Here’s a rundown of the latest fantasy series that should be a runaway hit, an animated film that drops April 30, and is a real joy, and a horror film that could have been better.
Shadow & Bone (Netflix) - If you’re one of the more than 3,000,000 fans who have bought & read Leigh Berdugo’s Grisha novels, then you’re already waiting in anticipation for this series adaptation of her first book Shadow & Bone. It’s 8 episodes; and for the uninitiated, it introduces us to the world of Ravka, a magical universe that’s divided into East and West with the dark, forbidding Fold lying between the two kingdoms. The main character is Alina Starkov (played by the much heralded ingenue Jessie Mei Li - a biracial actress with Chinese father and English Mom, she’s in the cast of Edgar Wright’s forthcoming Last Night in Soho which stars Anya Taylor-Joy). Alina is a special Grisha - humans who possess abilities that allow them to control the elements.
Perceived as the televisual successor to Hunger Games, and even GOT - that’s a tall order for this new series. But with definite YA leanings, the series actually works on the strength of the relationships that provide the dramatic impetus. There’s Alina’s fellow orphan Mal (Archie Renoux) with their will they-won’t they friendship, and casting a love triangle’s long shadow is General Kirigan (Ben Barnes). The intrepid band of subversives out to kidnap Alina provide strong support and even comic relief, and it’s nice when the roles they play take on greater significance in the plot’s development. Some early reviewers even say the series is an improvement on the novels; so let’s see if the popularity follows suit. With Tsarist Russia providing the style bible for the series, it makes for a welcome change from medieval Britain, which is often the peg; and it’s YA coming of age on Television.
The Mitchells vs the Machines (Netflix - Sony Animation) From the team that brought something actually refreshing and new in animated films with their Spiderman Into the Spider-Verse comes their new film. The premise is a hoot; what if the worse, most dysfunctional family were the only survivors left to face the Robocalypse, and save the world? It’s a celebration of human weirdness and dysfunction as the narrative is full of surprises, and works in a truly imaginative way. As with Spidey-Verse, there’s also a smart use of different types of animation to serve the film’s purpose, led by the main animation style that will remind you of a video game.
The casting of the voices is also top notch, with Danny McBride and Maya Rudolph voicing the parents, and an out from left field inclusion of Olivia Colman talking on the voice of the AI mastermind, PAL. The wonderful thing about this film is how it can be enjoyed by both adults and children, operating as it does on different levels. And there’s a pet dog named Monchi, who’s a wall-eyed pug that’s ugly enough to be downright cute. Abbi Jacobson voicing Katie Mitchell pretty much leads the narrative, and she does a great job as a film student wannabe who feels alienated from her father, and somehow reconnects in touching ways. You’ll love the commentary about film and tech nerds, and social media, that courses through this enjoyable film.
Homunculus (Netflix Japan) - Based on a manga that enjoyed cult like popularity some 10 years ago, this Horror film comes from Japan, and operates on the premise of trepanation, and the effect it would have on the individual operated on. Trepanation involves creating a burr or small hole in the skull and the way it’s utilized here is some disgraced surgeon preys on the homeless and destitute to find willing victims for the procedure. The film follows the doctor and the willing amnesiac victim; and the almost mystical/supernatural results that follow.
Thanks to the trepanation, the innermost traumas of the people he encounters are brought to the surface. It’s actually an interesting concept and can imagine why the manga was well-received. There’s just something in the transition to film that left me wondering several What If’s. This Japanese Director perhaps took the manga too literally, and I was left wondering how a South Korean film company would have ‘attacked’ this kind of story. The special effects at times, seemed calculated to amuse rather than shock or really disturb us. The chemistry between the two main characters was adequate, but one never really invested in either of the two, so I know at some point, I began to lose interest in the proceedings. Promising premise that sputters in its execution.