Strange World Movie Review

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Written by: Qui Nguyen (screenplay by)
Directed by: Don Hall, Qui Nguyen (co-director)
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal (voice), Jaboukie Young-White (voice), Gabrielle Union (voice), Dennis Quaid (voice), Lucy Liu (voice), Alan Tudyk (voice)
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
The legendary Clades are a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission.

Verdict
It checks the boxes of an adventure movie, doing everything but making you feel the excitement. There’s a grand journey and family issues, but this doesn’t do well at setting up the family issues and thus the resolution falls flat. There’s family and plot conflict, it gets resolved while we’re entertained with dazzling visuals, but it just feels hollow. The fundamental question is whether Searcher succeeds because of or in spite of his dad, but the movie never answers that and he never seems to have any emotional connection to what I assume is a impactful memory.
Skip it.

Review
Disney’s latest animated film after Encanto. This is nowhere near as good.

The Clades are a family of explorers led by patriarch Jaeger (Dennis Quaid). His son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal) resents being forced into these adventures with no choice. We start mid-way through an adventure. Jaeger wants to continue despite formidable conditions and Searcher refuses, leading Jaeger to leave Searcher and his family behind.

The movie skips ahead twenty five years. Searcher runs a successful farm of Pando, a plant he discovered during the earlier trek. Jaeger was never seen again. Searcher now has his own son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White). Searcher is eager to be part of Ethan’s life, trying to meet all of his son’s friends. It really seemed like this movie was going to draw parallels between Jaeger and Searcher. Searcher is pushing his son into the family business of farming, just like Jaeger pushed Searcher. The movie never does much with this, surprisingly.

Jaboukie Young-White, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid voice Ethan, Searcher, Jaeger

A blight affecting Pando will jeopardize the entire town. Searcher is recruited by Callisto (Lucy Liu) to venture into the center of the planet in a search for answers. Of course Ethan tags along after being told not to, and they even find Jaeger. This portion of the movie is very much Journey to the Center of the Earth. There’s a rather large world underground. The animation is impressive, but the story is lacking. There’s so much potential in this world, but the movie doesn’t do much with it. The only notable revelation about this world comes towards the end and that generates its own set of unanswered questions.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Lucy Liu, Dennis Quaid voice Searcher, Callisto, Jaeger

Searcher reunites with his dad, but there’s no argument, no disappointment, no fight. Jaeger abandoned Searcher for adventure. I assumed they’d have a bonding moment where they realize they aren’t that different. Searcher pushes his son towards the family business as it’s a safe endeavor. It’s a contrast to how Searcher was raised. Maybe the movie is leaving all of this up to me to deduce or it feels the subject is too heavy for a children’s movie. Searcher is concerned about his dad and Ethan bonding due to his own insecurities. Searcher doesn’t see how much he’s like his dad. I want more from this story. There’s just no emotional connection. Searcher has to be mad at his dad for refusing to turn back, for abandoning the family.

There’s a problem with Pando, the magical plant that is the answer to everything. We’ll know the problem when we find it, and eventually Searcher and Jaeger team up to solve the Pando problem. I like how this ends with the revelation of what this world is, but that isn’t enough to absolve the rest of the movie. There isn’t enough story.