I typically don't like to review movies that are still in theatres, but I do still want to talk about them. Sort of as a time capsule moment, where I and others can look back if I ever get around to doing a proper review. So, with that said, a quick look at Wonder Park.
Wonder Park was a surprising movie, from the trailers I expected this movie to be bland, generic and full of awful pop songs. Not to say it isn't those things, but it's a little bit more, to the point where I can safely say this might not make my worst animated movies of the year list.
What really surprised me was that the movie did not sugar coat any of it's darker scenes, scene's like the mother leaving to go to the hospital are played with little comedy and no sad pop song. While it is true that they don't state her disease, I think it's more of immersion rather than sugar coating, it kind of brought me back to a similar time. While I do think that good emotional scenes should be the bare minimum a movie, especially a kids movie gives, I can say that these were mostly well done.
Though, the movie does kind of go through the motions a little, their is obviously the falling out scene and the "Pit of Despair" scene, so it does lose some points for that. It doesn't really do anything different with these scenes either so it is a tad predictable.
What also makes this movie lose points is the humour, or the lack there of. I chuckled a couple times, but never once laughed out loud. Can't say I'm too surprised honestly, Nickelodeon hasn't had the best track record when it comes to making movies for young audiences.
The movie has a fair bit of imagination in it, though whether it's original is up for debate. I swear I saw something similar to the Sky Flinger ride in the second Spy Kids movie (Anyone else remember those movies?) However, original or not, I'm sure it's creative enough to spark a child's imagination and it kinda did for me.
Watching this movie was not to dissimilar to watching The Greatest Showman, while not a great movie, was a fine experience. Though I much prefer The Greatest Showman as both a movie and an experience, both movies did spark a creative part of me. I started thinking about what kind of rides I'd like in an amusement park, the rides that YouTube channels like DefunctLand talk about, or the kind of rides and parks you could build in Roller Coaster Tycoon. In some ways, it made me feel like an excited kid making a new world to play in, much like The Greatest Showman did.
In many ways, this is the kind of movie I would have loved to watch as a kid, imaginative, partially silly and colourful. However, as much as I would love to leave it at that and say that the child in me is never wrong, the critical adult has some valid points. I think this is a movie children will enjoy a lot, and unlike a movie like Duck Duck Goose, this is a movie I'm fine with kids watching. This movie could spark their imagination like it did for me, and even if it doesn't, the darker and more emotional scenes are still their to challenge them, give them something to think about.
I can't say this is a great movie, it is rather bland and predictable, but not many kids are gonna mind that. However, there are somethings in here that make it worth watching at least once, but only if you have kids, and for that reason, I can say it's okay.
And those were my first impressions on Wonder Park, see you next time at the Odeon.
No comments:
Post a Comment