There is both something very right yet something very wrong with the Tale of Despereaux. It’s just that I cannot rightly pinpoint it.
Here is an epic tale about… about… about… well, that’s just it – I can’t pinpoint what its about either. And that’s the biggest flaw of the film.
The Tale of Despereaux is a beautiful film, full of well acted roles (by superior actors) written beautifully with a literary-worthy script, and music that can take your breath away… but it tried to achieve so many things at the same time, that it ended up convoluting the script and the pace. The film, rare from its kind, is written like a beautiful prose (narrated by the equally beautiful voice of Sigourney Weaver) – it doesn’t travel with a straight line, but moves almost like a stream of consciousness, following nothing but the words before them and where the tale takes them… no matter where it is.
It records the tales of an interesting cast of characters, each with a tale of their own – coalescing into that final fateful encounter. Four tales form the crux of this flick: the tale of the Princess who longed for the past, the Mouse who held honor and courage above all else, the Rat who was in his heart – a gentleman, and a servantlady who has always wanted to be a princess. The plot then moves from there, moving the pieces into an almost-shakespearean conflict that leaves the viewer religiously enjoying every single moment, and savoring every single line the characters utter.
No, this is not your usual 3d action-comedy flick like those done and overdone many times over by clones of Shrek and Madagascar. This is a real story about honor, bravery, knighthood, dreams, passions, pain, suffering, broken hearts, forgiveness … and about a hundred other themes. And that’s what kept this film from becoming a great one.
Rule number one in the playwright’s handbook was to choose a theme for your play – one unifying theme that will be the backbone of the entire story. In Romeo and Juliet it was ‘Love Triumphs all’ in Hamlet, it was ‘Vengeance poisons everything it touches.’ Lajos Egri, a reknowned teacher and playwright said that to have two themes was possible, but it would not be successful. But Despereaux further confuses this by slapping theme upon theme, each holding a different backbone of the story, that by the end of the tale – you begin to wonder what exactly was it that you just watched… was it about Hope? Forgiveness? Heroism? Bravery? Or all of the above?
Or maybe its about Soup?
The result is a beginning that was enthralling and magical, but an ending that was… flatly disappointing. But if you still want to watch a tale told in a refreshingly glamorous fashion, Tale still succeeds in giving a regale moment that calms the heart. Lovable characters, beautiful renders and scenery, and music that is just…. Wonderful.
It is not perfect, but what’s the fun in that if it was?
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