Extraordinary Tales is a 2013 animated anthology horror film based on five short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. The film adapts Poe's stories "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar", "The Masque of the Red Death", and "The Pit and the Pendulum".
| Extraordinary Tales | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Raul Garcia |
| Written by | Raul Garcia Stéphan Roelants (co-writer) Edgar Allan Poe (original stories) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Vertigo Média Kft. (Hungary) (2015) GKIDS (United States) (2015) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 73 minutes |
| Countries | France Belgium Germany Spain Luxembourg United States |
| Language | English |
Reception
editThe film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It holds a 58% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes[1] and a 59 score (indicating "Mixed or average reviews") on Metacritic.[2]
Variety film critic Justin Chang stated that "Five stories by Edgar Allan Poe get varied treatment in this striking but inert animated compendium."[3] In a positive review, The New York Times film critic Jeannette Catsoulis stated that "The best sections reverberate with the power of Poe's words. As such, they serve as apt tributes to yarns that will always be more formidable on the page than on the screen."[4] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, film critic and animation historian Charles Solomon praised the film, saying that "'Extraordinary Tales' reminds viewers that animation can enable an artist to realize an individual vision, even on a limited budget."[5] Writing for The Boston Globe, critic Peter Keough described the film as a "so-so mix of Poe", awarding it two-and-a-half out of four stars.[6] Paste critic Andy Crump stated that the film "leaves us wishing for more: more running time, more of Poe's material, more of Garcia's macabre animated magic."[7]
Reviewing the film positively, critic James Verniere in the Boston Herald stated that "Veteran Disney animator Garcia ('Pocahantas,' 'The Lion King') has done a marvelous job visualizing Poe’s words, aided in particular by the eerie atmospheric music of the Grenada-born composer Sergio de la Puente."[8] Awarding the film two-and-a-half out of four stars, RogerEbert.com critic Brian Tallerico opined that "Poe's storytelling gift is so timeless, and the voice actors assembled so captivating, that 'Extraordinary Tales' can't help but work on some level. It just never quite rises above that faint praise."[9] The Everett Herald critic Robert Horton also awarded the film two-and-a-half out of four stars, stating that the film "runs only 70 minutes and isn’t perfect. But Poe’s florid language and imagery allows for some intoxicating stuff along the way."[10]
The Seattle Times critic Tom Keogh awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars: "Just in time for Halloween comes this singular tribute to Edgar Allan Poe from veteran animator Raul Garcia."[11] Film Journal International critic Ethan Alter was less positive, stating that "Despite working from extraordinary subject matter-Edgar Allan Poe's various tales of the macabre-too many entries in this animated anthology are disappointingly ordinary." Awarding the film two-and-a-half out of four stars, the St. Paul Pioneer Press critic Chris Hewitt stated that the film was "no substitute for Poe's atmospheric writing, but it's a pretty good introduction to it."
The A.V. Club critic Tasha Robinson awarded the film a B- grade, concluding her review by stating that "Extraordinary Tales feels more like a showreel highlighting Garcia’s stylistic diversity than like a single coherent project, and some of the bits he trims from Poe are particularly regrettable. And for longtime Poe readers, there aren’t enough surprises in this familiar work. But for newcomers and animation fans, this showcase is a strong one, running the gamut of emotion from softly sorrowful to histrionic, and capably bringing out the bone-deep horror of Poe’s best writing. It’s an appropriate feature for the Halloween season, but also for fall in general: Garcia’s somber, wistful showcase bookends Poe’s stories by reminiscing about Death as an experience, a construct, and an obsession. Even within this narrow focus, it finds plenty of different shades of meaning."[12] Awarding the film two out of five stars, The Guardian critic Jordan Hoffman felt that the film "has its moments, and will be a welcome respite for any middle schooler sitting through a boring lecture. But if we were ever asked if we wanted a second viewing, we'd have to quoth the raven: nevermore."[13] Slant Magazine critic Carson Lund awarded the film two out of four stars, saying that the film "offers a CliffsNotes encapsulation of Edgar Allen Poe’s most enduring works for viewers unacquainted with them."[14]
References
edit- ^ "Extraordinary Tales". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ "Extraordinary Tales - Metacritic". Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Justin Chang (October 25, 2015). "'Extraordinary Tales' Review: Five Adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Jeannette Catsoulis (October 22, 2015). "Review: 'Extraordinary Tales,' Short Films Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Charles Solomon (October 22, 2015). "Review: 'Extraordinary Tales' animates 5 Poe stories in extraordinary ways". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Peter Keough (October 22, 2015). "'Extraordinary Tales' is so-so mix of Poe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Andy Crump (October 22, 2015). "Extraordinary Tales". Paste. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ James Verniere (October 23, 2015). "Garcia brings Poe 'Tales' to animated life - Boston Herald". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Brian Tallerico (October 23, 2015). "Extraordinary Tales movie review (2015)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Robert Horton (October 21, 2015). "'Extraordinary Tales' a solid tribute to Poe's spooky storytelling". HeraldNet. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Tom Keogh (October 22, 2015). "'Extraordinary Tales': 5 Poe stories come to animated life". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Tasha Tobinson (October 22, 2015). "Extraordinary Tales showcases Poe in a seasonally appropriate anthology - AV Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Jordan Hoffman (October 21, 2015). "Extraordinary Tales review – Edgar Allan Poe stories are best left to imagination". The Guardian. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Carson Lund (October 18, 2015). "Review: Extraordinary Tales". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
