Rating: 
Summary: An excellent transition from playstation video game
Review: The entire cast was excellent! This movie was inspired by a video game, The background scenes look very much like they do in the game. The film stars Ron Perlman & french actress Judith Vittet. The story is about a scientist who can't dream or feel sadness, so in order to, he has children kidnapped by 'cyclopses', men with optic eye implants. The scientist is looking for a young child to hook their mind up with his so that he might "become them" and have normal emotion once again. When Perlmans character One's little brother is taken by the cyclopses he teams up with 9 year old Miette who knows where the children are being held captive. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who likes fantasy/adventure flicks, or those who remember playing the game. I liked Judith Vittets' character -Miette- the most, She was a smart and likeable character. Other favorites include the clone character, and Ron Perlman. I have watched both versions of this movie, therefore, I recommend the french version w/english subtitles! Don't miss out on this movie!! : >)
Rating:
Summary: hauntingly dark and beautiful
Review: I borrowed this from the library--and returned it a week late. I couldn't help myself. It's hard to explain the allure of this movie to those who have not seen it. It simply blew me away.The plot is farly simple, but enriched by all of the curious characters. Miette is my favorite--I have problems relising the actress is a nine year old. She's an adult in a child's body--clever and mature, very take charge. She has a biting wit and a way with sarcasm. Irving is awsome--a talking brain. Where can you go wrong? One is sweet and good. I love him. The clones just make me laugh. And Krank--the villan--is such a pitiful excuse of a man that I don't mind hating him (I usually love the evil ones). The visuals are striking. That is what first caught me about this movie. You have cyclopses, a pair of siamese twins, trained fleas, a strong man, and a dwarf. Plus a brain in a tank. All of the charm of a sideshow and more of the beauty. The sets are life sized sculptures--surreal and dark. The tear drop chain reaction scene is priceless, and the computer work put into the tiny fleas is wonderful. You have to watch this subtitled. (Though this has kept my friends and family from watching it w/ me. They don't know what they're missing.) I've never watched a dubbed copy, and you don't need it. Watch it through once or twice reading it, then don't look at the words so you can take it all in. The French makes it even more bizarre. It's amazing. The only thing about this movie that I regret is that I don't understand french well--something is always lost in the translation, but to me it doesn't really matter.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't believe the art-cinema crowd...
Review: This movie is not that great. If you're expecting violence and nudity (it is rated 'R' after all) you won't find it here. What you will find is a half-way decent story and acting, and a plot that moves slower than molasis in january. The mise-en-scene is BEAUTIFUL however, so if you're an artsy-fartsy kinda person, you'll like it. But if you're an average movie-goin'-joe, skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: "Who will take your dreams away?"
Review: Beautiful tale exemplifying the simplicity of friendship, and how strong it can be. Ron Perlman does an astounding job playing "One," a simple-minded circus performer who wishes no more than to make his way through life with a little boy in his care. The little boy is kidnapped in order to participate in the evil Krank's scheme to discover why Krank cannot dream. Ultimately, if one is truly an utter genius, is there any room for creativity? Is that perhaps the end-all of his existence--that he is so perfectly created that there are no surprises left for him...and that's why he is incapable of dreaming? And the dreams of the children always turn into nightmares as he arrives in them through his experimental equipment, possibly as a demonstration that he is the antithesis of all this is present in childhood: innocent ignorance, make-believe, friendship with similar peers, and so on. The acting is fantastic and the music score is exceptional. Angelo Badalamenti, I feel, is so unappreciated in his time. Remember, this is the same man who wrote the Twin Peaks soundtrack--how different could the two scores possibly be?!? Marianne Faithful is an extraordinary vocalist, providing voice for the haunting lyrics to the song's end credits. Don't miss it--and remember that not having everything still allows us to enjoy what we DO have. I have updated this review for ERRATA -- Jeunet and Caro are French, not Belgian.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Urban Fairytale.
Review: I wasn't sure at first when I sat down and put this movie in. But I simply became entranced with the incredible characters and fantastic story line. The setting is so dark but the story was so sweet and fairytale like that I let my 9 year old daughter watch it. I told her this is subtitled so you'll have to read the dialogue. I didn't know how long that would fly but to my surprise she never came downstairs and all I could hear from upstairs was the sound of her laughing her heart out. So if a nine year old can enjoy this (and ask to watch it again, I had to buy it)then surely this movie is for everyone. My only problem with this movie, and it is so minor, is that it took me a while to realise that the Strongmans name is One. It can be a bit confusing when your watching it in subtitles and they say some thing like "One needs to find his brother" But now that I've told you, this confusion can be avoided. All in all a great movie with stunning visuals and a unique story.
