Laika's latest outing, for better or worse, carries with it a certain expectation of quality, thanks to their previously pretty much entirely untarnished record. Of course, 'Missing Link (2019)' really shouldn't be judged solely against its ancestors, as that's simply not fair (even if it's, essentially, inevitable and, even, somewhat understandable). It initially seems like a bit of a departure for the studio, perhaps spurred on by their new Annapurna Pictures partnership. However, you soon come to realise that it takes a similar approach when it comes to its story-telling: family-friendly but fairly uncompromising. There's a good amount of action here and it all feels suitably tangible. As usual, it comes with consequences, too. These stakes help drive the adventure, which is always quite propulsive and pacy. It also takes some unexpected - or, maybe, risky - turns and has a decent thematic underpinning. In general, though, it seems to lack a sense of urgency - even though, by all rights, it shouldn't - and the characters are a tad flat. Around halfway through, the lead seems to regress into a slightly more selfish state so that the flick can manufacture some conflict. It feels as though the writers realised that the hero needed to undergo the arc that he ultimately does but didn't go back through the piece to refine what they'd already written. It doesn't help that the arc itself is quite basic and, almost, expected. It's also strange that the protagonist only changes whenever he's told to by the female lead. The film is probably trying to imply that he's undergone some internal reflection after their confrontation(s) but, instead, it seems more like he's doing his subsequent good deeds simply to 'get the girl' and further his own agenda. It's perhaps a small thing but it's something that I noticed. On the whole, though, these small character issues don't detract from an undeniably beautiful picture. Laika continue to hone their stop-motion craft with each movie they produce. The facial animation, especially, looks superb. On top of that, it's consistently entertaining. While it isn't as emotionally engaging as it could have been, it's a solid story that will keep you watching until the end. 7/10
Review of Missing Link
