Onward - Movie Review

Written by Shiggins

More of Pixar's magic.

As every movie out there is getting delayed and we're entering the new Dark Age of Doom, I can do nothing else for you except recommend that, if you do gather your courage enough to see something in the cinema, make sure you see Onward. It might sound ridiculous to say this but... Pixar, you did it again! Again-again-again.

Onward is set in a world where magic was once the norm, but the invention of electricity and other technologies has essentially watered it down to near extinction. Centaurs don't gallop, they drive cars. Wizards don't shoot fire from their staffs, they just flip the light switch. And in this surreal land live two brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, who both get a wonderful chance to meet their deceased father for one final day through the use of a spell. When the spell messes up, they only have 24 hours to get what they need so they can bring their dad back properly and have as much time with them as they can.

Does anyone remember The Good Dinosaur, one of Pixar's lowest movies? It wasn't a bad film but it was fairly unremarkable in every way except animation. Anyway, I remember the tagline for that film being "What if dinosaurs never went extinct?". And I also remember being extremely disappointed to see that it was a film set in a normal dinosaur-like area, without modern cities or humans integrating with different types of dinosaurs for some unique world-building. Surprisingly, Onward is basically what I was picturing. Centaurs as cops, dragons as pets (although why did they make it act like a dog? Dragons are cooler than dogs! There, I said it!), pixie bikers... This is far more interesting than The Good Dinosaur ever was, and I did enjoy seeing the modern and fantasy worlds mixed together whenever we got it.

Seriously, I love dogs but wouldn't a literal dragon have been way better?!

Of course, this is a Pixar film so the world isn't the focus. Ian, played by Tom Holland, and his big brother Barley, played by Chris Pratt, are. Tom Holland has basically nailed down the nervous nerd personality, essentially becoming our generation's Michael J. Fox or Cera, although his Shocked Spider-Man cries do feel a bit out of place alongside the rest of his character's softer dialogue, while Chris Pratt is absolutely having a blast playing as the absolute most Jack Black-y character I've ever seen not being played by Chris Pratt. It's actually incredible how much this character is Jack Black, I'm stunned. (School of Rock Jack Black, which is the best Jack Black, to be more specific.)

Finally, some love for manticores. Next up, let's see some hot muscled girl orcs!

The character Barley is especially worth mentioning because he made me think of Toy Story 4's Forky, by which I mean he could have easily been an annoying crappy character if the writers hadn't handled him properly. His relationship with Ian is heartfelt, as you'd expect, but I was very worried they were going to do the cliche of him being a big dumb oaf who messes up every time Ian tries to do something, until the finale where he basically saves the day. As always however, Pixar don't go with that cliche. Unfortunately, they do that cliche I am soooo tired of where they fight and split up before the third act, but everything else is great.

The other characters in the film are pretty fun too. Octavia Spencer voices a manticore named Corey who has lost her savagery, Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the brothers' mother Laurel, the great voice actress Grey DeLisle plays a pixie gangleader, and Mel Rodriguez plays Laurel's boyfriend Colt, a centaur police officer. Colt, sadly, is the most underwritten character of the film, which is surprising considering his position as the mother's boyfriend in a story about the sons trying to see their father again. His role in the film is more-or-less an obstacle, and that's a shame since he feels too funny and well-meaning for such a role. Or at least, a role that isn't developed all the way.

A bit too close to Monsters University... but these scenes are brief, thankfully.

Other than the expected messages about family and love, there is also a fairly significant sign about appreciating what you had and not letting go of it. I won't spoil all the ways this is shown, but I will tell you that Barley's D&D-like game is actually about their own history, which is a great gag that's too good to not mention. The other gag involving the spell's mistake... Bravo.

Onward might not be one of Pixar's best, but it's the quality you've always expected from the company that brought us some of the best animated films in the past 25 years. Funny, colourful and able to at least make you choke up at the end, Onward is absolutely worth the watch and still a tier above the rest. It's movie magic.

Movie Rating: 8/10

Best Part: The brothers

Worst Part: Underused centaur-stepdad.

Best Performance: Chris Pratt as Barley.

"Onward to Adventure!" would be a great idea for the sequel we'll sadly never get.

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/