, the excellent actors (begining for the children plays) and, off course, the job of directors Jeunet and Caro, that gives to this film a masterpiece feeling, every frame. Also the DVD special edition takes you far. With comments of the directors, design and costume galleries, and selected scenes. Please, see this movie in it's original language, if you don't want to miss the magic and if you believe in dreams.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing...
Review: This movie is simply something which must be experienced. The visual effects are amazing and the language is beautiful. I truly recommend getting the subtitlted version since listening to the French is a hundred times better than the English dubbing could ever be.
Rating:
Summary: Silence, legume!
Review: Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. The whole shambling mess of the Cite des Enfants Perdu itself is ringed by green water, rusting spiral staircases, and riddled through with the macabre and fantastic tossed in, apparently, for the sheer baroque hell of it. It is the most truly dream-like movie I have ever encountered, with dream-logic that, for all its seeming arbitrariness, feels familiar. While the story is an excellent one, hovever, working complex and believable charcters through glorious surrealism into a satisfying whole, it is the *look* and *sound* of the thing that are absolutely unmissable if one harbors any taste for the wierd. See it in French, subtitled. As the title of this review suggests, much is to be missed if the original voices--and terminology--are replaced with the comparatively bland English. The sense of entering another land entirely is heightened, pleasantly so, by so many gravelly, chirpy, and strident voices all nattering on in a language one can't quite understand. I have a difficult time renting a copy of this movie because, as a friend who works in one store tells me, this particular film is most ofted rented and simply kept by people willing to pay the lost-tape fee. To this end, I intend to buy it as soon as I can scrape together a touch more money but--I am *staunchly* assured--even if it means eating Top Ramen for a while, it will be entirely worthwhile.
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