Pete's Dragon

If I'm being upfront, these live-action remakes/reimaginings of classic Disney films do very little for me in terms of excitement. 

Other than the upcoming Beauty and the Beast, but that's simply because of Emma Watson. 

Besides that however, I've been kind of puzzled as to some of the films they've chosen and there really has never been enough difference in the story to get me eagerly waiting in anticipation. 

Pete's Dragon was one of those where, upon my first time hearing about it, I was almost immediately turned off to the idea. Of all the great animated hits from Disney's vault I couldn't picture why that one was chosen when we're still waiting for a live action The Lion King or Aladdin over here. 

Despite that, I decided to give it a go this weekend as reviews and buzz were almost all unanimously positive, as is the case with most of these live action Disney films. To my enjoyment, Pete's Dragon is a fine film, and I'm glad that I went to go see it. Outside of that praise however, I don't quite think it's a film that I'll see as defining for 2016, nor would I ever need to watch it again.

"I hate you so much"
"I hate you more"
"Smile for the camera!"

Having not watched the original animated musical in probably over 20 years now, I'm pretty unaware of how this one compares to it, but I imagine it's quite a bit different. In this new version, Pete is a boy who's tragically orphaned and almost immediately adopted by a big, furry, green dragon. Fast forward six years and he's become a bit of a young Tarzan, darting among the trees and playing with his large companion. Eventually Pete is discovered and introduced to a normal life with a new "family". I'll stop there as I'm sure you can likely guess where the film is going. That may be it's biggest fault is that, while certainly not required to, this version doesn't challenge the status quo at all. It's a typical story that's been done before and will be done many times after and Pete's Dragon does it mostly well. I don't want to say that it makes the film boring, but it is hard to really adore something that you've seen so many times before. But that could also just be a side effect of seeing so many films that regular audience members don't necessarily experience. 

And then he ate both of them

All in all though, Pete's Dragon is, as I stated, a well made film. The core cast is great, if not forgettable. Oakes Fegley plays the titular character and does a good job. It's not the best child performance I've ever seen, but it gets the job done. Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, and Karl Urban are three biggest hitters of the cast and each does a serviceable job in this family film. The dragon itself has quite the personality, as can often be seen in its eyes. I think he looks kind of silly, but that's half the point I suppose. From a special effects perspective he looks phenomenal in some scenes, but there are a handful that there is some very serious CGI work going on. It's never really a detriment to the film, but it's clear that this one didn't seem to have the same budget as The Jungle Book. 

Where Pete's Dragon is truly magical lies in its technical achievements. The cinematography can often be striking, which was a pleasant surprise for a film like this. There are some clear examples of a director who took the time to envision how he could make scenes stand out and this attention to detail/creativity helps Pete's Dragon to be more memorable than it would have been otherwise. The movie also boasts a surprisingly strong original score that is effective as well as a thoughtful soundtrack of mostly folk music. When the imagery and music are combined they really do wonders for the average story. 

And then he crushed the boy with the log.

Pete's Dragon is another decently strong notch in Disney's live-action industry and it does some things very, very well. Unfortunately though, it just rests as another example of one of these films that, yes, I liked it, but it never excited me. Nor does the thought of more and more of these movies excite me unless they pick some real gems. 

CONS:

• Average story that is highly predictable and unexciting
• A few instances where the Dragon looks less than stellar
• Rather generic in terms of approach and overall outcome

PROS:

• Features some good casting decisions and everyone does well there
• The dragon's personality can be fun at times
• Heartwarming
• Very strong cinematorgraphy 
• Great original score and soundtrack

Rath's Review Score: 7/10