At first, I wasn't so sure about the whole "furry dragon" bit, but then I was reminded of "Falcor" the lucky dragon from the 1984 fantasy adventure "The Neverending Story", Falcor actually looked more like a dog that a dragon, so okay I can dig the "furry dragon". The things about Elliot is that he grows on you, he's so damn cute, you'd have a heart of stone not to have a soft spot for him. As I was watching the movie, he also reminded me a green "Sully" (from "Monster's Inc.").
I can't help but think that Weta worked on the greedy, ruthless Smaug, (a dragon of a different kind) on the "The Hobbit" and then had to go 360 with Elliot. I remember seeing a feature on creating Smaug, that each scale was unique and different. I'm sure they gave the same attention to detail, because Elliot was really, really furry.
Sorry, I think I got carried away there, let's go back to the story shall we?
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| Robert Redford is grandfather goals in "Pete's Dragon". |
(Ahem). In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, there are stories of a big green dragon, with eyes as red as hell-fire, as told by an old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) -who looks really old in the film by the way but has that sweet grandfather vibe so still heartwarming. For years he has delighted the local children with his stories. My guess is that the movie was also set in the 1970's, which is why children still gathered around for tales about dragons and didn't have their faces in front of hand held devices, which was refreshing.
While the kids were entertained, Grace (the beautiful Bryce Dallas Howard) Mr. Meacham's daughter isn't so keen about these stories, she should know since she works as a park ranger in the woods. That is of course, until she meets Pete, (impressive acting from Oakes Fegley) a mysterious ten year old, who reminds you of "The. Jungle Book's" Mowgli, he is dirty, has overgrown hair, is dressed in scraps of cloth and can sure run fast and climb trees.
Grace takes Pete to town supposedly to turn him over to Social Services but she is surprised at Pete's claims of living in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliot and based on the description, Elliot seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham's stories.
Rounding up the cast of humans is. Natalie (Oola Laurence) the eleven year old daughter of Jack (Wes Bentley) who owns the local lumber mill. Personally, it's nice to see Bentley in a role, where he's not a psychotic killer (American Horror Story: Hotel), Jack shares mill duties with his shoot-now-think-later brother. Gavin, (Karl Urban). We love Karl Urban as "Bones" in the new "Star Trek" movies, so to see him play the comedic antagonist was rather refreshing.
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| Karl Urban is not your likeable "Bones" in "Pete's Dragon". |
Speaking of comedic, I love the subtle humor in the film - such as police standard operating procedures when it comes to pursuing dragons and even a golden moment when a patient falls of a gurney. I know, I know, that was mean but super hilarious, without trying too hard which makes it effective.
I would have loved to see more badass in Grace, her character seemed like a perfect godmother in the story, it was hard for me to ground her, yeah the throwing of keys was nice but I would have wanted more of that. I would have also preferred for the last shot of the movie, to just be Pete looking up and just having that implication that Elliot was there, and then end with a big blackout with Pete's face happy, amazed and maybe just a hint of a dragon's shadow in the end, but then again, that's just me.
7 out of 10. The heart of the film, isn't about the existence of dragons but the love of family, even if you don't have the same blood flowing in your veins or even if you're covered in green fur. It's more than just the story of "a boy and his dragon" but a beautiful story about finding our families and keeping them and in these trying times, we need more of these.
Pete's Dragon is in cinemas September 07. Photos courtesy of "Walt Disney Pictures"
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