Adam Foidart
"Mosaic" has some good ideas but the story is a mess and any discriminating audience will find it banal. this animated film tells an original story by Stan Lee, a brand new superhero from the man himself! When Maggie Nelson (voiced by Anna Paquin) gains chameleon-like super powers, she decides to investigate a mysterious murder at a New York City museum. While piecing together the clues, she uncovers a plot to take over the world.The film really feels like a television pilot, with animation that isn't terrible but never really warrants any special mentions, a plot that is predictable and filled with clichés and a lot of confusion on the script level. There is a reveal about a young man named Mosaic (voiced by Kirby Morrow) and his relationship the big bad guy that is totally predictable for Instance. It MIGHT have been a twist back in the 60's, but nowadays its cliché. There are also a lot of unexplainable; I'd even say "bad" decisions from a script level. Although it appears to be clear that "Maggie" inherits her powers from a magical artifact, there are constant hints that her pet chameleon is also involved, despite numerous references to a prophecy explaining exactly what is going on. Characters only show hints of a personality (which once again gives the impression that their traits would have been developed over time) and a lot of stilted dialog that is not only badly written but makes no sense (a scene where healing abilities are described as "shapeshifting" comes to mind).I am tempted to say that if there had been a sequel, this could have been the start of an interesting female series. The more I think about it though, the more this feels more like a dated concept, or a knockoff of a classic superhero story than anything else. There's no doubt that with time this character could have become a classic, but that's because this story Is written as if there are no other superhero comics in existence. As is, "Mosaic" is only good entertainment for pre-teens. (Dvd, November 22, 2012)
crispy_comments
Just saw this on TV, for FREE, thank goodness. If this movie was aimed at 12 year old girls, (as the juvenile characters and tone would seem to indicate) that's an insult to 12 year old girls. I'd like to think that even *they* would appreciate a well-written story that's smart and engaging. Mosaic was boring.The main character comes across as, well, a dumb 12 year old girl trapped in the body of a fully grown woman. She acts like a childish simpleton, with little-girly mannerisms, a vapid smile, and a terrible, superficial "what a fun sleepover!" vocal delivery, even during serious situations - the voice actress, Anna Paquin, SUCKS. Her tone is too fluffy and clueless and it sounds like she isn't paying attention to the meaning of the dialogue/scene, or really interacting with the other actors in a convincing way. I know in animation the actors are usually recorded separately, but *good* voice actors can overcome that disadvantage. Too bad they went for a Celebrity Name instead.It's more than a little disconcerting to see a character who behaves/sounds so young/immature, drawn with the body of a playboy model. I assume this was done to try to appeal to boys who might otherwise be bored silly by the slow-moving plot and lack of action? Well, good luck trying to make a movie for both little girls AND big boys. That makes for a squicky experience I like to call The Britney Spears Effect.The previous reviewer who said the main character wasn't overly sexualized, must've missed the scene where Maggie walks straight towards the "camera" until her chest completely fills the frame. There's no good reason for that...it's just plain gratuitous and tacky.What can I say about the story? Generic superpowers, generic villains-wanna-takeover-the-world plot. I'd like to see more female superheroes starring in movies, etc. But this one ain't exactly a great role model for girls. She only reinforces the stereotypical male fantasy object - a ditsy busty blonde, sweet and kinda dumb, more interested in romance and shallow pursuits than real adventure - who'll help out the men in her life, in a cute, non-threatening way, but always rely on her guy to lead the way and tell her what to do. Sure she has some heroic moments where she saves a few people, but it feels contrived, not triumphant.She has the ability to shapeshift and turn invisible, but persists in changing back to her normal form constantly, EVEN WHEN SHE KNOWS PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR HER AND EVEN WHEN SHE'S SPYING ON THE BAD GUYS (who, of course, catch her). It would be so easy to hide from them, but then I suppose the producers/animators wanted us to look at the purty girl as much as possible. It just makes her look...stupid. Plus, if I remember correctly (bored as I was), it's the Mosaic character who comes up with the plan to utilize her abilities at the film's climax. (Oh yeah, did I mention that - unlike every other movie about a superhero/ine - "Mosaic" is not even named after the main character? If you need more proof that she's useless...)And how about that whiplash at the end of the movie, when we're supposed to believe Maggie's mourning the death of someone she "loved", (would you believe they actually used the cheesy clichéd "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" scream?) and the next second she's all smiles again, perky and joking around, and reciting Shakespeare (badly) for her audition. There is no emotional honesty here. Consequently the viewer can't get emotionally invested.Bad writing, superficial characterization, clichéd scenarios, and really basic unimpressive animation. Waste of time.ETA: If I may reply to pharmstock's comments directed at me: Regarding "over-sexualization", I said nothing about "super-heroine garb", actually. And I have no problem with the way women are portrayed in Batman The Animated Series. I wouldn't compare that smartly written, stylishly animated series to "Mosaic" at all. As for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, maybe she acted a bit "ditsy" in the first season but the character was created to subvert the horror cliché of the dumb, helpless blonde. She was a Valley Girl...easy to understimate, but smarter and stronger than she looked. I don't see what that has to do with "Mosaic". You can't take Buffy's most superficial characteristics, omitting the *reason* for them, give them to another character for *no* good reason, and then try to justify it by saying, "well, Buffy did it."
thefuzzydan
The beginning credits for this animated Stan Lee production contains scenes of superhero ripoffs of other popular characters like Batman, Captain America and the Hulk. Not a good omen, I thought, of an original superhero film by Stan Lee. Imagine my surprise when I found that this film had a freshness and joy to it I found contagious. Is the movie great? Nope, but I'll get to that in a minute.Let me focus on the reason the movie works: the hero. None of the powers Maggie (Anna Paquin) gain are original. Shape shifting, invisibility, wall-crawling, super-strength...they've all been done before. In fact, before this film I would have argued that there were no original heroes left to be had. Somehow, this combination of powers with the character of a high-school female drama student seemed original to me. Yes, we've seen teenage heroes before but I really found myself taken with how Maggie's reactions to her abilities seemed more real than scripted. There are very, very few original female superheroes (Wonder Woman and the Invisible Girl are all that come to mind right now) and a majority of them are thinly-veiled excuses to have chesty woman in tight, revealing clothes. The character of Maggie is never used in an overtly sexy way (though when she turns invisible her outline looks rather naked and she has a dream of being in her underwear) and she is written with more depth than would be expected from a direct-to-DVD animated feature.Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't support its main character. From writing to animation, everything else is lackluster. It would be nice to see someone put more effort and money into animating these direct-to-DVD films (Ultimate Avengers I and II) beyond the level of..well..direct-to-DVD animated fare.The tone of the movie tries to go beyond Saturday morning fare with some mild swearing and scenes of violence but Batman: The Animated Series routinely found ways of being far more sophisticated without cursing or on-screen bloodletting.So, why do I give this an 8 out of 10? Is the main character that good? Yes. I think strong, smart, realistic female superheros are rare and must be embraced even if the films they are in aren't up to par. Stan Lee struggled for a while after Marvel with characters that never found the glory of his original run at Marvel. Mosaic is the first project that I feel touches that magic everyone felt in the 60s when Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, and the X-Men first hit the shelves. I can now say I can't wait to see what's next.The Fuzzy Dan Speaketh
