Writer: Dzamira Dzafri

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Watch this if you liked: "Rise Of The Guardians"

If you are looking to teach your kids about the importance of the Earth's environment then look no further. This 3D animated film is as entertaining as a fun family night out yet it gives you a lesson or two about the importance of the well-being of the forest. Think "Rise Of The Guardians" meets "Avatar".

But like a lot of family night outs, the movie is only fun for its target audiences, which are mostly children and young teens. The rest of the family could expect what they would expect at family events. Adults and young adults would try not to make it obvious that they would rather scroll through their phones and the mothers and fathers would try to enjoy it, for the kids of course.

The title "Epic" had failed to lived up to the movie title's potential and it was confusing why they would change the title completely from the original title of the book "The Leaf Men And The Brave Good Bugs". It is quite a mouthful but anything would have been better than "Epic".

Most parts of the movie seems too predictable and regular like the things we would normally call mediocre, like some of the plot points that included Mary Katherine (voiced by Amanda Seyfried) and her dad (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) and Mary Katherine and the rebellious Nod (voiced by Josh Hutcherson), though parts that included Beyonce Knowles as Queen Tara and Colin Farrell as Ronin were absolutely delightful. It was great that the film found ways to portray their chemistry with animated faces and movement and it fit really well into the story.

For the dark side of the story, Christoph Waltz who voiced Mandrake, leader of the evil Boggans is unsurprisingly terrific. It would have been more fun to hear him play a lead character that did not have a terrifying dark side to him but this was still just as satisfying.

For fans who know him as Quentin Tarantino's current muse, you would be excited to hear how well he delivers his lines in an animation. He added a touch of comedy into his role that would please both kids and adults. James Woods who voiced Hades in "Hercules" would have been the closest to what Waltz had done in the film, even though it was not as big of a role.

But the kings of comedy in the film were definitely the kings of comedy themselves. Aziz Ansari from television show "Parks and Recreation" and Chris O'Dowd from "Bridesmaids" played Mub the slug and Grub the Snail respectively. Their personalities definitely brought the movie into place, and with them and Ronin around the movie felt like it was worth watching.

Even with several flaws in the story itself, the artistic work they had done to the forest, costume design, and the animation itself had to be commended. The view was breathtaking and they put a good amount detail into the leaves and the flowers. The 3D effect in the theaters also elevated the experience as it took you to another place in the world. It's not as extreme of a view as "Avatar" but it was still very pretty to watch.

It is not to say that the film was dull, because it did have a strong handful of moments when it was fun to watch and you would feel the suspense and heartfelt scenes when it did get to it. Watch it for the characters and the view of the natural forest without having to ever go hiking outside to experience it.

Cinema Online, 16 May 2013