Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Movie Review: "Abominable" (2019)

Director: Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman
Year: 2019
Rating: PG
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

When a yeti escapes from a research facility in China, a teenage girl finds it at her apartment building. With the help of her two friends, they go on a trip to return the yeti to its home on Mount Everest before it gets captured again.

Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai, and Tenzing Norgay Trainor help Everest the yeti get home in a movie still for the 2019 animated film "Abominable"
"I've spent my life looking down on the world. It's amazing how small one feels when they look up." (Image Source)
What's with all the yeti movies lately? Are we going to start getting one a year now?!? We have so many questions! "Abominable" is a Dreamworks Animation feature written by Jill Culton, who worked on films like "Monsters Inc." and "Open Season." She also directed this feature-length film with co-director Todd Wilderman. When a yeti breaks out of a research facility in China, a teenage girl named Yi (Chloe Bennet) finds it hiding on the rooftop of her apartment complex. Yi hides the yeti until the coast is clear. After seeing it stare longing at a billboard of Mt. Everest, Yi surmises that that's where he lives, so she calls him Everest, because duh. Everest is eventually spotted by the people looking for him, an explorer named Burnish (Eddie Izzard) and Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson). With the help of Yi's two friends Peng (Albert Tsai) and Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor), they go on the run and try to get Everest back to his home before he is captured again.
Sarah Paulson plays Dr. Zara in "Abominable," the latest animated film from Dreamworks Pictures
"We promised the public a yeti, and nothing else will do." (Image Source)
As with most computer-animated films that have a halfway decent budget, "Abominable" is a breathtakingly stunning looking film. It is full of bright colors, photorealistic landscapes, and magical wonder that seeks to capture the imagination of kids and adults alike. Dreamworks Pictures is continually upping their animation game, and "Abominable" is a magnificent sight to behold. We wish we could say it truly achieves the sense of wonderment we hoped it would have, but unfortunately, this film left us a little underwhelmed. No matter what it tries to do, no matter what turns it takes, at its core, this story is predictable. The characters can easily get out of any tough situation because, luckily, Everest has the powers of Deus ex machina. If Yi, Peng, and Jin get hungry on their journey, it's not a problem! A little hum from Everest will do the trick! Oh no! Our heroes are being chased by a speed boat! It's okay! A little hum from Everest will turn rolling hills into an ocean wave of flowers to slow them down! It looks like our protagonists are stuck on the side of a mountain! Never fear! A little hum from Everest will mutate flowers to ten times their size so they can float away! It starts to get repetitive after a while, and any type of excitement gets drained out of the story when you realize Everest could have just used his powers to get himself home in the first place...but FrIeNdShIp AnD fInDiNg YoUrSeLf AnD kNoWiNg YoUr PlAcE iN LiFe. #JadedAdults.
Abominable 2019 animated movie still where Everest the Yeti walks with Yi (Chlow Bennet), Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor), and Peng (Albert Tsai) go Mt. Everest in China
"Don't stop until you reach your mountain. Don't stop until you're home." (Image Source)
Don't get us wrong, we didn't hate "Abominable." It's fine. The voiceover work is good, but it's nothing remarkable. Everest is an adorable protagonist who is made to look like a giant, oversized puppy dog, so he'll be perfect for the wee ones in the crowd. Gotta sell those plushies somehow, right? Some of the humor works, but not all of it. It does have a couple of moments of fun, but the subplot with the villain seemed forced. There are maybe one or two really impactful scenes towards the end of its runtime. We can't imagine revisiting this film like we would "How to Train Your Dragon," which is a better film. Still, kids will love it, to be sure.

My Rating: 6.5/10
BigJ's Rating: 6/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.1/10
RT Rating: 81%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?

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1 comment:

  1. abominable is a great movie. My favorite character is yi because she is brave

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