This Russian-to-English animated fantasy has its fair share of kooky charms, from haunted fog to a chirpy Ginger roll (Daniel Barnes), to a desperate king driven by a nasty Punch puppet (Jordan Worsley). Sadly, some of the elements that keep it going don’t quite save what is an ultimately formulaic romp that will likely only appeal to very young viewers and leave others fidgeting increasingly.
The story centres on the immortal and snappily dressed Drybone (Andrey Kurganov), who has been unable to find a bride for three hundred years. But when the feisty warrior Barbara (Liza Klimova), who is quite literally opposed to a relationship, is sought by the desperate King Lentil (Michael Kleeman), Drybone is blackmailed into attaining his chosen lady for the King. Naturally, these two loners end up striking a connection along the way.
No prizes for guessing how some of this fantasy stuff pans out. How To Save The Immortal may have some of its own quirks, but its structure is familiar to anyone of any age who has ever watched any romantically inclined fantasy before, from Beauty and the Beast to – particularly – Shrek, the latter with which it takes a great deal of its DNA. With its bride-pursuing, villainously pathetic King, action-ready heroine, prickly but lonely lead, and chatty sidekick (albeit replacing a donkey with a ginger bap here).
The animation is certainly on the lower budget end of the market but has its appeal, while some of the voice work also feels half-power, though the effort is largely there overall. However, where How To Save The Immortal slips up is in its plotting, which is a great big tangled bundle. One minute, there is the immortal needle MacGuffin, the next a largely forgotten undead witch subplot and it all feels overstuffed and constantly all too easily distracted. Characters litter the frame, bobbing about here and there, some with very little purpose. While the main plot just all feels too familiar, like a bootleg of bigger, better and – it has to be said – far older movies.
We can’t bring ourselves to give an innocent film featuring bat sidekicks called Stoker and Bram too harsh a grilling, but for viewers over the age of 6, this may prove a bit of a trudge. How To Save The Immortal might have gotten by on some of its successes but feels a bit too forgettable to land that much-needed, memorable, magical touch.
HOW TO SAVE THE IMMORTAL is in cinemas from October 27th.
