Movie Review: EPIC

I took the boys to see the movie Epic this afternoon and I have to say that I was far more impressed with it than I thought I would be. Not only did it have some fantastic characters, but the plot was rather engaging – it brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. However I do have to admit to being slightly disappointed with the ending.

A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world — and ours.

Before I state why I was unhappy with the ending, can I just say that I love the fact that c was able to include a love story with its plot without there actually being any romance? I know it may sound weird, but you could tell there was some chemistry between Ronin and Queen Tara, and a love that was going unrequited. We’re never told why, but you could see that was emotion there and it wasn’t hidden. They knew the other had feelings, but they just weren’t together, although why they weren’t is unknown.

Along with their unspoken romance, we also have something going on between Nod and MK. Now this is clearly not a love story, especially something you would expect from Disney (and this isn’t a Disney flick, I’m just using that as a comparison). It’s a story about a girl who has forgotten what she has in life after a tragic time. It’s never explicitly stated, but she’s grieving and trying to get through it on her own. She’s lost her focus and her unexpected journey is more than just an adventure, it’s her own journey of recovery. Everything she goes through reminds her of what she’s lost and she begins to learn more about herself.

Nod was the perfect person to stick her with too. He knows about lost and what it means to lose sight of something. He has the skills, but he doesn’t want to use them because of what they’ve cost him. Well, the idea of those skills and how he learn them is part of the reason he had to grieve in the first place. But I’m getting side-tracked. He’s on a carefree path when Ronin comes to him for help and MK is just another girl. It’s while helping her that he begins to see the reason for a lot of things he had forgotten as well.

But this is where my disappointment comes and may be a bit spoilerish. So if you haven’t seen it, have plans to, and don’t want to be spoiled, I would skip this paragraph. For those who don’t want to be spoiled, I will say this: don’t expect your typical HEA.

For those who have either seen it or really don’t care if something gets spoiled, it’s the HEA that I have a problem with. Why doesn’t the guy get the girl?! Seriously, you have this story about self-discovery and these two characters who are developing something more than a simple friendship and then the whole chance is gone. Yes, the girl gets unshrunk and the boy stays small, but there isn’t a way they could have made it so they could be together?  The queen was able to shrink her in the first place, why can’t she give the girl the option to be shrunk again?  The last sequence of scenes show that Nod and MK wanted to go further with their new relationship, but the only chance they have at doing that is not really a chance IMO. I guess my biggest problem is that everything was there for the guy to get the girl and then nothing. He has to watch her grow away and is left with video communication only.

I have to say that I loved Epic up until the ending, but the way things were left seems so unresolved for me. I wanted things to work out, but I can’t see how they will with their current situation. This leaves me to wonder if there will be a sequel, where we’ll get to see more of Nod and MK, but I’m not holding my breath. I believe there could be a solid story that would bring everyone back together, but whether it’s actually done or not remains to be seen.

So who saw Epic? What did you think? Were you happy with the way it ended or did you leave like I did – leaving with unresolved emotions?