Directed by : David Lowery
Written by : David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks
Starring : Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Oona Laurence, Robert Redford, Karl Urban
Release Date : August 10, 2016
During the introduction scenes of "Pete's Dragon" that showed us how a young boy ended up alone in the forest, and how he came upon this huge magical creature, I knew from then that I was probably going to really enjoy watching this movie. That isn't necessarily because of the special effects, or the characters, or the story, or action sequences, because all of that were serviceable at best. It was because this film has it's heart in the right place, and that's what counts the most for a story like this.
Despite the fact that this movie can be called out for playing it safe and being by the numbers, there were important elements that it got absolutely right. It didn't try to be this big epic original blockbuster of a movie, because it's simply not. It was what it was suppose to be, which is a simple family movie, that is essentially a "boy and his pet" story, that's designed to tug at your heartstrings. The connection Pete has with Elliot the Dragon is the strength of this story, and the need of an orphaned boy to be with a family is a powerful theme that this film also uses with great effect.
The cast is good in this, with Oakes Fegley leading the charge as the wild orphaned boy of the forest, and also Bryce Dallas Howard as Grace the forest ranger who discovers him. I also have to give kudos to the team that brought Elliot the dragon to life, and I actually liked this version better than the 1977 one. He is essentially a big giant fuzzy dog or cat with wings, and as a dog owner myself I was completely engaged with the character. There are many scenes between Pete and Elliot; and with Grace, that I thought were very charming and heartwarming to watch, and are those moments that only made the movie better.
So it's best to look past the illogical flaws, the familiar story tropes, the plot conveniences, and the simplistic character developments, because "Pete's Dragon" is made to remind you about those easy to digest family friendly films that would give a 7 year old kid the desire to have his own Dragon friend. It's that power of innocence and nostalgia rolled into one. It's magical.
lovedit ENJOYED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible
