Shrewdly thoughtful parables don’t get much better — or more enjoyable — than this one.
Director/co-scripter Chris Williams’ cunningly crafted “whale of a tale” deftly laces its gorgeously animated adventure saga with underlying themes of loyalty, inclusiveness, environmental awareness and — this is the biggie — the folly of blindly placing one’s faith in “accepted tradition.”
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| Despite his best efforts, Jacob always seems to get into trouble when Maisie is involved. |
The setting is a somewhat familiar world, at a time akin to our late 17th century era of coastal towns and cities supported by sailing vessels. But these waters are laden with enormous sea beasts that prey on defenseless cargo ships, which has led to generations of heroic monster hunters who set sail in tall ships in order to attack these underwater giants.
It’s dangerous work, and the town orphanage is filled with children whose parents have perished in battle.
No ship is more respected than The Inevitable, helmed by the legendary Capt. Crow (voiced by Jared Harris) and his stalwart crew, most notably surrogate son Jacob Holland (Karl Urban). They’ve long defeated such monsters, at constant risk to life and limb, always returning to port with proof of kill — a tusk, a tail spike, a claw — for the King (Jim Carter), Queen (Doon Mackichan) and grateful townsfolk.
The film opens with a rip-snortin’ clash between The Inevitable and a Brickleback: an impressively nasty, hard-shelled behemoth with massive, ship-shredding tentacles. This is an exciting, tautly edited sequence — Joyce Arrastia, take a bow — that establishes the characters of Crow, Jacob, Lt. Sarah Sharpe (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and taskmaster Ms. Merino (Helen Sadler).
Nobody admires them more than little Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), an orphan who has long dreamed of becoming a monster hunter: in part to avenge her parents, who went down with The Monarch. Maisie has devoured the many books that have mythologized Captain Crow, Jacob, The Inevitable and all their predecessors.
She’s also quite precocious and outspoken, with a tendency to “escape” from the orphanage — and then get dragged back — each time a monster-hunting ship returns to port. Needless to say, she’s not about to miss the Inevitable’s arrival.
But what should be a celebratory occasion is blunted by the King’s decision to decommission all monster-hunting vessels, and their crews. The task instead will be assigned to the Royal Navy, which has just developed a heavily armed battle ship: The Imperator, helmed by the vainglorious Adm. Hornagold (Dan Stevens).
In part, the King pompously adds, because Crow and The Inevitable never have been able to chase down the most fearsome of all sea beasts: the massive Red Bluster.
Crow isn’t impressed. “She rests too low,” he snorts, after a glance at this heavily fortified ship, “and them fixed cannons is useless.
“And her captain is an ass.”
Thanks to Jacob’s quick thinking and diplomatic savvy, The Inevitable is given one last chance to track down and kill the Red Bluster.
Once at sea, Jacob discovers that Maisie has hidden herself on board. When The Inevitable does (inevitably) find the Red Bluster, the encounter proves quite unexpected … particularly to Jacob and Maisie.
She begins to doubt the point of view concerning this ongoing war between humans and monsters, and what has been taking place, for so many generations, out on the high seas.
Such questions and the exciting, kaiju-style monster clashes aside, this film gets its heart from the strong familial bonds between characters. Crow’s obsessive, Ahab-like tendencies are softened by his devotion to Jacob, whom he rescued as a young boy: the only survivor of a monster attack.
Jacob — a stalwart, good-hearted soul — develops a similar fondness for the inquisitive Maisie, whose open-mindedness challenges him at every turn.
Sharpe, although outwardly fearsome, also has a softer side when it comes to Maisie.
The film’s “cuteness factor” is supplied by a big-eyed, purple-tongued, indigo-hued mini-monster that Maisie adopts and logically dubs “Blue” (and I’ve no doubt plush versions will fly off store shelves). This playfully wiggling critter’s puppy-dog loyalty prompts Maisie to consider the crucial question: Is benevolence limited solely to small creatures?
Lest you assume that this film becomes too serious and “heavy,” that absolutely isn’t the case. Williams and Benjamin keep the tone light, and the quieter character moments are calculated to win our hearts and minds. (We must remember that Williams won an Academy Award for 2014’s Big Hero 6, which similarly explored the nature of relationships with unusual entities.)
Unexpectedly arch and amusing one-liners add to the fun, and some fly by quickly. I particularly loved Maisie’s departure from the orphanage, amid eager good-luck cheers from the other children … followed by one tiny voice that says “See you tomorrow!”
The script’s only clumsy note is an encounter with the witchy, spider-like Gwen Batterbie (Kathy Burke), who offers a bargain with apparently dire consequences … yet we get no closure on that.
Children will adore this film because it’s fun, fast-paced and appealingly animated. Older viewers — by Williams’ deliberate design — will be reminded of the Orwellian efforts by red state politicians and activists to fabricate and protect a (literally) whitewashed version of American history in school textbooks. That aspect of this film’s messaging couldn’t be more timely.
I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating: Many of today’s sharpest, most thoughtful and enjoyable scripts are attached to family-friendly animated films.
This one is a certain Oscar contender.
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