I really don't understand why so many people loathe this movie. It's not really intended for adults - it's more for kids (and kids at heart, like me) who are fans of Moshi Monsters - a once-popular online game aimed at 6-12 year olds, which allowed kids to adopt their own virtual pet monster and take care of it.
From the viewpoint of someone who was once an 8 year old who practically WORSHIPED Moshi Monsters, this was at one point my favourite movie. I went to see it in the cinema with my best friend, who also just so happened to be a fan of the game, and we absolutely LOVED it.
However, looking at it as an adult, I can see why people would dislike it. The animation is far from the best, using a lot of assets from the online game. It tries too hard to appeal to fans and fans only; anyone who's unfamiliar with the game/franchise I could imagine to be completely lost in the plot. Katsuma's extreme obsession with himself gets REALLY annoying quickly, which is unfortunate as he and Poppet are the main protagonists. Would have been nice to see Luvli, Zommer, Furi and Diavlo get more screen time. I get it, Katsuma and Poppet are the most popular monsters in the game, so it makes sense for them to be the main characters, but still.
I must admit, the writing is... passable. Could have worked better as an 11 minute TV episode (in fact, this whole thing just feels like a pilot for the Moshi Monsters TV show that sadly never happened). It's PACKED with a lot of songs, a lot of which have been taken from the Music Rox album that was released in 2012. The highlights are definitely the villains' songs: 'Sweet Tooth Stomp' and 'The Doctor Will See You Now'.
So after all this criticism, why am I giving this movie seven stars? Because, despite now having grown up, I still find it a nostalgic guilty pleasure of mine. Like I said, my younger self ADORED this movie (but then again, I adored anything as long as it had a Katsuma slapped on it). It's still a pretty decent flick for kids (even though the game has since shut down, the Moshi franchise lives on in other ways) and I could imagine them enjoying it the way my younger self did.
Review of Moshi Monsters: The Movie
