I was prepared to hate Robert Zemeckis' 2018 movie, Welcome to Marwen. The reviews seemed uniformly bad, and I had really enjoyed the documentary that it's based on. I saw the doc at the Mayfair soon after it was released, and liked it so much I bought the DVD, which I've watched a few times since then. I was prepared for a bad Hollywood-ization of a favourite movie. And I must admit that when I saw Welcome to Marwen's opening scene I started to slip into the hate zone. My worst preconceptions were being confirmed. But, I hung in, and in the end was glad I did.
Look, it's a Hollywood movie. By definition it's going to be structured with all of Hollywood's conventions and heavy-handed messaging because it's an entertainment being sold to a mass audience to hopefully make some big bucks. Once I got off my high-horse and reminded myself this was the reason it wasn't a shot-by-shot, stick-to-the-facts-ma'am homage to the documentary, I could watch it for what it had to offer, which was some interesting stuff.
What got me to start paying some respect were a couple of early low-key scenes where Zemeckis demonstrated some sympathy for those who model making and miniatures play a role in their lives. Mr. Hogancamp's situation is extreme, and maybe that's why he could be given a sympathetic and uncondescending airing, but this is a rare thing to see in popular media.
I got hooked when we got to the scene where Nichol comes over to see Marwen for the first time, interrupting a discussion between Mark and Roberta. Nichol looks around Marwen a bit, and begins to sum things up with a trite assumption about the town being part of a model railroad setup. Roberta quickly launches into a nuanced correction on what it's really about - we'll leave it for another time to unpack the whole "it's-only-a-model-railroad" thing :-)
Nichol comes back sometime later when she sees Mark sitting out by Marwen in a lawn chair. She casually wanders amongst the buildings noting their detailing and creativity, but then, upon turning a corner, takes a fateful glance at a contrasting scene of horror inside a building, and lets out a scream. Naturally, she asks Mark what it's all about, and - this is key - he quietly asks her if she really wants to know - he doesn't immediately launch into a nerd-fuelled speech - and upon her consent, begins to carefully explain. From there we're morphed into another of the movie's many signature CGI doll scenes, but the setup was important to making the doll action scenes viable and interesting.
From that point I settled into the movie. Before, I had balked at the doll CGI stuff, but could now better appreciate how those scenes were being sympathetically used to make Mark's inner states clear. I was now finding the way the doll CGI scenes were interwoven into the live-action more interesting, and could dismiss the opening scene for the big pomposity that it was. And, let's face it, many of those doll scenes were good, pulp-influenced fun too, corny humour and all.
Maybe this movie wasn't meant for theatrical viewing, but is more oriented to watching at home. I suspect it might take on cult status as the years roll on.
P.S. : I should also note, being a hobby shop aficionado, I was quite impressed by the one in the movie. There must be a lot of hobbyists in Mr. Hogancamp's town to support such a large, organized, and well stocked store :-)
P.P.S.: Be sure to watch the DVD's extra on how the special effects team recreated Marwencol. Mr. Hogancamp's had a folk art, DIY sensibility, but I guess it was too raw for an A movie, and a much slicker version was required that simulated a sanitized folk art, DIY sensibility.
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