Rating:
Summary: Cruel Yet Hopeful Fable of Modernity
Review: A friend of mine, whose opinion I usually respect, called this movie "overproduced." And at the time, I thought I saw what he meant; but as I rewatch this movie (which has entranced me since first I saw it) I think I see where he went wrong. What he mistook for gratuitous style is actually deliberate design--design with a purpose, which thereby carries meaning. The creators intentionally draw your eye away from the characters to the details of the city which surrounds them; a city, which as the title reports, is what the movie's all about. It's about "cities" and about "children", and about the relationship that children have, as a human demographic class, to life in cities, which is the Primary Effect of Modern Life. The city is an engine of adversity, apparently consuming children, as all too many real contemporary cities do. But this very adversity breeds intelligence; not in any noticably genetic way, but in a cultural way. For the city has its child survivors, and they are creatures of pure intelligence; living by their wits, their flexibility of means, and their ability to focus on a purpose. And the city not only consumes, but its rich fabric of cause-and-effect also sustains and provides luck for the clever. But the larger forces in human affairs--Industry, Science, Religion, etc.--the forces which have given birth to cities, are all marked by their indifference to children, as are all but One of the adults depicted in the film. "The City of Lost Children" stands as a telling caricature of such indifference that actually exists in our world, and a testament to the survival power of children. The DVD medium allows you to dissect the seeming "distractions" in the production design, and reveals them as statements of the city's character, as well as simply pure art: the range of scale depicted in one scene alone--from objects measured in milligrams to objects measured in thousands of metric tons (all keys to the narrative)--is fantastic. The scene selection portion of the DVD is done very well, and allows you to behold the larger structure of the film in an informative way.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best fairy tales ever!
Review: This is one of my ultimate favourite movies. The visual effects are simply stunning and the expressions and faces of the characters are incredible (Daniel Emilfork makes Rowan Atchison look like a slacker)! The story line, while a little convoluted, is at least interesting. I feel a little like The Grinch criticizing Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's eerie cinematic genius. The plot is basic: an urban strongman's surrogate "little brother" is stolen by a group of deranged cyborg-creatures dubbed the cyclops'. In order to get the little boy, Denree, back, the strongman enlists the help of a motley crew of child kleptos. A pact is formed, and the strongman and the children (particularly a girl named Miette... played by the superb Judith Vitet) delve into the dream-like underbelly of the City of Lost Children. If you're at all curious... see it!
Rating:
Summary: Review of the DVD presentation.
Review: First of all, let me say that "City" on DVD is absolutely stunning! I was impressed with my VHS copy. But on DVD it's a visual treat for the eyes. This is why I added DVD capability to my PC. The sharpness of the picture is among the best in my DVD collection. There's so much to look at you'll never take it all in with one viewing. The makers of "City" have created a world unlike anything you've seen outside of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. Indeed, movies usually don't look this good unless they have Gilliam's name stamped on them somewhere. Even if the story totally sucked (it doesn't) I would own this just to sit back and watch the gorgeous visuals! Almost as stunning as the picture is the sound. The vivid sound effects are spot on. There are several sound tracks to choose from too. But the french soundtrack is the only one you should use (I know only a little french so I turn on the english subtitles). If you hate subtitles then this movie may make it worth your while to learn some french! I for one enjoy the sound of the french language. Maybe "City" can help me learn french. But if you need it there is a subpar english Dubbed version of the soundtrack. For picture and sound it deserves a 5 out of 5 for each. If you are a fan of "City" then buy it on DVD. If you like Terry Gilliam-type flicks (Brazil, Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen) then give "City" a try.
Rating:
Summary: A dream...
Review: The movie is presented in such a way that you feel as though you are watching a dream. A twisted dream about emotions amplified to the point of waking you up. But, you don't, you simply fall in love with the camera angles and the characters. The movie is engrossing to say the least and the actors are well bred. The story is pure fantasy and fun. I love the over exaggerated instruments. They add a gothic flavour to the theme. Rest assure that if you like The Crow or anything Tim Burton creates like Sleepy Hollow, you will cherish this film as a classic.
Rating:
Summary: To Me, It Was All About Creation...
Review: An excellent movie with a classic sub-plot descriptive of God and his relationship with his creation. Consider: 1) God: The 'Original' who lives underwater, seperated from mankind. He has forgotten his creation (the clones, etc.) and remains seperate from them, preferring the seculsion of the ocean. He vaguely remembers that his creation turned on him and attacked him. Ultimatly, he destroys himself and his creation at the end of the movie, leaving the rest of mankind to fend for themselves. Illustrative of man growing away from a further need or contact with a God. 2) Prior to the start of the movie (seen in a flashback), 'The Original' creates man in his perfect image (the various clones/worker bees), all of which are quite imperfect. Yet they all want to be 'The Original' and hope that they are... 3) Prior to the start of the movie (seen in a flashback), 'The Original' creates his 'ultimate creation' in the form of the dreamless one Krank who is symbolic of Lucifer, the fallen one. He preys upon the young and innocent, hoping to steal their dreams (innocence) and winds up with their (his) nightmares... 4) Seperation from 'The Original' and his 'creation' occurs during a falling out (seen in a flashback) between The dwarf woman (Eve) who starts the fight between 'The Original' and his clones as well as Krank. 5) Uultimate innocence and intelligence is, of course, seen in the children who become stupid as they grow into adults. The only smart people in the movie are the children, while 'The city of lost children' are really the adults. 6) Organized religion is reflected in the 'Cyclops' religious cult who cuts out their eyes so that they may 'see the light' more clearly. Note how in their temple there are hundreds of them seated up into the air, in the form of an alter reaching upwards into the sky. 7) The Brain: Ingellectualism in its rawest form (no further need of a body). The brain wants to destroy the 'creation' but also wants to save itself in the end. 8) The Octopus: Siamese twins (organized crime) who will do anything to further its cause, and exploit mankind to that end. 9) The One (Ron Perleman): Illustrative of the innocence in and adult, which if kept alive, provides him with the innocence (though not the intelligence) of a child. Anyway, I could go on and on. Most viewers will probably just see the plot as good vs bad, etc. but I think Ron Perleman was making quite a statement here... Pardon all the typos.
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