In what is clearly the year of films about man meeting nature/animals (The Jungle Book, Legend of Tarzan, Pete's Dragon), Pete's Dragon doesn't manage to bring anything new to the sub-genre. But there's still some magical moments to be had with the latest Disney adventure.
Helmed by Ain't Them Bodies Saints director, David Lowery, Pete's Dragon tells the story of an orphan boy, Pete, who finds a home in the forest outside a small town, with a mysterious dragon. Of course, natural comparisons can be made to Dreamwork's 'How to Train Your Dragon' series. But Pete's Dragon, although live-action, feels a bit more childish and dumbed down. With that said, I don't think aiming this film towards a children-heavy audience is necessarily a bad thing, it's just disappointing. It's a cute story, but I don't think it has the mass appeal that the previously mentioned films do.
The cast is well-rounded with talent including Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, the great Robert Redford, and relative newcomers Oona Lawrence and Oakes Fegley. Howard and Redford shine as likable characters who help Pete along his way, but them along with the rest of the cast, are stuck in some weak dialogue. However, no actor was more out of place than Urban. Great in most things, he's far too over the top in his clichéd antagonistic role. Whether it was Lowery directing him into frustrating clichés or his doing, it wasn't good.
Luckily, there still is the power of Disney behind this project. It definitely takes a bit for the story to get where it wants to be, but I finally did come around to the magical tale. If nothing else, I bought into the dynamic between Pete and his (furry?) dragon, Elliot. The emotional undertone to the adventure is about discovery and looking further than what meets the eye, and you certainly get that. But the problem is that this story is structured on what feels like mindless dialogue.
Another small issue could be that Elliot not only doesn't really look like a dragon, but the CGI is average at best. Dragon's look better on a smaller budgeted TV show, Game of Thrones, than they did on a Disney scale budget on the big screen. Look, Pete's Dragon has its moments of Disney magic, and kids will love it. But it doesn't have a mass appeal nor does it have the best script or execution.
+Disney magic
+Pete & Elliot's relationship
-Dumbed down dialogue
-Average CGI
-Over-the-top Urban
6.0/10
Helmed by Ain't Them Bodies Saints director, David Lowery, Pete's Dragon tells the story of an orphan boy, Pete, who finds a home in the forest outside a small town, with a mysterious dragon. Of course, natural comparisons can be made to Dreamwork's 'How to Train Your Dragon' series. But Pete's Dragon, although live-action, feels a bit more childish and dumbed down. With that said, I don't think aiming this film towards a children-heavy audience is necessarily a bad thing, it's just disappointing. It's a cute story, but I don't think it has the mass appeal that the previously mentioned films do.
The cast is well-rounded with talent including Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, the great Robert Redford, and relative newcomers Oona Lawrence and Oakes Fegley. Howard and Redford shine as likable characters who help Pete along his way, but them along with the rest of the cast, are stuck in some weak dialogue. However, no actor was more out of place than Urban. Great in most things, he's far too over the top in his clichéd antagonistic role. Whether it was Lowery directing him into frustrating clichés or his doing, it wasn't good.
Luckily, there still is the power of Disney behind this project. It definitely takes a bit for the story to get where it wants to be, but I finally did come around to the magical tale. If nothing else, I bought into the dynamic between Pete and his (furry?) dragon, Elliot. The emotional undertone to the adventure is about discovery and looking further than what meets the eye, and you certainly get that. But the problem is that this story is structured on what feels like mindless dialogue.
Another small issue could be that Elliot not only doesn't really look like a dragon, but the CGI is average at best. Dragon's look better on a smaller budgeted TV show, Game of Thrones, than they did on a Disney scale budget on the big screen. Look, Pete's Dragon has its moments of Disney magic, and kids will love it. But it doesn't have a mass appeal nor does it have the best script or execution.
+Disney magic
+Pete & Elliot's relationship
-Dumbed down dialogue
-Average CGI
-Over-the-top Urban
6.0/10