Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has proved with Amélie (which currently is part of the IMBD top 250) that he’s able to create a dreamy, almost fairy tale like world with special characters. As a viewer you can’t help to be mesmerised with the way it makes you feel. It truly is a feel good movie (which I have recently watched again after watching this). Although different, Jeunet tries again to create such a world. Does he succeed?
Micmacs is about Bazil (Dany Boon), a filmfreak who is working in a rental store. His father passed away when he was young when he stepped on a landmine. When Bazil himself comes face to face with guns at his job resulting in him losing everything and ending up on the streets he wants revenge. On who you might ask? His targets are two companies who manufacture weapons, one produced the landmine that killed his father, the other one produced the gun that made him lose it all. Together with a big group of eccentric characters he runs into at a junkyard he devises a revenge plan, using the knowledge and experience of the group.
If this movie would be a Korean movie you would know what to expect and things would get bloody and violent very quickly, but Jeunet manages to turn this into a kids movie (just like he did with Amélie although that had elements which were not suitable for children). All the characters have strange characteristics (one is great at math, another one can create art out of junk, one of the is very flexible etc) and feel like one big, happy family. Together they execute the plan which results in some strange situations.
The film feels personal and surrealistic. Although it is set in a real city, the visuals have been color corrected which gives it almost the same feel as Amélie, although a bit darker.
The movie has enough exciting moments and funny situations to entertain both old and young.
Score: 8