Released straight to Netflix, The Sea Beast a film directed by Chris Williams who has worked on a strange assortment of films, some that were complete hits, some that were... Not so much, but are still considered all round good films non the less.
The Sea Beast follows the story of an Orphan who stows away on a ship of 'Hunters', sailers that are dedicated to hunting and killing the Sea Monsters in the ocean beyond their city as the stories say through their history that the monsters kill and eat humans if not unchecked.
In the first few minutes of this film I was expecting the old story of conservation told through animation, protecting the earth, living alongside its creatures etc. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what seemed to be the overall theme of the story which is war. It felt like the story was trying to put across how one side who we may think is the correct one, is not always right, it doesn't right past wrongs, being a hero means you can admit you are wrong and still be a hero. It still felt like it fell a little short of how it was telling this though, but it was strong enough.
Design wise, the characters are diverse but very box standard as to who they are, just by looking at them you can tell 'the strong silent type that knows the right thing' and 'the tough one who wants to do the right thing even if it'll kill me.' Etc etc. The sea monsters are a little bit more creative, from giant crabs, to ones that look like giant blobs and ones crossed between a seal, eel or a sea turtle.
The one great thing in the film was the scenes, the shots, the scenery telling the emotions without words and the actions posed within them. It is also one of the only 'kids' animated films I've seen that openly shows blood and the use of a blood transfusion alongside stitching a character's wound up, although not in sight.
Comments