Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2009
Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard
Buy Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard' (French: 'Arthur et la Vengeance de Maltazard') is a 2009 English-language French animated/live-action fantasy adventure film directed and co-written by Luc Besson. It is based on the third book of the 'Arthur' children's books series by Besson. It is the sequel to 'Arthur and the Invisibles' (2006), and the second installment in the 'Arthur' film series.
'Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard' was released theatrically in France on 2 December 2009 by EuropaCorp. The film received mixed reviews from critics in France but was received negatively in the rest of the world. Like its predecessor's, it was a box-office success in France but it under-performed internationally, and was released as a direct-to-video in the United States. As a result, the film generated huge losses for EuropaCorp.[http://next.liberation.fr/cinema/2011/06/30/luc-besson-et-ses-minimoys-plombent-europacorp_746249 Luc Besson et ses Minimoys plombent EuropaCorp], 'Libration', 30 juin 2011
A sequel, titled 'Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds' and shot back-to-back, was released in 2010 in France.
Plot
Three years have passed since Arthur saved his grandparents home and saved the Minimoys from the evil Maltazard. Arthur stays with his grandparents for the holidays, during which the Bogo Matassalai (a fictitious African society) assign Arthur a series of tests, including camouflage and environmental nonviolence. Having passed these tests, Arthur prepares to see the Minimoys to celebrate, until his father decides to take him and his mother back to the metropolis. When a spider gives Arthur a grain of rice containing a distress-call, which he believes has come from the Minimoys, he returns to his grandparents' house, where the Bogo Matassalai's attempt to give him Minimoy stature through a telescope fails, and they instead wrap him in vines of increasing tightness until he falls as a drop of sap into the Minimoy Max's bar. 'En route' to investigate the Minimoys' condition, Arthur and Max rescue Betameche, who leads Arthur to the King. He then learns that Selenia is held by Maltazard, who is inspired to invade the human world by increasing his own size. Maltazard tricks the Minimoys into completing his design. The telescope itself is destroyed in the process, leaving Arthur trapped at his Minimoy size, while Maltazard is free to roam the world.
Cast
; Live-action cast
* Freddie Highmore as Arthur Montgomery. Highmore also voice Arthur in animation.
* Mia Farrow as Daisy Suchot
* Ron Crawford as Archibald Suchot. The character is voiced by actor Michel Duchaussoy in the French version.
* Robert Stanton as Armand Montgomery. Stanton replaced Doug Rand, who played the character in the first film. The character is voiced by actor Jean-Paul Rouve in the French version.
* Penny Balfour as Rose Montgomery. The character is voiced by actress Frdrique Bel in the French version, replacing Valrie Lemercier.
* Jean Betote Njamba as the chief of the Matassalai.
; Voice cast
* Selena Gomez as Princess Selenia. Gomez replaced singer Madonna, who voiced the character in the first film. The character is voiced by singer Mylne Farmer in the French version.
* Doug Rand as Prince Betameche. Rand replaced Jimmy Fallon, who voiced the character in the first film. The character is voiced by radio host Cartman in the French version.
* Lou Reed as Maltazard. Reed replaced singer David Bowie, who voiced the character in the first film. The character is voiced by actor Grard Darmon in the French version, replacing Alain Bashung.
* Snoop Dogg as Max. The character is voiced by rapper Rohff in the French version.
* will.i.am as Snow. The character is voiced by actor Omar Sy in the French version.
* Fergie as Replay. The character is voiced by actor Fred Testot in the French version.
* David Gasman as Emperor Sifrat XVI. Gasman replaced Robert De Niro, who voiced the character in the first film. He also voice the mechanic and the Bogo Chief.
* Barbara Weber Scaff as Miss Perlanapple
* Alan Fairbanks as Pump Attendant
* Logan Miller as Jake
* Leslie Clack as Ferryman
* Alan Wenger as Mono Cyclop/DaVinci
* Jerry di Giacomo as Proscuitto/Guard
* Paul Bandey as Miro/Unicorn Chief
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 14% based on reviews from 7 critics, with an average rating of 4/10.
Video game
To promote the film, a video game by Ubisoft was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Windows. The game composes of mostly minigames and cutscenes which are loosely related to the plot of the film.
Sequel
In 2010, a sequel titled 'Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds' was released.
References
Buy Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2009