Movie Review: ****Arthur and the Invisisibles

This is a cute show.  Arthur (Freddie Highmore) lives with his grandmother (Mia Farrow).  He is disappointed because his parents do not return for his birthday.  His grandfather has disappeared.  Things get worse when a developer enters the scene, says he has bought the debts on grandmother’s farm and she has two days to pay up or he is going to turn the farm into a shopping center.   

Arthur has to find a way to find his grandfather’s treasure.  Grandfather hid it on the farm, but then could not find it.  The treasure is a bunch of rubies.  Grandfather had been to Africa, and met the largest people in existence, and the smallest, as small as a tooth.  Arthur looks for clues among his grandfather’s things, and begins to find them.  This leads him to the portal.  To pass the portal into grandfather’s world, he has to be made small himself.  The invisibles live on the farm as well, but they are little like ants so no one sees them.  However, if the farm is turned to concrete, they will all die. 

The Invisibles are divided into two factions, the evil Lord Matazard (David Bowie) who has found away to use technology to everyone’s detriment.  He is devising a way to take water and flood the MInimoys.  The princess (Madonna) and Arthur travel to the city of the evil people in an effort to find grandfather, the rubies and to prevent the evil empire from ruining everything.  Everything looks gloomy for our heroes as they are captured.  Matazard is going to have some fun, and sets them loss in the irrigation tunnels with the water behind them.  They find a way to escape, using a toy car. 

There is a clever interaction between the regular size world and the Invisibles.  Arthur is able to use this to his own advantage.  The last scene has the princess looking at Arthur through his window and proclaiming she will wait for him.

This movie has plenty of tension, and using the Tony meter again received high marks.  He was enchanted by the world of the little people, with their messy hair.  My only complaint; I didn't buy Mia Farrow as a grandmother.