Strange Magic
Rating – 3/4
*SPOILERS*
I love fantasy movies. Fairies, magic, magical creatures, and worldbuilding is always something I’ve enjoyed. And I’m sucker for a good love story. So, when you get a movie that has both, I was intrigued. And it’s a musical, and I love musicals too.
Based off of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and with the voice talents of Evan Rachel Wood, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Meredith Ann Bull, Elijah Kelley, and Sam Palladio, Strange Magic is what it says. It’s a strange story with strange creatures and there’s plenty of magic. And romance! When Marianne (Wood), a fairy princess discovers that her fiancée Roland (Palladio) has cheated on her, she rightfully dumps him and swears off romance forever. Desperate to win her back, Roland plots to win her back by any means necessary.
Meanwhile, an elf named Sunny (Kelley) is in love with Marianne’s sister, Dawn (Bull) but has trouble about confessing his true feelings. And so, Roland manipulates Sunny to travel to the Dark Wood to get a love potion for both of them to use on their unrequited loves.
But the Dark Wood is ruled by the Bog King (Cumming), who, like Marianne, has rejected all love as well. That makes it difficult to get the potion, doesn’t it? But as the old saying goes, “Love conquers all.”
Yeah, I know that plot sounds a little confusing, but it’s really…not. It’s a simple story about love, with humor and music.
The biggest strength of the movie lies in its songs and their performances. There’re songs from Deep Purple, Whitney Houston, Kelly Clarkson, Elvis, and the Electric Light Orchestra, appropriately featuring the song, “Strange Magic.” And every song sets the tone and mood of the scene. When there’s romance, you get a sweet song, when there’s intensity, you get something empowering like “Stronger.” It reveals character and shows their motivations and allows us to connect with them.
After all, music is a universal language.
For the record, my favorite song is ‘Strange Magic,” sung during the Bog King’s and Marianne’s first romantic scene. It’s sweet, it’s charming, and it’s performed amazingly well by both actors. Slowly, barriers are broken down and two members with past heartache become vulnerable. How could you not love it?
The second strengths are the visuals and worldbuilding. Everything has life, from the fairies, to the forest, to the magical creatures. There’s nothing uncanny or unnatural, but rather just another world with life. Proper worldbuilding draws you in and make it seem realistic. The protagonists are likeable, their animations and designs are not clunky and awkward, and the visuals are outstanding to look at. It might not be anything new, but it just feels fresh enough.
I do wish that more of the themes were explored throughout, especially the themes of love. It’s not terrible, but parts of it does feel rushed at times. The Bog King’s and Marianne’s romance doesn’t start until midway. And some of the subplots can become a little hard to follow. There was definitely enough time for more development and more thematic exploration. At just over ninety minutes, another thirty minutes would’ve been enough.
More romance between the Bog King and Marianne would be a start. And more romantic themes in general. More on the Bog King’s past and more on Marianne.
But despite these flaws, the story is still easy to follow and quite charming. The songs are well-performed and the movie embraces its goofy and wacky tone in a way that winks just enough at the audience to remind you it’s self-aware of its craziness. Well-performed songs and visuals make up for its noticeable flaws. And in all, it’s really just a sweet, simple romantic adventure. I told you, I’m a sucker for a good love story and I think this is one of them. It’s a movie that has “cult classic” written all over it and hope it gets more appreciation for what it is in the future. And if not, I’ll still enjoy it. I know I’m in the minority, but I found magic in this movie. And that’s not the love potion speaking.
