Director: Chris Wedge
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles, Christoph Waltz, Chris O'Dowd, Aziz Ansari and Jason Sudeikis
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Runtime: 102 mins. Reviewed in Jul 2013

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Rating notes: Mild animated violence

A brightly animated film that combines a modern story with a fairy tale – and has an environmental message.

As with a number of animation films, it is often hard to gauge just who is the target audience. Is it for children (well, yes, but what age)? Is it for boys and girls? Will adults enjoy it as they take their children and grandchildren?

With Epic, and its female central character, it looks as though it might appeal to pre-teenage girls. While the male character is not really a wimp, he has to work hard to impress. A boys’ audience might have to be a little tolerant. For teens? Maybe. But they might be saying that they have grown out of this kind of thing.

But, what do we have? First, the most nerdish, absent-minded and clumsy professor-father in a long time. He has been investigating his theory that there are little people in the forests. When his daughter, Mary Katherine, MK as she wants to be called, is drawn into the world of the Leaf People, he eventually is happy that he had been right.

But a lot of adventures before that.

It is a special time for renewal in the forest and the powers of darkness, an ugly lot who fire arrows which give kinds of boils to everyone and everything, are preparing an onslaught to prevent the moon from shining on the flower which must bloom to ensure the queen of the forest will continue her reign of light. While that may sound sweet, there are a lot of battles, some of them in the air with the Leaf Men warriors flying to combat the creatures of gloom. Come to think of it, quite a lot of battles. And myriad bats blocking out the moonlight.

Nod, the young rebel wants to be a warrior without curbs, despite the wise advice of the elder, Ronin, who trains him. And he wants to impress MK. There are some comic characters around, especially some wise-cracking slugs. And the queen at the beginning of the film is spoken by Beyonce. As regards the other voices: Colin Farrell is Ronin, Josh Hutcherson is Nod, the princeling, Amanda Seyfried, Mk, Jason Sudeikis the professor and Christoph Waltz the villain.

An ending when MK has to regain size and go back home? Separated forever?. Who said Skype was not a great invention and just might work in the forest! And Epic is a much too grandiose title for this fairy tale.