Movie Review: Strange World
Rated PG for action/peril and some thematic elements
Over the last few years, it has felt like some animated features have shifted their narrative to exploring the rather bumpy nature of generational family issues. From Encanto to Turning Red, these films have shown that turmoil can just as easily come from those closest to you. This is definitely the case in Walt Disney Feature Animation’s latest film, Strange World.
In an isolated realm surrounded by impassable mountains, Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) is an intrepid explorer, who often drags his reluctant son Searcher (Jake Gyllanhaal) along on numerous quests. One day, the two reach an impasse, and Jaeger heads off on his own, determined to get through the mountains.
Following this event, Searcher comes across an electricity-producing plant he dubs Pando, that ends up creating numerous technological advancements in the nearby city of Avalonia.
Years later, the electrical properties of the current crop of plants seem to be dying out, and Searcher is recruited by Avalonia’s mayor Callisto (Lucy Liu) to find out what is going on, along with his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and their son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White).
After seeing familial narratives mostly shift to women in the last few years, this film pushes its focuses on men, though in a rather unconventional family method than what we’re used to.
The story does a pretty decent job showing how Jaeger, Searcher, and Ethan each have their own distinct personalities, but there are a few familial ties that show how they are related. Most welcome is that Jaeger doesn’t become quite as big of a jerk as one would assume he could have been, and fortunately, Searcher’s embarrassing Dad behavior when it comes to Ethan doesn’t carry on for too long.
With the Clade men taking the main story helm, the women feel decidedly sidelined in this film. Meridian and Callisto just feel, “there,” but at times it mainly feels like we see them, just so the filmmakers can remind us that they are still alive (much like the additional crew members on this adventure, who just seem to pop up when necessary).
The film also shows itself to be one of the more progressive stories the studio has told. From Searcher and Meridian’s mixed-race marriage, to Ethan’s crush on a male friend named Diazo (Jonathan Melo), the filmmakers manage to not draw too much attention to these elements. This is a world that is remarkably accepting of a lot of things and decisions, even one at the very end that still feels like it should have led to a bit more revulsion by the people of Avalonia given its effect on the community.
Intermingled with this story, is an homage to the olden days of adventure-style storytelling, from the old pulp comics to H.G. Wells’ Journey to the Center of the Earth, one can sense the filmmakers wanting to do an adventure story, but not quite in the traditional sense.
Once the film gets to the “strange world” of the title, that is where much of its creativity is on display, with all manner of creatures in size and shape, let alone the unexpected environments. Unfortunately, the characters are on a mission, and as such, much of the fantastical environments feel more like set dressing to envelope the Clade males’ family issues in. This did remind me a little of how the film’s director Don Hall handled San Fransokyo in Big Hero 6, where the sprawl of the world was rarely explored in a satisfying manner.
The film also tries to play with the hokiness of storytelling elements from 1930’s adventure serials, oftentimes quick-cutting between different story elements. This ended up being something that felt a bit too rapid-fire when it came to the story, leaving some scenes feeling like they moved on a bit too fast.
At times, the storytelling for the film reminded me of how I felt in regards to watching the studio’s 2021 animated feature, Raya and the Last Dragon. Both films reveal a pretty elaborate environment for their stories, but it is in connecting its characters together into an entertaining whole that the action-adventure mentality feels like it wishes to scoop us up and move along quicker, rather than maybe slowing down and developing moments into a slower, more dramatic routine.
The pace of the film even felt disorienting during my first viewing, as I tried to make sense of this world, and certain elements had me wondering if I had missed some things (one bit of observation flip-flopped in a way that made me wonder if theatrical audiences may have been as confused as I was upon first observation). A second viewing cleared up a few things, but the B-movie nature of what is put together here may put off some viewers.
Two decades ago, the studio made animated forays into science fiction with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Treasure Planet. Strange World marks their return to the genre, and as the post-Thanksgiving box office numbers showed, first-run audiences may be a bit wary of such fare even all these years later. However, the film is pretty decent, and who knows? In the coming years, maybe through the magic of it streaming on Disney+, it will find its audience, let alone be seen as a stepping stone to some next generation Disney storytelling we can’t even fathom at this time.
Final Grade: B
Movie Review: Avatar – The Way of Water
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language
After the unexpected success of his film Titanic, many wondered if writer/director James Cameron could repeat his previous feat. With 2009’s Avatar, Cameron channeled the likes of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, in creating an alien world that not only pushed the limits of motion-capture technology, but broke box-office records that his previous film had set!
