Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Onward

This film is a fantastic adventurous fantasy blast! I have been saying for years that I’ve missed the original content films that Pixar used to put out quite frequently. As the films over the last 5 years for the most part have all been part of big franchises that they have already established. Now their have been some films that have not been sequels like the good dinosaur and coco but that’s about it. For me the last truly terrific Pixar film we got was five years ago with Inside Out and ever since then they have just produced sequel and prequels and as much as I love seeing these characters I’ve come to love I enjoy seeing the original content which I love from Pixar instead. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy their sequels but for the last 5 years all we had was Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, Cars 3, Toy Story 4 and I love the last Toy Story but the thing is Pixar’s best films are their original based ideas not their four hundred sequels and Onward is the shot in the arm of originality the studio needed. 

Firstly, This  film dives into such a immersive and fun world that is all things fantasy it’s basically zootopia for fantasy and I love that approach to it as the world felt very lived in and so detailed even from the smallest things the attention to detail was fantastic. The film also has these truly well rounded and fantastically well written characters. The film is about these two brothers and their quest to find a magic stone to be able to spend a day with their dad and find this stone before it’s to late and they can’t see him ever again as it’s a one time spell. Now the films characters are so well structured as you have the youngest brother who has never really been the outgoing type and really keeps to himself and never really wished he got to know his father more then he did. And he brings the serious element to the film that is needed and never feels like it’s overdone and then you have Chris Pratt’s character who plays this very confident and life of the party kind of older brother who on the surface seems so happy and joyous all the time and is obsessed with magic  but underneath has a lot of regrets and it’s touched upon in such a real and emotional way that hits you hard. The characters are fantastically evolved and they both go on a character arc through the film that really makes you invest into them and Care for the outcome of both of them. Both Tom Holland and Chris Pratt give fantastic entertaining performances in the film full of heart humour and emotion that impacts you. Octavia Spencer also gives a hilarious supporting turn in this film that really had me in stitches she isn’t in the film as much but for when she is she lights up the screen in a truly scene stealing supporting performance. 

Secondly, The script of this film is genius! Now the film uses the layer of fantasy to bring you into the world but their is such a rich layer of emotion wrapped into it. On the surface you see the fun and heart and humour of the whole thing but theirs a massive amount of emotion which is to be expected it is Pixar we’re talking about. But the thing is it never felt forced or cheesy by any means the film really focuses on this tone of brotherhood and the importance of family and spending time with your loved ones and it is very subtly touched upon sure in the beginning it seems to use a lot of emotion but then for the rest it’s more about the adventure of it all and then by the final act boom it hits you like a punch in the chest and that’s when it pops and perfectly executes what it’s been leading up to. The script was so well structured in rich humour that made me laugh and then their were moments that had me tense up from sheer intensity and then melt from the emotional punch by the end of the film and the script was so well done and it’s original concept as well with such memorable characters I felt it deserves to get recognized for its outstanding screenplay as it’s so multilayered in originality and Deep rooted meaning that worked so effectively. 

Lastly, Now I don’t wanna Jump the gun and say that it’s the best Pixar film since Inside Out as we still have the film Soul to come out and that could be another great Pixar film so for now I’ll say that Onward is definitely one of Pixar’s best films in recent years with a fantastic original concept that grabs you and immerses you into the world. While then taking you on a journey of such fun with these fantastic characters that are voiced greatly by its two leads and has a great amount of heart humour and incredible emotion that will have you smiling all the way through. Onward is a magical fun time to be had and I recommend everyone go see this film. 

Rated PG : for action/peril and some mild thematic elements

This film centres around a fantasy world where all these fantasy creatures have become adjusted to modern living and when on this boys 16th birthday receives a gift that he can be able to spend one day with his dad who’s no longer around him and his brother must find the stone that he can use to grant the spell to see his dad before it’s to late. 

Chris Pratt : Pratt delivers a charismatic and energetic but also emotionally impactful performance! Chris plays this loveable older brother who’s into all things magical and tries his best to help his brother out and brighten his day the best he can and Chris brings this great optimism to the screen that is so entertaining to watch. As his character is actually quite layered and developed quite a lot through the course of this film and Pratt brings this joyous energy sure and can bring great comedy to the screen that will have you laughing but he also can emotionally knock you out with the most simplest delivery of a line as their are a lot of emotional scenes in this film that really showcase the emotional strength of Chris’s character and you can hear within the tone of his voice and the way he says his dialogue that it has such impact to what he’s saying. That’s what I love about what he’s bringing to this voice performance here is his ability to bring such a wide range of emotions to the film that showcase humour to hard hitting emotion and neither one of them are Shown more then the other their equally weighed out and are able to work perfectly for who the character is. As the film tackles some heavy issues and it is focuses on the relationship with their father and we see how Chris’s character tries to cope with his deep feelings of regret by trying to stay positive and being happy and it’s quite a powerful arc he goes through and you can see Chris is having a blast playing this part. As he delivers great moments comedically and he never overdoes it but knows when the right moment is to lay a joke into a scene but then is aware and knows when to switch it up and show the more smaller and more emotional moments that really show his characters other sides. Chris gives a charismatic and energetic performance full of such humour and fun but also with a great deal of emotional impact that is so effective an overall terrific performance from Chris Pratt. 

Dan Scanlon : Dan gives a incredibly well written and directed film! This is from the same filmmaker who did the film Monsters University which is a film I wasn’t a huge fan of. But here he shows great strength and I think it’s due to the reason that Monsters university was an already existing property and here he gets to make his own characters and own universe he’s not strained to having to satisfy fans of a massive franchise he has total creative freedom. Here he writes a story that I heard was very personal to him and you can feel the emotion through the story in a very real and honest way. He immerses you in this world that is full of wonder and magic and he gets you swept up in the great spectacle of it all while then giving you these loveable characters to follow. The characters he crafts are not one dimensional characters they are well thought out well developed characters that have great layers to them and the two brothers both get their moments to truly shine and show their fantastic personalities shine in every aspect of this film. It’s never a single tone that is shown in this film it’s very much a multi layered film with tons of different tones thrown at you it’s at one minute hilarious and full of laughs but it’s also a road trip film and the next it’s a film about the importance of family and brotherhood. The film tackles lots of themes and I love that it is so well structured and I was never bored watching this film I was always entertained and Dan crafted a great screenplay that is full of such heart as well getting great voice performances from his entire cast and delivering a film that the entire family will love. While also tugging at your heart strings in a way that feels very genuine and not sappy or cheesy at all. Onward is one of the best directed Pixar films I’ve seen in sometime that really delves into great places of emotion and talks about the importance of brotherhood which is something I haven’t seen Pixar explore before while also giving a fun filled fantasy adventure that engages you and will have you wanting to watch it again the moment it’s over. Dan Scanlon gives a fantastically well written and well directed film.