TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID
RATING: 3.6/5
So right off the bat, let me say that this movie is definitely not like Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. Yeah, there's kids, the movie is in Spanish, and there's a supernatural element, but that's where the similarities pretty much stop. If anything, this is a modern day adaptation of The Monkeys Paw more than anything else.
This movie pretty much lives and dies depending on whether you like these homeless kids, because the special effects just aren't enough to really keep your interest since they're used so sparingly. That being said, the kids aren't bad. They're homeless because their families have been either murdered or kidnapped by the cartel, and they have no one else but each other. They have a camaraderie that carries them through the life they endure, which mainly entails scavenging and avoiding being kidnapped by the cartel. The main character joins these kids because her mom ends up missing one day, after she gets home from school and she doesn't know where else to turn. You'd think she'd tell her school teacher but instead, she turns to the homeless kids she sees in the neighborhood, and the story kicks into gear from there.
If i had to say anything bad about the film, it's that i don't think the lead actress is as strong as the supporting cast, nor as interesting. The boys kinda run circles around her as having more depth and charisma. Outside the monkey's paw she carries, which is 3 pieces of chalk for 3 wishes here, she doesn't really offer much else as a character. Her first wish opens her up to small supernatural omens which she can't make sense of until the end. It's a little predictable in that way, but then the kids get into legitimate danger with the cartel, adding a new element that stops things from getting too predictable. Oh, and occasionally the English subtitles wouldn't quite capture what was really said in Spanish, so some jokes didn't translate over, but the gist of it was there.
Overall, the film's okay. Nowhere near the level of Pan's Labyrinth, but still enjoyable for what it is. You definitely don't have to rush to see this, but if one day you find yourself with some free time on your hands, i don't think it's a movie you'd regret watching.
So right off the bat, let me say that this movie is definitely not like Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. Yeah, there's kids, the movie is in Spanish, and there's a supernatural element, but that's where the similarities pretty much stop. If anything, this is a modern day adaptation of The Monkeys Paw more than anything else.
This movie pretty much lives and dies depending on whether you like these homeless kids, because the special effects just aren't enough to really keep your interest since they're used so sparingly. That being said, the kids aren't bad. They're homeless because their families have been either murdered or kidnapped by the cartel, and they have no one else but each other. They have a camaraderie that carries them through the life they endure, which mainly entails scavenging and avoiding being kidnapped by the cartel. The main character joins these kids because her mom ends up missing one day, after she gets home from school and she doesn't know where else to turn. You'd think she'd tell her school teacher but instead, she turns to the homeless kids she sees in the neighborhood, and the story kicks into gear from there.
If i had to say anything bad about the film, it's that i don't think the lead actress is as strong as the supporting cast, nor as interesting. The boys kinda run circles around her as having more depth and charisma. Outside the monkey's paw she carries, which is 3 pieces of chalk for 3 wishes here, she doesn't really offer much else as a character. Her first wish opens her up to small supernatural omens which she can't make sense of until the end. It's a little predictable in that way, but then the kids get into legitimate danger with the cartel, adding a new element that stops things from getting too predictable. Oh, and occasionally the English subtitles wouldn't quite capture what was really said in Spanish, so some jokes didn't translate over, but the gist of it was there.
Overall, the film's okay. Nowhere near the level of Pan's Labyrinth, but still enjoyable for what it is. You definitely don't have to rush to see this, but if one day you find yourself with some free time on your hands, i don't think it's a movie you'd regret watching.