CAUTION: SPOILERS!!!!!

The Book of Life, a family/fantasy movie directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez in the Mexican town of San Angel. The movie is about 3 childhood friends, a love triangle, and the Day of the Dead. Maria Posada returns from her multi-year trip to Europe, Manolo Sanchez, a wanna be musician yet bull fighter, and Joaquin, the towns greatest pride, have a friendly battle for Marias hand in marriage. 2 deities’, a battling wife and husband, have made a high stakes wager on who Maria ends up marrying.

There are three main leads, Maria Posada, played by Zoe Saldana, Joaquin, played by Diego Luna, and the main character, Manolo Sanchez, played by Channing Tatum. All the characters have their moments. Maria saves Manolo from being bitten by a snake, being bitten in the process. Joaquin puts the medal of everlasting life on Manolo in the final battle, risking his own life. And Manolo sings to the bull instead of killing it, leading to him being revived. The characterization is refreshing to see, the two main leads are still friends, even when both are in love with Maria. Maria is independent, teaching young girls to be themselves too. I believe the actors are well suited for their characters, their voices match their characters, which makes for very emotional and funny scenes.

The sets are beautiful, the wooden characters against vibrant colored backgrounds are eye catching and eye pleasing. The color definitely matches the mood and tone of whatever scene is going along with it. The colors and design of the items used in the movie give kudos to the Mexican culture and Day of the Dead feel.  

One theme that is important in this film is being yourself. Manolo is pressured to be a bull fighter by his father, to continue the family tradition. Yet Manolo wants to sing and make music. Maria is told to marry Joaquin to make him stay in town, be the perfect wife. She doesn’t, proving herself as a strong and powerful woman.  

This is a great film, with amazing visuals and voice acting. It’s a good movie to watch with the family or by yourself. The lessons it teaches are very important for young and old minds! It has some very funny jokes yet some that didn’t quite land. It’s very respectful to Mexican culture. I would give this movie a 9.4/10. Definitely a must watch before you die!