Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Jayden-Lee Thomson One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

jeungsun The first time I watched this film was in 2015 when I was baby-sitting my neighbours 3 sons who were all below the age of 13 years. We were watching it late at night and the film itself had some scary scenes and even the zombies were scary. To be honest it wasn't too far off the style of Scooby Too, but it was a little more realistic. What made it more realistic was the animation. The animations were fantastic and made the theme of the movie more engaging. The paranormal theme is somewhat unknown to the vast majority of human beings, that is also part of the reason why the film is scary. However, I loved how moving the story-line. The cast was voiced really nicely and Norman was given a bashful, brave, cute and hyper-sensitive awareness of others (hence his ability to see ghosts/spirits, paranormal activity). I love the story-line itself and how the whole issues was based on real history. It was cool of the writer to explore a broader social issue. It was somewhat an education for watchers. It moved me to the point of tears. Essentially, the original soundtrack was beautifully moving and fun, the characters were casted well, funny scenes, fabulous craftsmanship in the animations and great story!

bowmanblue I just watched Paranorman - a film about a boy (called Norman by the way) who can talk to ghosts - and wondered who it was aimed at? The cinema was filled with children (ranging from three years old to early teens) and I came out of the auditorium wondering whether I was the only person in there who truly enjoyed it! Don't think that just because this is a story about a boy who 'sees dead people' that it's anything like the Sixth Sense. It more slightly cashes in on today's obsession with zombies. We've seen zombie movies for adults, zombie movies with 'infected' people instead of walking corpses, romantic zombie movies, comedy zombie movies, zombie movies from the point of view of the undead themselves and now we have a kids' one. It had to happen (and, after watching Paranorman, I say no bad thing).First of all, this is NOT Toy Story or Shrek. For a start it's made from 'claymation' (think Wallace and Gromit) rather than all on computers. Plus, it might pass itself off as a children's' movie, but it seemed more like a homage to cheesy B-movie horror films of days gone by. There are tonnes of in-joke references to horror films that, unless you show your five-year-old Halloween and Return of the Living Dead instead of In the Night Garden, they will have no hope of ever picking up on.In these days of 'target audiences' where 'Film A' is meant for women and 'Film B' is meant for children and so on, watching Paranorman made me wonder whether the filmmakers just sat down, made a movie that they liked and never really gave much through to who it was meant for, hoping it would find an audience out there somewhere. A brave, if not that economical, decision.Bottom line: Paranorman was awesome, but then I'm a man who has grown on up on horror and zombie films. It has loads more heart and character development than other recent 'kids' movies, such as Brave, it looks visually stunning and it's packed full of gags - I just wonder how many children will actually get? Afterthought: I was so caught up in enjoying this movie, I obviously didn't get some concerns from parents. I've read some internet message boards where parents are annoyed at a kids' movie bringing in issues of child death and (takes a deep breath) sexuality. Maybe if you don't want Little Johnny asking you, "Daddy, why does HE have a 'boyfriend?'" you really shouldn't take your child to see this.Paranorman = possible future cult movie.

runamokprods Wildly creative and technically terrific, there is much to admire in this animated play on traditional zombie films. But unlike "Coraline" – made by some of the same people – or the other Tim Burton/Henry Selick macabre animated works, there's a certain lack of soul and emotion here that keeps it from climbing to the heights of those films. There's also an odd unevenness of tone. While it has a few really inspired visual and verbal gags, it switches a bit awkwardly back and forth between being almost over-earnest, and a kind of hip, ironic distanced humor. And much of the plot feels familiar and/or predictable. Part of the struggle for me as an adult is that this is really made for 'tweens. Too scary for little kids, it also limits the film a bit on the older side. It can't work as easily for adults as some 'kids films' (ala Pixar, etc), where 8 years olds can enjoy it while 30 or 40 year olds can get it on a whole different level. I bet 11 year olds would flat out love this, but unlike the films mentioned earlier, I felt a bit left out of the fun. Still, it has it's moments, both of humor and heart, and I'm glad I saw it. I just don't know that I'd ever go back for seconds.

morrison-dylan-fan With Halloween coming up,I started searching round for a Horror title which a friend could watch with her family.Searching round for a suitable title,I suddenly remembered seeing the trailer for a wonderful-looking animated Horror,which led to me getting ready to meet a paranormal Norman.The plot:Ever since his grandmother's death, Norman Babcock has found that he's been able to talk and see the death,with his grandmother returning as a ghost,and revealing to Norman that she has come back,thanks to making a promise that she would always be there for him.Attempting to tell his family about his new found skill,Babcock finds his claims being completely dismissed,with his family seeing his ghostly activities as part of the grieving process that Norman is going through over the death of his grandmother.Along with his family,Norman finds himself getting labelled a freak by almost everyone at school,with the only person prepared to be Norman's friend,being school outcast Neil Downe.To mark the 300th anniversary of a witch being executed in the town,the residence of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, decide to stage a school play re-enactment,with Norman being given a background role.As he finds himself getting bored to death standing in the background,Norman begins to see 'signs' which start to hint that the witch's cause may be about to return.View on the film:For the stylish appearance of the film,co-directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler (who also wrote the screenplay) expertly combined CGI with Claymation,as Fell and Butler show Norman's awkward personality with the wonderfully off-beat clay animation,which is matched by the director's sharp CGI facial animation.Giving the movie a real creepy atmosphere,the director's use burning purples and wild splashes of yellow to show a Gothic world slowly creeping into the town.With the Horror element of the movie,writer Chris Butler shows that he is unafraid to treat the children seeing the film as adults,thanks to Butler mixing hilarious slap-stick Comedy and sight gags with a superb Horror bite,which goes from an unexpectedly chilling hanging,to some rather wonderful wacky zombies.Keeping away from taking the easy option of making the movies heart sickly sweet,Butler instead gradually takes his time in showing Norman gain a real sense of self confidence,as he finds himself having to take on the unknown for the first time in his life.Giving the character a perfect loser-turns-hero voice, Kodi Smit- McPhee gives an excellent performance as Norman,with Smit-McPhee really capturing the uncertainty in Norman's voice,whilst Jodelle Ferland strikes a chill with the forceful voice of Aggie,as Norman sets out to find the cause behind the paranormal activities.