Mune: Guardian of the Moon - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Mune: Guardian of the Moon

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Guardian’s of the son and moon coupled with fantasy and mythology is nothing new if you think about it. We’ve had Ra and Khonsu in Egypt, Dagr and Sol in Norse mythology, and so on and so forth throughout the ages. Gods of Egypt, a few years back, dealt with Ra and his famed sled across the sky, and now we have a cute little animated French flick dealing with the day and night guardians once more. I initially saw the trailer for Mune: Guardian of the Moon and thought “sure, I’ll check it out”, but wasn’t wildly enthused with what I saw. Lo and behold I got in my disc to review and put it in the cue only to have my wife sneak it out from under me and start watching it on her own. I rightly ascertained by the squealing and girlish noises coming from the other room that she was enjoying it, immediately perking up my senses that “hey, maybe this thing will actually surprise you Michael”. Luckily she was correct, as I was wildly entertained by the cute little fantasy flick. Something I usually am not too often am when viewing modern day kids movies. One of the greatest joys of being a reviewer is actually finding diamond’s in the rough, and Mune turned out to be one of the better hidden gems that I had seen in quite some time.

After 350 years of keeping the sun and moon moving methodically and religiously across the sky, the ancient guardian’s of the sun and moon are ready to give up their burdens and hand the reins over to someone else. The sun guardian hands over his mantle to the egotistical and strapping young Sohone (Rob Lowe in English, Omar Sly in French), while the moon guardian prepares to hand over the role to his protege, Leeyoon (Feodor Atkine in French, Michael Dobson in English). The only thing is, the moon spirit has other ideas about Leeyoon, instead choosing a young night creature by the name of Mune (Michael Gregorio in French, Josh Ballard in English) to be the next guardian. Leeyoon is FURIOUS at the realization that he was “cheated” out of his honor, and sulks into the darkness while Mune and Sohone rise to their seats of power.

Things immediately go awry when Mune can’t seem to handle the giant beast that hauls the moon across the sky. Mistakes are made and soon the whole world is experience a shift of night and day when Mune interferes with Sohone’s “glorious” first day in charge of the sun. Insulted that his legacy (and first day) have been tainted, Sohone ditches his sunmobile (sorry, just watched Batman the other day) to come over and give Mune a talking to, only to have the sun stolen by Leeyoon on behalf of the demon Necross (Davey Grant in English, Eric Herson-Marcel in French), who wishes to dominate the earth once more as owner of the sun. With the world plunged into darkness after the theft of the sun, Mune and Sohone, along with a wax girl named Glim (Izia Higelin in French, Nicole Provost in English), to head on down to the underworld and free the sun from the clutches of Necross. That is, if they can actually work together long enough to get anything done.

The screenplay by Benoit Philioppon (who wrote the original story) and Jerome Fansten introduces the viewer to a completely strange, and unique, world of creatures that defies most traditional fantasy elements. In reality the movie is very much a morality tale interwoven with mythological tales of greatness and deities that gets wrapped into a neat children’s movie. Many of the beats and messages scene throughout the film have been seen in every mythology tale known to man (hero has to go and save the day after something has been stolen). However, it’s the journey and unique visual style that really sets the film apart. Unlike many hero stories, Mune: Guardian of the Moon involves two heroes that are polar opposite. The traditional “I’m a weakling who has to come into his own” side of the story is pretty typical, but It’s Sohone who actually surprises you. Usually the big hulking hero turns out to be a weakling under that bulk, and Mune should have been the one to take all the glory. Here BOTH of them have to overcome their own personal demons and flaws to BOTH become the heroes they were meant to be. Mune is plagued by doubts and appearing weakness, but Sohone has to overcome his own ego and understand that his physical prowess and strength is ONLY a benefit if used in a proper manner. Instead of being humiliated and “learning his place”, Sohone learns actual humility, and is able to achieve true greatness and honor. Just without his ego blocking him.

The film certainly does have a few flaws, mainly in the center act. Some elements of who the guardians are, and where they come from is underdeveloped, but I seriously enjoyed the different take on a fantasy classic. Once again I heavily lean towards the traditional French voice acting being a purist, but the English track is actually not half bad, and I only have technical grounds to choose the French track due to it being more dynamic.




Rating:

Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor



Video:

Mune: Guardian of the Moon is a sturdy looking digital transfer that doesn’t really light the animated world on fire, but is certainly extremely capable. The digitally animated piece is filled with lush colors, ranging from bright primary oranges of the daylight world, to dark blues and whites of the night. Fine details are well replicated, but close ups of the moon, or Mune’s fur show off some really excellent bits of animation detail. Black levels are deep and inky, though you can see some instances of banding that can pop up here and there (look at the scene under water where Phospho makes his appearance), but other than that it’s a really nice looking digital image.





Audio:

Well, the biggest and most pleasing aspect of the disc is DEFINITELY the audio mix. Universal has given us an English dub track as well as the original French track, both in DTS-HD MA 5.1. I usually am very much a stickler for original language tracks as my listening choice, but I was pleasantly surprised by the dub in this film. It’s not AS emotive as the French track most of the time, but everyone does a really good job with their characters. My biggest reason for choosing the French track was that it was distinctly more vibrant and full vs. the English track. Even after level matching a bit, the French tracks has a deeper bass response, as well as a wider dynamic range. Vocals are crisp and well situated in the front of the room, and the surrounds get quite a bit of activity with the moving temples, as well as the adventure to GET to the underworld. LFE is quite punishing, with deep POWERFUL waves of bass washing over the listener throughout the movie. Each step and stomp of the monstrous moving temples vibrates the whole room, and it’s not just relegated to that. Spears hitting trees thud ominously, and creaks and groans throb with hidden power. It’s a great audio experience and even better than I expected for a film of this budget level.




Extras:

• The Making of Mune - Featurette
• The Art of Mune - Featurette
• Mune U.S. Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

Mune strives to bring a different tone to a traditional fantasy epic, and does so quite well. The one downside is that the characters feel a bit under developed and cliched at times, but the unique flavor and visual style makes for an intriguing (and rather cute) animated film that appeals to kids and adults alike. I’ve seen reviews all over the board for the film in the last week, but I have to say that I’m totally on board with the little french film. It’s adorably cute, and has some lovely visuals, combined with an EPIC audio mix for a solid Blu-ray release. My only complaint with the technical aspects of the package is the weak extras. What is there is quite good, but there just isn’t a whole lot of content. Definitely recommended for a fun watch.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Omar Sy, Izia Higelin, Michael Gregorio
Directed by: Benoit Philippon, Alexandre Heboyan
Written by: Benoit Philippon
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG
Runtime: 86 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 26th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Looks like a fun one for sure... wonder if it will be on 4K.

 

[Michael Scott]

no 4K , at least in the U.S.

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I like this one.. Will add it to my watch list.