7/10 for me.
It's far from the worst Disney animated film ("Chicken Little" and "Home On The Range" take that cake and eat it too), and yet Disney treats it as though it's the black sheep of the Disney canon, which it certainly doesn't deserve to be. The film has some great atmosphere, a threatening and chillingly voiced villain in the Horned King (kudos to John Hurt), and a fantastic score by Elmer Bernstein which make up for the film's flaws. The problems lie with the film's flimsy script (Taran's lines grate the most, and he's the one we're supposed to be rooting for) and its underdeveloped characters. Taran is all talk and no show (his sword does all of the work for him), and in the end he accepts his place in life as a pig-keeper in spite of all the adventures he's been through. I know he's humbled by his experience, but yet he gives up on his dream so easily after trading the cauldron for Gurgi that he comes off as weak in the process. Eilonwy is a princess and yet outside of a quick mention of her father we never see or hear about her kingdom again. Her royal upbringing probably comes out the most when she stands up for herself when Taran picks on her, and calls him out on his ego. There's a strong female character trying to come out, but sadly she remains stuck as the damsel in distress for long stretches of the film. Fflewddur Flamm makes for some great comic relief with his enchanted harp, and Nigel Hawthorne gives some very funny line deliveries throughout. I know everyone likes to hate on Gurgi, but honestly he never got on my nerves. He's a coward and he knows it and wears it like a badge of honor. He's actually the only character in the film who goes through an arc and becomes a hero; sacrificing himself for the greater good in order to save his friends. His voice isn't the best but it suits the character, and I'll take it over other annoyingly voiced comic relief any day (Two words: Jar Jar...ugh).
However, what really bothers me about the film, and yet keeps me coming back for more is the wasted potential. The film introduces a lot of interesting ideas, but never ends up pursuing them (What's the history between Dallbin and the Horned King? What exactly is Eilowny's glowing bauble, and where does it keep going to for long stretches of the film? What happened to the Old King who used to own the Horned King's castle, and why did the Horned King leave his enchanted sword at his tomb? Did the people who were turned into frogs by the Witches of Morva ever return to their mortal state?). These questions definitely make me interested in reading the "Prydain" novels by Lloyd Alexander, and with Disney being on this recent kick of reimagining their animated films into live-action, I think "The Black Cauldron" would make a great live-action fantasy adaptation if done right. Overall, when I watch the film I can see the potential it had for greatness, and because of that I appreciate the film far more for what it tried to be rather than for what it ended up being.
"Never trust the future, never miss the past. If you live for the shining moment, the moment may just last."
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IMDB_Vits
9 years ago
I doubt they'll remake it since it flopped at the box office.
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