Geekatana Review - Onward - Two Brothers Heartfelt DnD Adventure

Onward is a animated fantasy set in an modern urban setting.  The film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film is directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae for a screenplay written by Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin. It stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer.  

I was having second thoughts about the film as the trailer didn't impress me as much as I wanted but decided to go see it anyways. One could say I had low expectations for this film going in. But I guess you never should judge a movie by its trailer and that goes double for this one.

Set in a suburban setting with a magical fantasy world aspect, the movie follows two teenage elf brothers who set out on a one day long quest to find a spell that will bring back their deceased father. Time isn't their only problem as they meet perils and dangers along the way. Along the way they learn the value of family, closeness and the bonds of brotherhood between brothers.

The story plot is about a magical thing that the two brothers need to find in a span of one whole day. The plot is nothing new but the dynamic chemistry between the cast of characters and the pacing of the story is well done that you wouldn't mind the cliche plot. The action, the comedy and the family drama is done right that by the end of the movie you will fall in love with the two brothers as they will risk life and limp for each other.

Character wise Tom Holland and Chris Pratt fit their characters rather well. Holland being this timid, introvert who has little to no confidence on himself and Chris Pratt the nerdy, rebellious geek who is fond of magic and rock and roll. They couldn't have been more polar opposites and that's all part of each of their charm. Everyone can relate to each one of them in some way or another. The other characters are fun too but they tend to be more for entertainment and laughs.    

The movie is far from perfect but as a family movie this hits all the right spots and if you hadn't felt anything moving after the end of the movie than your probably not paying attention or have a heart of stone. There are some scenes in the movie that I didn't like that could have done differently like that police car chase you briefly see in the trailers but that is just me.

As for visuals goes this is Pixar and if you have seen Toy Story 4 movie you will know how far and how good the animation can get and it shows in this film as well. The texture and the lighting are sometimes too realistic you have to remind yourself this is all computer cgi. if you have seen the trailer and you will know what you will expect from the film.

The film has its negatives though although not so much. One being the side characters didn't have enough time to shine as the story focuses on the two brothers way too much. The issue with a certain centaur cop wasn't fully explained and eventually was forgotten by the end of the film. In real life such things will most likely get you to jail or something similar but I guess everyone was just ok with it by the end of the movie. Also the enjoyment of the film leans more on how will you know your fantasy and DnD lore as a lot of the stuff mention will no doubt fly over most people not familiar with it.

Then again this movie is entitled Onward and is about elves. Then again I guess everyone has their share of fantasy by now thanks to some LOTR and Potter films. Also not all of the jokes landed for me but I did laugh at a lot of them. The film was still lighthearted and fun enough not to take itself seriously. Overall it won't change the feel of the movie by the third act. There's also a lot of lessons you can learn from this film from dealing with losing a love one and so forth. I'll be more than happy to see a sequel if they decided to make another one.

This movie is directed by Dan Scanlon which folks will remember for making Monster University which is probably one of the weakest Pixar film but he certainly redeemed himself with this one as this movie is probably one of the best original films Pixar has ever made. I'd probably put this one after the movie Coco. There are subtle links to Monster Inc to this movie if you listen carefully. I'm just glad Scanlon is finally making really actually good movies.

Overall Onward is a fun adventure quest of two elf brothers and a sort of coming of age film. The fantasy aspect might not be for everyone but the family and brotherhood aspect of the film certainly is. Outside of the fantasy aspect of the story this film is definitely for everyone to watch. if you got the money and the time to spare I highly recommend watching this film at least once.