praisehim-425-577701 I would love to love this movie, but I can't. While the colors and the characters of the movie are great, the storytelling sucks. Yes it has a story to tell, but the way it does is to obvious. I felt the wagging finger of the director for 2/3 of the movie and I hate it when that happens. On IMDb people tend to rate either with 1 or with 10 stars but as this movie shows, there are a lot of gray areas. It is possible that I did not understand the reason for the weird behavior of the characters, that I am not able to get the "real core" of the story, that ... Fact is, that I was exited about the trailer and was disappointed about the movie itself. Just watch it yourself and make your own conclusions.

strat_axe Micmacs is not a bad movie overall and one with an interesting and whimsical storyline. One thing however that I did not like about the movie was the obvious plot holes that it contained. There were certain places where the storyline simply jumped ahead with no explanation, leaving the reader to catch up on their own. The most notable example of this is near the beginning where we see Bazil as a little kid when his family receives news of his father's death. We then see him sent to a boarding school of some sort and the story suddenly changes to a man sitting in a video store watching a movie. It is only because of certain clues seen later that we suddenly realize that this is Bazil. Some films do this purposefully for effect, however this one only serves to confuse the audience rather than impress them.The director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, was born in Roanne, Loire, France on September 3, 1953. Jeunet has directed a number of films, one of which, "Amelie", was nominated for several Academy Awards. He also received a European Film Award for Best Director due to this film.A major idea that is expressed in the film is that of a person finding a second life or a new reason for living. We see Bazil's life rejuvenated by his newfound group of friends and his newfound purpose of getting revenge on the arms manufacturers. This idea really hits home when we see that all of his friends are happily willing to assist him in his mission. When they tell him that anything he has to do, they will do together, we see that he has gained a new life that far surpasses the solitary and dreary one he led before. This idea is significant because it shows that people should always have a reason for living. If one life purpose fades away, another one will eventually arise to take its place.Another main idea is the story of an underdog triumphing over a superior force. The dominant storyline of Bazil's quest for revenge on the arms dealers reflects this idea at every turn as he and his team lure the companies closer and closer to destruction. They gain more of an advantage with each step of the plan until it all culminates in the end with the coerced confessions of the president of each company. Once these confessions are broadcast on YouTube, Bazil and his friends have obviously won. This idea is popular with audiences because people like it when they see those who are repressed overthrow their oppressors against all odds. It is appealing because not only does the good guy win, but that victory is all the more sweet because it is theoretically impossible. The movie uses special effects as any good action film should, which serve well to keep the audience's attention. It makes use of pyrotechnics such as the explosions which are set off with the sabotage of one of the arms manufacturing facilities. The music used at different points in the movie also stands out. It has a circus-like feel to it which adds to the comical air of the film, such as the music heard when Petit Pierre is playing with his inventions.Overall, the movie is okay at best, but far from the worst I have ever seen. Many may find it to be too trite and predictable however it does have its moments. I would readily suggest it to someone looking for a decent French action-comedy.

poe426 When video clerk Bazil ends up taking one in the brain-pan during a shootout (to which he was merely a witness), he ends up scavenging junk for a group of eccentric underground junkyard denizens. When Bazil decides to track down the arms dealer(s) whose handiwork resulted in his own injury (and his father's death, years before), MICMACS appears to be right on track- but this is no WAR, INC. MICMACS, unfortunately, begins to drift further and further into the type of way over the top fantasy that we've come to expect from Jeunet (DELICATESSEN, CITY OF LOST CHILDREN). Whatever political statement he might've made gets lost in the grandiose filmmaking. "I don't do politics," the arms dealer Marconi tells a client. Neither, apparently, does Jeunet (at least, not this time around) and it's an excellent opportunity he's squandered. There are some great lines throughout (the son of the arms dealer tells him he should work out when he mentions Rimbaud; the arms dealer tries to correct the misconception: "Rimbaud- not Rambo."). When Bazil turns to his junkyard pals 'n' gals for help (one of whom is "a twisted contortionist"), he must first explain the difference between "gaze and gays." Not a bad film, but one that only verges on being a truly great one.

billcr12 Basil grows up without his father who has died while defusing a landmine. He is hit in the head by a stray bullet which cannot be removed. He wanders the streets until he is taken in by a strange group of misfits who decide to take on the arms industry by infiltrating and plotting schemes which place the military contractors against one another.Although filled with off beat characters who seem to be circus performers, director Jeunet delivers a message of hope for nonconformists everywhere and those different people who don't fit in with the rest of society.