I love Neil Gaiman. I first picked up the Sandman in college because I had begun to become disillusioned with standard superhero comics. I was instantly amazed and captivated by Gaiman's craft and ability to show what comic story telling could be. I have not read all of his "straight" written work but I am always pleased to see him reach a new audience or medium.
I love the website io9. It covers all of the science/fiction/movies/tv news that I love with style and panache. The layout of the website is pretty neat too.
This week the movie "Coraline" based on the Neil Gaiman book arrives in theaters and io9 (among others) were ready to review the 3D extravaganza. Up front the reviewer makes clear their overall appreciation for the film, then leaps into the synopsis of the film. This is done very well, and provides the key plot succinctly, yet with enough flourish to make the review entertaining and portray what the film is to those who will enjoy it. And if you won't enjoy it you can probably tell that from just the overview as well. you probably aren't reading io9 either, but I make assumptions.
The movie's 3D style is emphasized and praised as well as the voice talents of the famous and recognizable cast who I will not repeat here. After the glowing accolades there is a minor critique of the pacing of the movie and the ubiquitous comparison to the book (which is better) but these do nothing to dissuade the reviewer from whole heartedly recommending the movie.
All in all a very good review. It was a little heavy on the story exposition but unlike most reviews that was actually helpful to the piece as a whole. It is also hard to tell from the article if there is anything truly great about the movie besides the visual style or if the plot and characters just didn't detract from the beauty of the film.