Pixar plays it safe… sigh
Film critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to tell you about movies in less time than it takes to dream about a trip to the stars. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 is never enough and 101 is too much). Here is his 100-word review of Pixar’s Elio.
The Premise: 11-year-old Elio (Yonas Kibreab) is a misfit
who doesn’t have many friends. His parents died and Elio is now being raised by
his aunt Olga (Zoe Saldana). Elio spends his days gazing up at the stars, convinced
that aliens are out there and that they will come rescue him from life on Earth.
When Elio’s wish somehow comes true, he finds himself befriending alien
ambassadors who are part of the Communiverse. But Elio’s fantasy gets a lot
more complicated when the Communiverse is threatened by the warlike Lord
Grigon.
The 100-words: Elio skews younger, the film is aimed squarely
at kids without much to keep the adults engaged. The animation looks good (Pixar
movies always do) with creative alien designs and there are some genuinely
funny sequences that had the entire theater laughing. But the story is simplistic
and rarely takes an unexpected turn. I never built an emotional connection with
any of the characters and was bored at times. It feels like Pixar is playing it
safe and has lost its creative energy, both visually and narratively. Elio isn’t
a disaster, but is a far cry from Pixar’s better films.
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