Over the last 13 years, word that Cameron was going to make 4 successive sequels led to plenty of people wondering if the man had finally lost his mind. To me, it made perfect sense. In creating the world of Pandora, Cameron had succeeded in crafting a sandbox where he could do anything (much like George Lucas with his Star Wars films), and explore beyond the small area his first film had taken place in.
While we are in a precarious moment regarding just how many sequels there will end up being, Avatar: The Way of Water catches us up on what has happened so far.
In the years after the first film, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) leads the Omaticaya clan, and has had three children with his wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). They also adopt two others, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) who is an unexplained birth from the avatar of former doctor Grace Augustine (also played by Weaver), and Spider (Jack Champion), a human child who was left behind when the previous films humans were banished from the planet.
Their tranquil lives are upended when corporate interests from Earth return to Pandora, to once again plunder it for resources. A new human-grown Na’vi program leads to the unexpected resurrection of Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) in an avatar body, who along with a group of loyal soldiers, goes seeking revenge.
Fearing for their safety, Jake uproots his family, and they seek refuge among the water-dwelling Metkayina clan, presided over by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis), and his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet).
In a way, the Metkayina clan feels like the Omaticaya tribe from the first film, just on the water. The juxtapose from being up in the air to down in the water is notable, let alone how they both have their own sacred areas of connection to the planetary spirit of Eywa, and riding creatures to connect with. While Cameron was rather successful in making flight seem exciting, it feels like here is where his love of aquatic life and environs really gets to let loose in a way that the technology probably hadn’t reached years ago.
Out of the five children, it is the second son named Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Kiri who we mainly focus on. Lo’ak seems to be unable to stay out of trouble, while Kiri displays an unusual connection to the natural elements of Pandora, leading to her struggling to understand who (or what) she is.
In regards to the adopted Spider, he feels like Cameron’s homage to Tarzan, a figure who is more comfortable with his adoptive family than the humans he comes from. In this film, there is quite a bit of interaction between him and the Na’vi, that soon had me stop looking for “the seams” in the visual effects, and just going along with the story. There also is a bit of resentment in the family, with Neytiri “tolerating” Spider, while Jake and the other children fully embrace him as family.
Much like his other sequel films Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the theme of family is where most of the story’s weight resides. From the various clans and tribes, to the animals they live among, it’s all on display to show the connections one can have with their environments. Of course, the family theme might get a bit old when it seems after every other outing the kids are involved in, Jake ends up having a little talk with at least one of them about something that has irked him.
While I had expected the film to focus moreso on Jake and Neytiri, they end up being relegated to the roles of parents/guardians this time around. Cameron does try to structure a rift between the couple, with Jake struggling to fit in and protect his family, while Neytiri is emotionally distraught and distant due to his decisions. It is through the younger characters where Cameron shifts our focus. Much like Neytiri teaching Jake in the first film, this one has the chief’s daughter Tsireya (Bailey Bass) being our guide to the new environment, while her brother Aonung (Filip Geljo) causes some grief to Jake’s sons. Tsireya’s open and patient nature, makes her a great entry-point for our understanding about “the way of water” as well.
It was in these areas of the film that I felt most engaged. Though far from perfect, the element of experiencing this world through the younger characters’ eyes brought an excitement to the proceedings. One element that was most unexpected, is when No’ak befriends a whale-like creature. Cameron frames their ability to communicate and develop a bond as a bit hokey, but for me, it just worked to the point that I felt there should have been more regarding their interactions.
When it comes to the structure of the film, there is quite a lot that it juggles, at times reminding me of how jam-packed the storytelling in Back to the Future Part II was. This is one of those films that has the thankless task of bridging the events of its predecessor from years prior, while setting audiences up for future storylines. The third act also seems to feel a bit bloated in its final set-piece.
For the return of the humans, the RDA (Resources Development Administration) once again fulfills the role of “bad guy corporation.” This time, the target of the new enterprise isn’t Unobtanium, but an element that somewhat ties into the themes of this film, leading to much of the human infrastructure and vehicular elements being purposed for water. There also is a minor element mentioned that could affect the future of the planet.
The re-establishment of the RDA on Pandora feels like it could have been a full film in itself, that could have turned into an Empire Strikes Back scenario, sending Jake’s family fleeing at the very end. Given the way the RDA’s stuff is structured, it almost feels like Cameron is forcing himself to remember to keep some focus on them, while desperately wanting to just focus on his planetary natives and environs (which would have suited me just fine).
