Cinema Trips - 'Christopher Robin'

Christopher Robin was a film that I was looking forward to since the first trailer came out. As a fan of the Winnie the Pooh property and having grown up watching the series and the various films that came out in between, my excitement was naturally high.

With this in mind, I was glad that this film was what it was, when all things are considered. This is first and foremost a Christopher Robin film and a Winnie the Pooh film second, which was what the marketing advertised.

This is a film I enjoyed very much. There is so much charm to it and all the animal characters were exactly as I remembered them. The human characters were enjoyable in their own right too. The fact that it is so charming is what elevates it from being a mediocre movie.

The film is at its strongest when it is spending time with the animal characters, and a majority of what happens with the humans feel as if it is filler in between. Primarily because a lot of the characters are so one dimensional save for Christopher Robin and his family.

This is ultimately a story that you have seen done before many times, sometimes well, sometimes less than well. Thankfully this is one of the times that is was done well. Through a majority of it there were many shades and plot beats that is very, very reminiscent of Hook by Steven Spielberg.

There is also a moment or two when things are set up only to have no pay off whatsoever. For instance there is a running gag about the neighbour wanting to play cards with Christopher that by the half hour mark is dropped harder than an anvil on the coyote, never to be brought up again. Which makes you wonder, why was it there in the first place?

Everything that is related to Christopher’s job, which takes up a majority of the first act, is quite dull, which is a shame considering the opening was incredibly strong, and everything after only continued to build upon each other.

When it finally came back to the hundred acre wood it reminded me strongly of Pooh's Grand Adventure The Search for Christopher Robin (1997). Only instead of Pooh and the gang looking for Christopher Robin, it was Pooh and Christopher Robin looking for everyone else.

This is where the film was incredibly strong, when Christopher was with the gang in the woods. Thankfully the rest of his family supplemented the rest of the film and the interactions with the gang really well. Therefore while watching it was starting wish that we got a film that focused mainly on Pooh and that gang on one of their adventures rather than this semi reboot of Hook.

The way the gang was animated was wonderful as it was both different from any previous incarnation of the story. The year was at once easily recognisable. They easily integrated with the live action setting whenever they were on screen and did not feel out of place at all. In addition, all the voice talent did a tremendous job bringing the characters to life. Eeyore in particular was a stand out.

The music in the film was wonderful to listen to and really heightened the experience during a particular moment at the very start of the film. This was in between Christopher leaving the woods and the film actually starting catching us up on his life up to now.

The villain in the film was antagonistic and beyond cartoonish to the point that if you switched him out with an actual cartoon it would have been more fitting given the performance. Ultimately we are not going to this film to see a villain with nuance and depth so it can be helped.

If I were to recommend this film I would say to go and see it in the cinema if you are a long time fan of the Winnie the Pooh property. If you are not I would recommend going to see it on a discount day at the cinema at the very least as it is a very charming film that get better and better as it goes on.