Strange World

 2/4

Starring (voices): Jake Gyllenhaal, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union, Dennis Quad, Lucy Liu, Karan Soni, Alan Tudyk

Rated PG for Action/Peril and Some Thematic Elements

"Strange World" is so aggressively bland that I can guarantee that I won't remember anything having seen it by the end of the year.  It won't sniff my Bottom 10 list, but even that's a criticism.  It's too bland to be that bad.  It's harmless and energetic, but it leaves no lasting impression.

The Clades are known for their adventuring spirit.  Well, at least Jaeger (Quaid) is.  His son Searcher (Gyllenhaal) would rather raise plants.  Good thing too, because on the way to find out what lies beyond the mountains, Searcher discovers a plant whose power revolutionizes their society overnight.  But Jaeger's obsession is so overpowering that he goes on alone, never to be seen again.

Cut to years later.  Searcher is living the life of a simple farmer and father.  He dances with his wife Meridian (Union) and tries to ingratiate himself in his son Ethan's life (Young-White).  Which is to say, he tries to be cool in front of Ethan's friends and pry into his crush on a fellow boy.  Life is idyllic when Callisto Mal (Liu), who was with Searcher when he discovered his super-crop, drops in and says that a disease is causing it to die off.  Within a month, it will be completely gone.  Now, Searcher and his family are off on another adventure to save their world.

Directors Don Hall and Qui Nguyen clearly want this movie to be in the vein of sci-fi/fantasy serials in the vein of "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" and the criminally underrated "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," but they never get the recipe right.  The film is light and silly, as it must, but what's missing is the heart.  There is no one to care about in this movie.

That's not the only thing wrong with this movie.  Emotionally or dramatically, the film rarely hits the mark.  Scene after scene, I kept realizing what Hall was trying to do and also aware that it didn't land in the way that he intended.  It's strange then that I found out that Hall was behind some great Disney hits.  He was a co-director on movies such as "Big Hero 6" (which made my Top 10 list that year), "Moana" (wasn't as good, but still charming), and "Raya and the Last Dragon" (which was neither).  Considering the descent in quality, it is quite possible that he isn't the creative genius that his co-workers are.

At least the actors are giving it the old college try.  Jake Gyllenhaal does his best, but there is something off about his performance.  Maybe his voice doesn't lend itself well to animation.  Or it could be the flat writing.  Jaboukie Young-White is adequate as the kid who is finding himself.  Dennis Quaid does his best to ape John Goodman (there were times I thought it was Goodman).  Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu are unrecognizable.

"Strange World" certainly isn't a terrible movie.  I might have enjoyed it more if I was younger.  But the poor writing and failure to hit the tone it strives for hold it back.  "Strange World" never comes alive.

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