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‘The Sea Beast’ Review – The Hollywood Reporter

Maisie Brumble, the fierce protagonist of Sea monster, is a petite girl with a giant personality and chutzpah is off the charts. As the story unfolds, she is determined to claim her place in the monster hunting tradition of her seafaring country; By the time it ended, she had turned that tradition outside, in ways that were not only profound and profound, but profoundly influential. Chris Williams, whose leadership credits include Big Hero 6 and Moanacreated a compelling, great-looking film, one whose emotional line was stronger than all because of its underappreciation in the middle of a derring-do.

The frantic busyness of the opening sequences may suggest we’re getting sucked into familiar, action-heavy animated territory. To be sure, there is a lot of strong action, battles and otherwise, in Sea monster, along with sweet and lovely drawings. But as Maisie’s story unfolds, the questions she and the film raise defy expectations. There’s an advantage to subverting the film’s idealism as it targets war, greed and hypocrisy, causing official lies to be debunked and buildings toppled and, importantly, giving way. for much better things.

Sea monster

Key point

Happy flipping.

Release date: Friday, July 8

Cast: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens

Manager: Chris Williams

Writer: Chris Williams, Nell Benjamin

Rated PG, 1 hour 55 minutes

Set in a world of wondrous creatures and tall ships circa 1700, Sea monster stylized cartoon weds with striking photorealism. The rendering of water – the film’s primary environment – is particularly powerful, whether the filmmakers are capturing its surface and sparkle or sinking into its tranquil depths. The sky is also spectacularly eloquent, with fire, fog, and candlelight also being effectively evoked. But through it all, character nuance is key.

11-year-old Maisie is brought to life through great animation and a vibrant voice performance by newcomer Zaris-Angel Hator. Just as Maisie goes up against famous sailors and haughty aristocrats, the young actor is more up against seasoned professionals including Jared Harris and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

Beyond core themes on a broader scale, Williams and Nell Benjamin’s script deals with two orphans and their unlikely connection. The first is Maisie, whose monster-hunting parents perished in a fabled clash with giant ocean creatures. The second is hunter Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), who also lost his parents at sea. The aftermath of their shipwreck and his rescue by Captain Crow (Harris) are captured with intense intensity in the film’s brief, first scene.

As the second in command of the Crow, Jacob has become a legend, his gripping adventures hailed in a book that Maisie read aloud, with no shortage of dramatic flair, for the residents. her orphanage. They were an avid audience, but Jacob’s heroics were more than just a bedtime story for Maisie, the sea keeper she was calling. With the intention of serving alongside the famous warrior, she sneaks out of the orphanage and launches into his ship, the Inevitable, impressing Captain Crow and scaring Jacob. First mate Sarah Sharpe (Jean-Baptiste) deals with Maisie’s intrusion with the same unwavering confidence she brings to everything.

Against a diverse backdrop of helmsman set characters, an Ahab-style revenge story centers around the tough and weathered Captain Crow, whose face has the blunt, carved aspect of a ship. His enemy is not a great white whale but the mighty Red Bluster, a huge beast with a manatee-like shape, a horn reminiscent of a rhinoceros, a wide mouth of teeth. the door is reminiscent of the animal faces in How to Train Your Dragon, and expressive golden cat eyes. It’s been 30 years since Crow lost one of his own eyes during his encounter with the Bluster. Now, if he can achieve his mission of defeating the monster, he plans to retire and hand over command to Jacob.

Although Jacob is famous, swaggering, and often talks to the crew about the glory of a hunter’s life, his surroundings seep into almost every exchange. The father-son move between him and the captain comes with an assumption about his life’s purpose, which Maisie’s presence forces him to examine. At the end of the story, as Jacob and Maisie must contend with countless dangers at sea and on land, her suggestion that they cooperate forever, like a family – and how he pushes it away – compresses two inner lives into a few concise lines, played to perfection by Urban and Hator.

Likewise, Sarah Sharpe’s vulnerability pierces her soldier shell when Maisie needs her urgent help. And you don’t have to dig deep beneath Captain Crow’s combat prowess to see a man deflated by an unfinished mission and a sense of death – or at least the end of his career. .

Captain Crow’s final mission pits the Invincible against the Invaders, a speedboat designed to make old-fashioned hunters like Crow and Jacob obsolete. Gilded to bring, with dozens of guns, it’s a ludicrous monument to overkill, commanded by snob Admiral Hornagold (Dan Stevens) as he climbs deeper into the King’s favor (Jim Carter) and the Queen (Doon Mackichan) and lead their battle over the Red Bluster and all the beasts of the sea.

Separated from Crow’s ship for much of the film, Jacob and Maisie encounter a number of monsters, among them a giant purple crab. Blue, a tiny creature with quail feathers, turns out to be not only a hilarious sidekick but also a loyal friend, as well as a reminder that every so-called monster was once a child. cute.

Sea monster However, it is more about thinking than believing. Maisie’s big questions go more than halfway into the story, shifting focus, raising healthy suspicions, and ultimately touching on issues like scapegoats and war profiteering. Heavy stuff, but Williams maintains a flow of visual fun and jokes, never losing sight of the fearless Maisie and the conflicting Jacob, or of how these two orphaned souls connect. together.

All actions, whether suspenseful, moody, goofy or tender, are subtly boosted by Mark Mancina. A slum whose murderous lyrics are combined with comic joy goes to the heart of this intriguing combination. Moby-DickThe Book of Jonah, Kong vs. Godzilla and countless stories of celebrated heroes: What percentage of what’s around us actually see and hear? As Maisie, who proved to be an unexpectedly gifted navigator, told Jacob: “The world is big. And you don’t know everything.”

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