A lovely art style that combines the sharp geometry of Sita Sings the Blues with the semi-cubist look of Thief and the Cobbler. It pops off the screen with unique designs and gorgeous colors. But the story is a little on the dull side, and even with such a simple plot it feels longer than its 70 minutes. The character of Brendan really isn't that well-developed and scenes that should have been exciting or scary or emotional seemed to just lay there. Beautiful to behold, but left me empty.

Overall Enjoyment: 15/40, Plot/Theme: 5/20, Cinematography/Direction: 15/20, Acting/Writing: 10/20. The movie is very pretty, but ultimately the story doesn't really go anywhere and the viewer is left wondering why they even watched in the first place.

The animation in this is absolutely stunning at times. Worth watching for that alone.

Strange to see flat, stylized people spinning around. The idea of using this style to match the topic is beautiful, but the lack of original characters or plot structure is painful.

I pretty much feel the same way as my highest-ranking TCI's - the animation and art style were great, the story wasn't as much. Doing some research after viewing the movie helped, but I think I would have appreciated it more if I already had an idea of what was going on. When I first heard about this one, someone described it "like Samurai Jack, but not" ... there are a couple of parts where the art style could be compared, but you'll be disappointed if you start this one with that anticipation.

Some of the most incredible, stylized animation I've ever seen. Very interesting plot, presented in an appropriately disjoint and "mythological" manner.

Absolute beautiful imagery doesn't fully complement a somewhat haphazard plot that collapses abruptly in its finale.

Beautiful movie, but shallow. Talks too much about how important books are without explaining why.

This beautiful but fairly straight forward little story is given life by great visuals. The animation style complements the story's folkloric nature and creates and interesting aesthetic universe where even the snowflakes look Celtic.

Yummy animation, throwaway story & characters.

The plot is a little too simple to support its feature length, but the visuals are original and absolutely stunning.

"Steeped in both magic and mythology, The Secret Of Kells offers a refreshing alternative to Hollywood fare." - Allan Hunter, Daily Express

"Majestic animation fails to conjure a sense of enchantment in The Secret of Kells, a beautiful two-dimensional work devoid of dramatic vigor." - Nick Schager

I am blind of all the gorgeousness. If there was no dialogue, it would still make sense; so it's really a very thick picture book

Open inquiry: What's with the blackface?

Incredibly beautiful visual style, and some interesting themes of expressing art, recording knowledge, paranoia, guilt, and greed. I really wished there was more of Aisling in the story, as there were FAR too many male characters, even for a story that takes place in a monastery. And I have to agree that the story is weak.

Cool animation, but it didn't hold my interest at all

There is not much here in terms of plot of characters but the animation is great.

The film has its moments thanks largely to its often unique and mesmerizing visual imagery. But the plot is too flimsy and the conclusion too abrupt to make much of an impact. A wasted opportunity to turn this fabled story into a great animated film.

Andrei Rublev, Jr.

The plot's got problems to start and story was a bit thin though I liked the forest part a lot. And I was not that satisfied with voice acting either (except the girl who was perfect in all). But visuals were stunning. The stylist 2D output kept on impressing me. Some ingenious invetions on a way. Deffinately worth to check.

this movie is ridiculously well-animated and breathtakingly beautiful. that being said, the ending is absolutely terrible. watch this for how good it looks, not the story.

Kinda boring and overly stylised for my tastes

An incredibly original animation style. A Feast for the eyes.

I'm never a fan of when a movie centers its whole plot around a mystical object, especially when it doesn't delve into character or even the nature of the object itself. It distracts you from this with admittedly gorgeous animation.

Beautiful artwork and music, but an empty and simplistic story. I've never really felt interested in what they were going to tell me later, just what they were going to show me.

The story is quite weak and this wouldn't really be interesting at all without the amazing 2D animation.

Just for kids? I'm an adult and I weep in praise and kiss the feet of the creators when an animation this beautiful and artistic graces my humble eyeballs. I find such visual pleasure in Kells that it feels like a once-in-a-generation film to me. Studio Ghibli has met its match! Plus it has all the required elements of a cracking coming-of-age adventure story and is entwined with centuries-old Celtic history and culture that is easy to forget in this modern world. Great score by Coulais also.

The visual presentation makes this film as great as it is. There's a depth to the 2D animation that never fails to engage the eye. Strong contrasts between the abbey and the forest help to vary the palette as well as underline the theme of removal from vs. engagement with the world. The story is the weak link, with no explicit reference to what is actually in the book. And some of the narrative turns are not well enough developed. Overall though, a very enjoyable film and a worthy Oscar nominee.

There will always be people who are seeking to destroy us and what we stand for in their search for something. The defense against them is not to physically fortify us or arming ourselves (TSA, Homeland security..) but to fortify our knowledge and protect it through good education. It also shows the importance of growing in touch with nature.. as it causes something inside you to bloom like no other. And.. an animation that leaves you in awe of the handicraft woven by human mind than all the 3D

It's correct to construe that The Secret of Kells is the sturdiest, most spiritually cathartic animation all year. Whether lovingly sending up its ancestry in Celtic mythology, vivacious Belgian animation or great French cinema, this poignant gem suggests the work of filmmakers attuned to their social, cultural ancestry. A swirling sea of imagination, it highlights the power of traditional form almost as much as Scott Pilgrim emphasizes the potential of trend-breaking thematic expansiveness.

84.250

I did not like the power-puff-girl-style in terms of the characters but I really liked how they integrated the illumination style of the real Book of Kells.

Visually one of the most stunning films I've seen so far...

Its saving grace is directors Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey's decision to follow the style of lluminated manuscripts.The movie glows.

I was drawn in but not necessarily enticed by the undemanding story, as it was never transcendent enough to be undeniably unique. The same thing can not be said about its aesthetic density, boasting the most wonderful use/compositions of colour I've seen in a very long time. The beauty of this film is worth your time alone.

"The secret of Kells" is simply stunning thanks to the awesome visuals and beautiful likeable characters like the abbeys and Aisling the fairy. This movie shines in thousand different colors and conjures pure magic on the screen. But even if Kells looks like a movie for children, itīs not the case. The Northman are really brutal and the whole story is very dark.