Life couldn't be better for cartoonist Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser). He has created a hit comic strip featuring Monkeybone, a petulant rascal with a penchant for wise cracks and racy antics. Stu, happy and in love with his beautiful girlfriend Julie (Bridget Fonda) is on the verge of big success, as his comic strip is about to become a national television show. But on the night Stu is to propose to Julie, he is struck down in a freak accident. While Stu's body lies comatose - and Julie maintains a constant bedside vigil - his conscious spirit is transported to Downtown, a purgatory-like limbo existing between life and death. Downtown has a carnival landscape populated by mythical gods and creatures who revel in the nightmares of the living. Upon his arrival, Stu learns his ominous fate: There's no turning back. And just as things seem like they couldn't get any worse, Stu's alter ego, Monkeybone, springs to life to stir up some trouble. Now, Stu must outwit Death (Whoopi Goldberg) in order to return to the world of the living before the doctors pull the plug on Stu's body. But Monkeybone has hatched his own plot that could thwart Stu's plans...
"Monkeybone" is a very strange, bizarre film. As a comedy, it only works to a certain extent--there are a couple of laughs, but that's it, really. However, as an effect-laden film, it works beautifully. The special effects are amazing--The surreal images, the stop-motion animation, the various creatures featured in downtown,and the production design are all simply incredible, creative, different.... The film is mostly a showcase for these effects, and they definitely made it a more enjoyable experience.
Director Henry Selick has several other bizarre flick on him resume as well, including the excellent "Nightmare before Christmas" and "james and the giant peach". Selick clearly doesn't make people flicks--this is especially obvious by the awkwardness of the scenes featuring actors and large amounts of dialouge. Both "Nightmare" and "Giant peach" shows that given a screenplay that requires lots of effects and creativity, he can work wonders. With a film that tries to be funny, though.....
6/10.
