TANGLED - Movie Review by WZ

PLOT SUMMARY: Based on the folklore tale of Rapunzel, a teenage girl with 70-foot long hair is kept captive by a witch in a tower until a gallant rogue arrives to rescue her.  

REVIEW: To be honest, TANGLED was originally one of those movies I was just going to let pass by. However, exciting word-of-mouth reviews started trickling into my awareness through my wife and friends. Earlier today, I finally gave in and decided to see it. All I have to say is...

WOW. That's right, I said WOW. TANGLED is probably Disney's very first 3D classic on par with its 2D classics made during its golden age. It's a real shame that this movie is flying under the radar to some degree due to Disney's looong train of releasing mediocre animated films.  

As a piece of entertainment, it's hard to point out what TANGLED might have done better.  Sure there are some loose plot points, but the movie just sweeps you up into its atmosphere, story and characters. Every scene is clearly lovingly crafted and shot by the director.  

I would daresay that TANGLED is a superior movie to pretty much everything Disney AND Pixar has released going back to THE INCREDIBLES. The movie just wipes the floor with THE PRINCESS & THE FROG and probably even THE LION KING. So many elements work so well together, including the heroes, villains and their little critter friends. If you "like" ENCHANTED, you'll love TANGLED. But if you "loved" ENCHANTED, this movie could probably bring you to tears.   

TANGLED has something for all ages and most types of people. The only demographic who should avoid this movie are those who just don't like saccharine sweet Fantasy/Medieval stories by Disney.  For everyone else, especially movie lovers, TANGLED is a fine piece of craft indeed. Who knows? Maybe the movie signals a creative shift at Disney in terms of quality. But, I will say this...Pixar is in real danger of losing the baton for best animation company, if they haven't lost it already with their current addiction to retreads.   

Ending this review, I will say that TANGLED is now my favorite movie of the 2010 year so far...but I did manage to miss a lot of releases.  I still need to see TRUE GRIT, KING'S SPEECH and BLACK SWAN among several others.  

FINAL LOGIC-COOL RATING: A Masterpiece

I was torn whether to give this a "Mostly Great" rating, but no..I finally decided that this movie is a breakthrough for Disney.  They should be encouraged down this road.  Yes, it definitely deserves the Masterpiece rating in my book, but I'd probably have to argue the case to some circles of people.  Again, people who dislike feel-good, G-rated, Medieval/Fantasy should avoid this project of course.  Some circles simply prefer more adult-oriented entertainment. 

FINAL SPEND RATING: 3D / IMAX

TANGLED is not only worth Full Price, but also worth the added bells and whistles that come with a 3D or IMAX screening.  To be honest, I didn't have the benefit of seeing this movie in 3D.  However, there are quite a few scenes that would've looked spectacular.  And when all is said and done, I did regret the Matinee price I paid for admittance.  This is definitely a movie to own as well, preferably in Blu-Ray and 3D.