Hope has one of the most incredible first acts ever. The tension and suspense as we see our main character traverse the destruction and carnage of the town. The production design is amazing and the cinematography is terrific. Unfortunately, this movie starts to lose its charm once we do see the monster. The CGI is awful and takes you completely out of it. The second act is a drag and overly padded out. The final act has a really lame, overly convenient and a silly action sequence. It then proceeds to have the most jarring, out of left field and sequel-bait ending ever. On top of that, throughout the film, it will constantly switch from a serious monster film to a slapstick comedy. What an insane mess of a film!
Wildwood is an absolutely phenomenal film! The stop-motion animation is incredible, the character models and designs are wonderful, the cinematography and visuals are stunning, the music score is brilliant and evocative. All of this is wrapped up in an captivating fantasy tale with genuine emotional moments and distinct characters. It’s a shame that not enough people are watching this because it is a cinematic and technical wonder! This is a must-watch!