One reason I had faith in The Way of Water, was due to Cameron’s track record with sequels that also focused on family. While the element of family does feel like the strongest element in the film, much of it feels a bit too overloaded to be fully satisfying. I do hope that the next film (currently due out in 2024), will be a bit more focused, let alone developing Jake and Neytiri’s children into more interesting protagonists from what has been set up here. The foundations for the future of Avatar have been laid, but we are left to ponder what will be built upon it.
Final Grade: B
Movie Review: Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Rated PG for dark thematic material, violence, peril, some rude humor and brief smoking
Along with his dream to adapt H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) also dreamed of making an adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s book, Pinocchio. Following his success with The Shape of Water, the director was able to bring his dream to life, along with help from co-director Mark Gustafson, and writers Matthew Robbins, and Patrick McHale.
After the tragic death of his son Carlo (Gregory Mann), the wood carver Geppetto (David Bradley) grows listless and bitter. One night in a drunken rage, he cuts down a pine tree, and attempts to fashion a wooden version of Carlo to quell his heartache. Spirits from the nearby forest happen to witness the old man’s pain, and come together to bring the puppet to life.
It’s safe to say that this is a far cry from the more familiar Disney productions (both their 1940 animated, and 2022 live-action films). Del Toro’s imagination can often be an unsafe and scary place (especially for children), and many will probably feel the allusions to his previous work such as The Devil’s Backbone, or Pan’s Labyrinth once the story get underway, not to mention his style put into numerous creatures throughout.
Pinocchio (who is also voiced by Mann) himself is a creation that starts out as quite an annoyance, but when he starts to gain more experience, we see him mature and reason his way through several tense moments. His creation is also like Frankenstein’s monster, cobbled together in such a way that the local villagers are frightened upon first seeing him.
Geppetto himself is also rather shook upon finding out the puppet has come to life, and finds himself wrestling with his emotions when his wish seems to have not granted him what he was truly wanting, let alone when Pinocchio ends up getting into trouble that makes some question his standing in the village.
This element of perfection and imperfection weaves its way through several areas of the film. We see this in several other characters who like Pinocchio, are also imperfect, and how they are treated by various people in their own lives.
Just like in Pan’s Labyrinth, the setting is Fascist Italy, where one is expected to revere and obey the ruling party. Del Toro manages to squeeze a little humor out of this political environment, but it is made clear in several instances, that imperfection and free-thinking are dangerous. This is represented in the form of Podesta (Ron Perlman), a party member in the village who upon finding out Pinocchio cannot die, sees him as a potential super-soldier for the country’s army.
In terms of the show business aspect of the original story, Del Toro channels this through a traveling showman named Count Volpe (Christopher Waltz), the main antagonist who helps show that fame isn’t all its cracked up to be.
And then there’s the story’s cricket character, this time named Sebastian (and voiced by Ewan McGregor), who takes on the role of reluctant conscience when his home ends up being carved into Pinocchio’s body. Much like with the Disney adaptation, he serves as our narrator and comic relief for the story. However, it feels like he ends up being relegated to a more minor role than I expected, almost to the point where I wondered if he was even needed. He also ends up becoming the comedic “punching bag” for the film, though not all moments hit so humorously.
The stop-motion puppetry on display here is stylized in a very unconventional way than what we’ve seen in recent decades. Co-director Gustafson has had experience with Will Vinton Studios (who made the California Raisins ad campaign several decades ago), and there’s a certain look from them that finds its way into the creations here. While we have gotten used to face replacement technology thanks to the films from Laika Studios, only Pinocchio himself utilizes this feature, leaving the humans and other creatures to rely on manipulating facial mechanisms under the skin of the puppets being used.
The film also toys with songs on a few occasions, though in the end, they don’t tend to be the kind that really stick in your mind once the film is over.
The story also may be attempting to juggle a bit too much in what is going at times. For awhile, it feels like we are going along at a decent clip, with Pinocchio going from one place to another. It is in the final third of the film where some things begin to feel a little “muddled” in how they come together. Both this film and Henry Selick’s Wendell and Wild (also a stop-motion film produced by Netflix this year) seemed to have storytelling issues, but Pinocchio ends up being the one with the least amount of problems.
I have a feeling that while the film may currently be a critical darling, Del Toro’s foray into animated fare may take some people a little time to warm up to the story. I saw the film in a theater, and upon viewing it a second time upon its streaming release, was able to comprehend more and see some added elements to some characters I misunderstood the first time around.
Del Toro has often been a champion of monsters and creatures, and with his latest film, he becomes a champion for animators, and the craft of stop-motion, at a time when the medium of animation is currently struggling to stay afloat in a very business-centric marketplace.
Final Grade: B
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