MIDNIGHT REVIEWS Nimona
Midnight Reviews features reviews and thought pieces written and edited by a parent, at night, after bedtime.
This afternoon’s movie…
“Story about tiger, Daddy.”
“Which story? The silly tiger or the three hungry tigers?”
“No, tiger who [unintelligible child-speak].”
“I don’t know that one, mate. Is it a Daddy story?”
“No. It’s a Nana story.”
“I don’t know it mate, sorry.”
“But I want it, Daddy.”
Review: The plot of Nana’s Tiger Story veers wildly in tone and can’t seem to settle on a cohesive through line. Behind the scenes revelations are that the director hadn’t read the script before completing his work, thus creating something as unintelligible as his child’s mumbling.
The evening review…
NIMONA (1hr 41mins)
Directed by: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane
Featuring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Frances Conroy
Synopsis: A future that still features knights protecting society, with one knight Ballister Boldheart (Ahmed) framed for murdering the Queen. He escapes with the aid of a wannabe sidekick, shapeshifting Nimona (Moretz), but sworn allegiances and previous relationships threaten to confuse things.
Review: Nimona features a world that has never been all too enticing to me, being set in a future full of lasers, smooth cuts and flying cars, but it provides an interesting twist. It’s a bizarre but well-set up world that is hundreds of years in the future, with pure-blooded knights as the first line of protection both within and from the mysterious, magical enemy outside the city walls.
The first thing that catches the eye is the captivating animation style. It could be compared to Kubo and the Two Strings, if that film were created using CGI as opposed to stop-motion.
While [the film’s message is]… integral to the story, it isn’t preaching and it sure isn’t condescending.
The first protagonist we see isn’t the title character. It’s Ballister Boldheart, framed for a crime he didn’t commit, trying to escape the claws of the Director (Conway) and his former friends who now have the job of arresting him. It’s nice to see Riz Ahmed relish the line “Metal!” after what his character went through in Sound of Metal. Here his performance is unrecognisable at first, and his vocals perfectly match Boldheart’s insecurity and indecisiveness. His relationship with fellow knight Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang) is the first example viewers will notice of a general message of acceptance without being anywhere near overbearing.
A more complex version of that message comes a little later. The character design award has to go to Nimona, her shapeshifting powers and energetic physicality belying her own insecurities hidden underneath the confident armour she’s built for herself. With her comes a fantastic message about acceptance and identity that is in part fantastic because while it’s integral to the story, it isn’t preaching and it sure isn’t condescending.
The emotion is palpable.
The film features a great soundtrack by Christophe Beck and just enough from other performances that you can root for the main characters a little more. A character who is set up for a wonderful piece of comeuppance isn’t beaten up like the film telegraphs he’s going to be; in fact, it’s much more satisfying to see what actually does happen to him.
Unfortunately there are drawbacks. Ambrosius Goldenloin is a bit of a wasted character who could do with a bit of fleshing-out. This is the same with the character who turns out to be the ultimate antagonist; the film would’ve been just fine without this ‘plot twist’ we’ve seen in children’s movies ad nauseam.
In this way, Nimona perhaps isn’t a film that all adults can enjoy like, for example, some of Pixar’s greatest hits. But there are flashes of humour when Nimona changes into her demonic boy form and unleashes the terror on unsuspecting victims. And one of the final sequences features a Nimona filled to the brim with heartbroken rage, staring at a much-adored statue of the first friend who ever betrayed her. The emotion is palpable.
Nimona is a film that deserves as much attention as possible. Is this because of the overall moral of the story? The character and setting design? The way the characters are animated, moving round the screen in a way you can’t take your eyes off? It’s a combination of all of its great points, adding up to what should be considered a classic among children’s animation.
Nimona is available to watch on Netflix.
