The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Adventure awaits
‘The Sea Beast’ is a classic tale — and it’s a little grown-up for an animated film
“The Sea Beast” endeavors to be an adventure for the whole family.
We’d say that’s true — as long as the family doesn’t include any children of the very young variety.
An often thrilling tale, it is one set at sea, where massive ships fire cannons at huge creatures who roam the waters, creatures also targeted by the spears of men.
This is an animated film that earns its PG rating.
Debuting on Netflix this week, the movie begins with a terrified boy in a furious ocean, clinging to a makeshift raft as a ship burns nearby and an enormous animal swims right below him.
We then cut to another child, Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), reading to other orphans from the book “Tales of Captain Crow.”
“There was a time when children dreaded the night,” Maisie reads with great drama, “for the sleeping hours brought visions of horror — the dark times, when those terrible sea beasts would ravage our shores and no ship was safe at the sea.”
Crow and the men and women like him are the proud “hunters,” who these days patrol the waters to ensure those on land are safe from “monsters.”
Maisie soon escapes the orphanage and finds herself aboard the Inevitable,
the great ship captained by none other than Crow (Jared Harris).
Her appearance enrages Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), the Inevitable’s second-incommand and Crow’s surrogate
son. (The boy in the water? That was a young Jacob, whom Crow rescued and groomed to be his ship’s future captain.) However, Crow takes a shine to her and lets her hang around as
he and his crew set sail for another adventure.
Crow is this story’s Ahab, its Moby Dick being the giant creature known as the Red Bluster. Crow’s been obsessed with its capture for 30 years and recently has pledged to bring it to the King (Jim Carter) and Queen (Doon Mackichan).
Netflix wants many of the story’s key elements kept under wraps, so just know that Jacob and Maisie become separated from the Inevitable and must become allies, at least of the uneasy variety, if they are to survive. And although he believes he has so much to teach the daring girl — “You’re too young to be this mean,” he tells her at one point — it may be she who holds a few key lessons for him.
“The Sea Beast” is wellcast, with Urban (“Star Trek,” “The Boys”) being an excellent choice for a man of the sea. Likewise, Harris (“Mad Men,” “Foundation”) has the grizzled-ship’s-captain thing down pat. And the lesser-known Hator (“Morbius”) brings all the necessary spunk to Maisie, an easy-to-like young heroine.
The real star of this show, however, is director Chris Williams, who, according to the movie’s production notes, long has adored adventure stories such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “King Kong.” His enthusiasm comes through the screen while “The Sea Beast” runs through its story, even if that story is rather predictable.
And, no, this isn’t on par with his tremendous, Academy Award-winning 2014 film for Walt Disney Studios, “Big Hero 6” — it never quite finds the heart that older movie possesses — but it does pull you in and keep you there. Whenever Williams is the captain of a film — his directing credits also include 2008’s “Bolt” — it deserves a look.
At two hours, “The Sea Beast” is a little long for an animated film. And, again, it may be a little harrowing at times for the truly little ones, despite plenty of cuteness to go along with the more stressful moments.
On the other hand, there are lessons for those a little older about whether you should trust everything you’ve been told simply because you’ve been told it.
So take our word for it — or perhaps, in the spirit of that lesson, don’t: “The Sea Beast” is a voyage worth taking.