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2021
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Jul 8, 2022 · To be fair, “The Sea Beast” takes a bit too long to build up steam, and there’s a tighter 100-minute version of this film within its two-hour run-time. I wanted to tighten it up in a few places, and I do wish the world-building was a little stronger. Some of the locations also feel thinly designed, although if all the time and budget went ...
Jun 24, 2022 · Dylan Roth Observer The Sea Beast washes down this heavy thematic material with a playful tone and exciting, well-designed action. Dec 14, 2022 Full Review Catey Sullivan Chicago Reader If you ...
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- Chris Williams
- PG
- Kids & Family, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Animation
- A Sea Change.
- The best sea monster(s) movie is...
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- Verdict
By Matt Fowler
Updated: Jul 8, 2022 6:05 pm
Posted: Jul 8, 2022 2:00 pm
The Sea Beast premieres Friday, July. 8 on Netflix.
The Sea Beast, though a touch bloated, is an endearing, rollicking animated adventure that makes for fine summertime family fare. Hailing from Netflix Animation, the film tackles well-traveled themes but the gentle genre mix here, of pirates vs. ocean monsters, as well as some nicely executed action sequences, helps craft a fun fable about acceptance and forgiveness.
Directed by Chris Williams (Big Hero 6, stories for Moana/Emperor's New Groove), The Sea Beast delivers a soft rogue's tale about a world filled by giant water creatures and heroic "hunters" tasked with bringing them down. A few generations have gone by since the "Dark Times" (when these monsters were said to outright attack coastal towns), and hunters are now so prevalent, with their precarious occupation, that orphanages now exist for kids left parentless because their folks went to war with a colossal sea serpent.
Jaws
Pacific Rim
The Meg
Luca
Other -- let us know in the comments.
The Sea Beast struggles with pacing, antagonists (Dan Stevens voices an arrogant royal nemesis, but all-to briefly), and story payoffs/outs, but it's also charming, and the new life Jacob is tossed into, after being so set on one path for so long, makes for an absorbing, awesome character 180. And as both Maisie and Jacob learn to love Red, and empathize with sea monsters in general, The Sea Beast still allows the monsters to keep their fangs. These aren't peaceful, docile creatures, necessarily. They, like humans, contain layers and will lash out even if the moment doesn't call for it. This adds a pleasant bit of complexity to what could have been a much simpler story.
Jared Harris, as Captain Crow, seems like he'll be the type of father figure Jacob might have to avenge, but he blossoms into something much darker and more interesting. There are some unresolved elements with regards to Crow and his inner turmoil (and dealings with a witch) as the credits roll, but the story still makes better use of him than most other movies with a similar character. To be fair, Crow isn't the only lingering thread at the end of this tale, which is a shame since it seems like there was ample time to address everything.
Karl Urban, currently starring on The Boys (and known for other wonderful sci-fi grumpiness in Dread, Star Trek, and Almost Human), gets to engage in some kindness here, as Jacob blossoms from narrow-minded to protective and compassionate. Jacob, as someone being task with breaking a cycle of violence, has a steep leaning curve but his time with Maisie and Red (and Blue) is handled with enough care to make his transition buyable.
Despite the story itself needing a shave, The Sea Beast is a sweet, delightful distraction filled with maritime monster melees, a solid emotional core, and bewitching visuals. It's got heart, decent world-building, and a vital message, though the set up's overlong and the ending's choppy.
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Jul 7, 2022 · Last year, Pixar released “ Luca ,” which offers its own take on prejudice, found family and sea monsters, and it’s hard, while watching “The Sea Beast,” not to draw comparisons. “Luca ...
- Lena Wilson
- Chris Williams
Jul 7, 2022 · Rated PG, 1 hour 55 minutes. Set in a world of fantastic creatures and tall-ships verisimilitude circa 1700, The Sea Beast weds cartoon stylization with striking photorealism. The rendering of ...
Jul 8, 2022 · Specifically, this ocean-set adventure story deploys mega-gallons of computer-animated water with great skill. On the surface, as hunter ships prowl the sea for fearsome beasts that supposedly ...
Jun 26, 2022 · The Sea Beast review – dazzling maritime adventure. A terrific animated escapade from Netflix, in which a plucky orphan hooks up with a misunderstood monster of the deep. Big Hero 6 director ...
