Directed by Chris Williams

Starring – Karl Urban, Dan Stevens, Jared Harris

The Plot – In an era when terrifying beasts roamed the seas, monster hunters were celebrated heroes, and none were more beloved than the great Jacob Holland (Urban). But when young Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator) stows away on his fabled ship, he’s saddled with an unexpected ally. Together they embark on an epic journey into uncharted waters and make history.

Rated PG for action, violence, and some adult language

The Sea Beast | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube

POSITIVES

“The Sea Beast” has a rich combination of style and substance that will offer something uniquely intriguing for youthful and adult audiences alike, but for my money it’s the uniqueness to its tonal and technical capacities that make this feel so freshly vital to the integrity and evolution of animated films with each passing year. For starters, the film’s first act conjures a maturity in tangible atmospheric dread as a result of the material visually and thematically pushing the envelope of its PG rating. This is refreshing not only because it treats child audiences with the same kind of respect as the animated films that I grew up adoring, but also captivates the introduction to this world and its characters with a bit of an unpredictable emphasis that makes anything seem possible with such a cutthroat war being waged against beasts that feel like a combination of Jaws and Godzilla. As the film progresses, we find it cares little about offering pandering humor or moments of pocketed levity to ease the tension from the conflict, which in turn I took great value in, especially with a scene in the middle that felt like it was heading in this direction, but avoided the need to do so, thankfully. In addition to this, the animated renderings are breathtaking, primarily in the water and fire elemental properties, which permeated a seamlessly photogenic quality to their free-flowing designs. Aside from this, the cinematography behind the lens is surprisingly immersive and enveloping to some of the most gripping action sequences that I have seen in a kids film since the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, complete with a diversity of ranging movements and framing devices that elicit with them meaningful shots in the way of iconography for the size in scale of these immense beasts. Beyond those colorful creatures, they also vividly convey the magnitude of the ocean they swim in, which in turn is all the more compromising in disadvantage for our human protagonists, crafting an element of vulnerability that can be seen and felt in every beautifully constructed frame that the animation takes us on. In other aspects, the vocal performances are also exceptional, but especially from Urban and 18-year-old Zaris-Angel Hator who each seamlessly mold into the design of their character designs that you have no choice but to believe these tones are coming from each of these characters. Urban supplants a combination of snark and charm that constantly endears us to the internal conflicts of the character while on this evolutionary arc, and Hator’s gentle innocence in demeanor helps to vividly paint the stakes and circumstances of a future in the balance that remains all the more uncertain with greedy actions of the adults on hand. On that subject, the film also elicits a strong message to take away from the film about revisionist history that may or may not bear a striking resemblance in an age where fake news dominates the media landscape. It’s nothing that’s heavy-handed or conditional with how it assembles in the context of the narrative, but it does communicate to youths the necessity of thinking matters and knowledge of information out for themselves, especially with aspects you’re willing to die for.

NEGATIVES

Occasionally the waters of storytelling get shallow with one-dimensional characters that feel only there to play types. This is especially the case with the trio of antagonists, but primarily the king and queen, who are not only every stereotype you’ve ever heard of royalty, but their dialogue is so conventionally bland that it often breeds predictability before they’ve ever actually had the chance to retort to someone. While on the subject of predictability, the script certainly isn’t reinventing the wheel when it comes to kids’ films, bearing more than a striking resemblance to a few other films based entirely on the derivative nature of a few key aspects in resolution that all but wiped away the aforementioned aspects of uncertainty crafted excellently during the opening act. Such an example is presented in the relationship between the girl and the beast, and how she’s the only one who can communicate with-it, all-in order to keep it from destroying her village. Aside from this, she’s an orphan, so you already know where that’s headed long before I tell you. It leads to an inferior second half, certainly, but beyond that one that resolves matters a bit too cleanly for a conflict that has basically resonated since the inception of this village, leaning to a happy ending that initially didn’t seem possible with a first half that tonally felt so unlike any mainstream kids’ movie of the contemporary age. Finally, while a majority of the movie’s technical elements are above par for the artistic merit they continuously achieve, the sound design is a bit inconsistent at times compared to a visual scheme that constantly conveyed the magnitude of the movie’s titular creature. For my money, the audible heft is a bit bland and underdeveloped here, especially in the inspiration for creativity that could’ve further immersed audiences in the captivity of underwater seclusion, but instead wasted away the occasion with sequences that are near quiet.

OVERALL
“The Sea Beast” treads creative waters with a subversive exploration that is not afraid to ask all of the tough questions towards supplanting an endearing message that kids and adults can simultaneously take away. Though the film’s evolution leads to a predictable second half that wastes away some of its bite, the warmth and exuberance of the animation and camera movements craft an exhilarating adventure that once more will have Netflix accepting a Best Animated Feature nomination at next year’s Oscars.

My Grade: 7/10 or B