Movie Review

A star-laden voice cast powers new children's movie The Wild Robot

Roz (Lupita N'yongo) and Brightbill (Kit Connor) in The Wild Robot.

Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

It takes a lot for a new children’s book to become broadly popular, but 2016’s The Wild Robot did just that with its simple but heartfelt story about a robot that finds itself accidentally stranded on an island, forcing it to adapt to a world for which it was not programmed. That instant classic status has now been solidified with its adaptation into an animated movie of the same name.

Roz (Lupita N’yongo) is a helper robot designed to aid humans with almost anything they might need. Instead of its intended destination, though, it mysteriously finds itself washed up on an uninhabited island filled with a variety of animals. The curious creatures soon activate the robot, and it spends a lot of time trying to figure out its purpose in a world devoid of humans.

Roz finds that purpose with a parentless gosling it names Brightbill (Kit Connor). Given instructions by other geese that Brightbill must learn to survive on its own, Roz and a helpful fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal) proceed to do everything in their power to teach Brightbill how to eat, swim, and fly. The straightforward quest turns out to be anything but, with more than a few surprises along the way.

Directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) and written by Sanders and Peter Brown, the film has a sweet story, although it’s not as affecting as one might expect. The filmmakers focus on creating a strong bond with Roz as the robot is put through a lot of stress, from the natural elements to aggressive animals to not knowing what its mission is. Once Brightbill enters the picture, those feelings are heightened, but the “mother-son” relationship never reaches its full potential.

In addition to the never-ending (and unintended) education of Roz, the film retains its watchability thanks to a load of off-kilter humorous moments. Because it features mostly talking animals, there is a good amount of cutesiness, but the filmmakers add in a few details that make it more pointed than your typical kids movie. The necessary relationship between predators and prey is touched on more than once, with funny (and slightly gruesome) results. And scenes late in the film seem to be a commentary on climate change without being heavy-handed.

Fans of the original book may be disappointed to find that the movie creates its own look, starting with a rounder, sleeker Roz. The animals and natural scenery all feel more rustic, with a fuzziness around the edges that complements the outdoor setting. While perhaps not as immersive as some other modern animated movies, the film has a style that’s dazzling in its own right.

N’yongo has a calming voice that fits Roz perfectly. Thankfully, she forgoes any robotic affect, choosing instead to use a steady, unemotional tone that makes the character appealing nonetheless. No one else is especially memorable in the voice department, even though the film contains big names like Pascal, Ving Rhames, Bill Nighy, Catherine O’Hara, and Mark Hamill.

The Wild Robot is a solid film with some nice messages for children, even if it falls short of being one that demands an immediate rewatch. The book (and its sequels) will continue to be read by kids for generations to come, with the movie serving to bring its story to an even wider audience.

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The Wild Robot opens in theaters on September 27.

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Movie Review

Denzel Washington brings new spectacle to the Colosseum in Gladiator II

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paul Mescal in Gladiator II.

There are some films for which making a sequel is natural, and others where a follow-up is wholly unnecessary. Gladiator, which made both tons of money and was named Best Picture at the Oscars, told an impactful stand-alone story that ended with the protagonist dead and no real loose ends. And yet because there’s always more money to be made, here we are 24 years later with Gladiator II.

The lead character this time around is Lucius (Paul Mescal), a general in a North African army who becomes a prisoner of war when the Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) bests him and his troops in battle. Taken back to Rome, he is put in the pool of captured men forced to fight at the Colosseum for the amusement of twin emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracella (Fred Hechinger).

Lucius is controlled by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), an ambitious schemer who bets liberally on his prized fighter and always has an eye to move up in the world. Meanwhile, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), the sister of Emperor Commodus from the first film, is now married to Marcus Acacius and has a unique connection with Lucius that is fairly obvious from the get-go.

Directed once again by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, the film commits a number of sins throughout its 150-minute running time, the most blatant of which is that, aside from a few embellishments, it essentially tells the same story as the first film. Lucius, like Maximus, is a deposed military leader who’s out for revenge on the person who killed his family. Instead of one obnoxious emperor, there are now two. And the only way for Lucius to earn his freedom is to fight his way out.

Stories told in the same world can echo each other and, if done well, overcome those similarities. But Gladiator II is shockingly boring for a purported sword-and-sandals epic. Scott and his team try to introduce new elements to the fights, like a gladiator riding a rhinoceros or a ship battle inside the Colosseum (with sharks!), but most of the sequences are inert with no propulsion to them.

The action fails because none of the relationships in the film amount to much. There are stand-out characters like Macrinus and the twin emperors, but instead of creating antipathy or strong feelings of triumph or defeat, the story just kind of happens without any sense of excitement or importance. Much of that issue lies at the feet of Lucius, who simply doesn’t inspire in the same way that Russell Crowe’s Maximus did.

Mescal is a fine actor who’s done good work in more intimate roles, but he’s not up to the task of being an action star, at least not in this film. Any bombast he shows with the character feels forced, and the story doesn’t give him enough opportunities to counteract that lack. Washington, however, fills up the screen with his charisma, and it’s during his scenes that the film comes closest to being rousing. Quinn and Hechinger are a lot of fun as the twin emperors, but in the end they feel like retreads of Joaquin Phoenix from the original.

Any sequel should have a purpose that sets it apart from what came before, but Scott, Scarpa, and the rest of their team fail in that respect in Gladiator II. It’s a mostly lifeless film that delivers scenes that would be exciting if they had any kind of good story to back them up.

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Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22.

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