Zemsta Hebalończyka

Nothing is missing in terms of formality to make the film "Strings" perfect. Have you ever wanted to see a film where you can see the strings of the puppets? On one hand, this can be evidence that the filmmakers didn't have a lot of money, but on the other hand, it can be the intention of the creators to create something that hasn't been done before. So if you lean more towards the first option, know that the creators drew much more from the issue than one would expect. The puppet strings here are not just a curiosity, but a real part of the story. A strange fantasy world is built around the puppets. When I watched the film, I almost thought that this is exactly how a film based on Stephen King's book "Dragon Eyes" could be made. It would be incredibly fitting because I really like this story by King, and I also believe that "Strings" shares some elements with it. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it is the story itself that brings "Strings" down a bit. It's not that bad, the idea is interesting, and puppets simply suit fantasy, but I also think that it could have been done more interestingly, more vibrantly. However, it is also influenced by the choice of visual style, which rather refers to dark fantasy than to something like "The Hobbit". As the beginning of a series, the film would be more interesting and could build a very intriguing world with unique elements, but as a standalone film, it sometimes feels more like an experiment, an attempt to do things differently rather than a desire to encourage others to do things differently. It's a shame, especially since the film is a bit overlooked because it's European, instead of significantly influencing the works of other artists who could create films of similar nature. However, it is true that it is difficult to please a wide audience with such a film. And without a broad audience, it will be difficult to finance another similar film or sequel. More information: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/11/deja-vu-fred-claus-oko-dravce-penelope.html (02.03.2013)

A Danish puppet fantasy? And why ever not? The puppets here don’t represent people - they are puppets through and through. Down to the strings controlling them. The concept for whole of their world was original and comprehensive. Some details of life are proof that the creators have ideas to spare. Even on the technical side, they managed to make the movie in a way that makes it up to standard in terms of production design. But what brought this movie down was the shoddy work by the screenwriters. You don’t often see something so unoriginal as Strings. And it doesn’t even have enough story to it to fill the ninety-minute running time. Which is a shame, because this could have turned into something completely different than we are used to in this genre. All that remains is to marvel at the puppeteers’ skills and ideas to spice up the day-to-day life of marionettes. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to make it a fully-fledged movie. (01.09.2007)

Strings is delightful with the distinctiveness of its imaginary world. The puppets perceive their “strings” as a connection to something above that gives them life. Suicide is committed by cutting one’s own strings, murder by cutting those of one’s adversary. This makes it possible for the film to express beautiful existential parallels with human life. The film is set in an impressive, narrative fantasy design in the style of The Lord of the Rings. It benefits from sophisticated camerawork and is underscored with beautiful symphonic music. However, there is one major BUT: the story itself is so simple and clichéd that it is unlikely to appeal to anyone other than children, who won’t so thoroughly experience all of the beauty that it’s wrapped up in. (03.07.2005)