255. Missing Link; movie review

MISSING LINK
Cert PG
93 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild violence, threat, language

Hasn't the whole abominable snowman thing been done to death in animated movies?
After all, it is only a few months since Smallfoot made a big impact at cinemas.
Unfortunately, studios are making a habit of bleeding a good idea dry so here they are with Missing Link - another tale of a talking creature of legend.
Chris Butler's film includes some of the top voice talent around - including Hugh Jackman,  Zoe Saldana, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, David Walliams and Zach Galifianakis.
But it failed to light my candle because I was overwhelmed by a sense that I had seen it all before.
Jackman voices a 19th-century explorer who is determined to impress his peers by finding mythical creatures such as the Loch Ness monster.
He receives a note telling him of the existence of the missing link between the apes and man and so he heads off to America to find him.
That is even easier than he thought because the letter was written by the aforementioned ape-man (Galifianakis) who not only talks but has rather refined tastes.
His reason for luring the explorer is that he is lonely and wants to find if any of his species still exist.
Thus, begins an adventure that crosses the world.
And, inevitably, things don't go quite to plan, as might be expected of a giant ape called Susan (don't ask) dressed in a check suit.
Missing Link is breezy enough which is why it has done well at the box office but, not for the first time this year, I found a movie which lacked the extra sparkle needed to make me laugh or cry.
Yes, it has wild moments and it hammers home messages about friendship and camaraderie but it needed just a dab more fairy dust.
Do my opinions matter? Nope because, obviously, a sequel is already in the offing.

Reasons to watch: Pacy animation
Reasons to avoid: Been there, done that

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Today it is recognised that the relationship of modern humans to the present anthropoid apes (eg. chimpanzees) is through common ancestors rather than through direct descent. These ancestors have yet to be identified but ape-hominid divergence may have occurred six to ten million years ago.

The final word. Chris Butler: "Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favourite movie of all time, and I wanted to play in that world, this big bold adventure. It’s also influenced by Sherlock Holmes." That Shelf

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