it's easy to go all-in on brooding or eccentric. balancing both is harder. doing all that from second to second, without pulling the viewer out of either mindset, is incredibly deft directing. huge credit to Bong, as live-action movies rarely have the kind of imagination and wonderment captured here.

flaws do abound: the 10-year-old CGI, jarring discrepancies in acting (even for the noble Ed Harris), a weird soundtrack, and themes that puttered out at a shallow depth for me. but it's a special ride nonetheless.