by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
When I fired up Nimona, I wasn’t quite prepared for the surprises that were in store.
It starts out like many fairytales do — narrating the tale of a monster vanquished at the hands of heroic figure. However, things get much less predictable from there.
Nimona’s name may be on the film, and Chloë Grace Moretz’s voiceover may indeed be providing the narration, but for a large chunk our main character is actually Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed). Boldheart’s ascension to knighthood after coming from nothing spits in the face of a millennia of tradition. But on his night of triumph, tragedy strikes and forces Boldheart on the run and at odds with his love and champion of the realm Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang), descendant of the realm’s mythic hero, Gloreth. (Having a gay couple be a major relationship in the film made this a fitting way to end Pride Month.) It’s only after that that we’re introduced to our titular character, a sort of punk-fantasy version of Beast Boy from Teen Titans.
Nimona’s introduction provides shots of pure adrenaline and endorphins into proceedings. The shapeshifting nature of the character, and the endless possibilities it offers, spices up the action scenes. The forms are used to their creative best. Her punk demon personality adds pure chaos to any proceeding scenes, and that fun can’t help but translate through the screen. On a deeper level, it’s through her character that much of the thematic work is done, namely what constitutes a “monster,” and the negative impacts of societal prejudices. The latter is a message that’s been running throughout a myriad of animated films lately, and is no less effectively executed here. As more and more of her story is unveiled, it’s also clear that she’s the pure heart of the movie, and those moments are almost universally moving.
Another surprise is the setting. While I knew I was in for a fantasy tale, I was not expecting the setting to be a futuristic mix of medieval and sci-fi. Such a setting may well have made it easier to accept the punk feel of Nimona, which could have distracted as being anachronistic. Aside from just being cool from an aesthetic purpose, the futuristic element of the setting effectively helps to hammer home the themes at the heart of the story. It allows for video to be used and manipulated in a post-truth way that will resonate with adult viewers as being all too familiar these days. The way the technology is used as a plot device is just one of many examples of how smart the writing is. There are tons of clever script moments, from mirroring dialogues to show deep connections between characters or how one character rubs off on another, to a couple of dialogue scenes that seem risky or out of character before they’re given a clever twist that makes everything fit perfectly.
Even the opening credits hold a surprise. Annapurna Studios popped up, and my first thought was, “I didn’t know they made animated films.” Until Nimona, they didn’t. With the directing duo behind Spies in Disguise (Troy Quane, Nick Bruno), they’ve got a real winner on their hands. If this is what Annapurna Studios have to offer coming out of the gate, I can’t wait to see what they bring out for the encore.
All those surprises are what makes the climax more than a little disappointing. It’s so fresh and creative that the fall back onto the tired clichés for the third act feel ironically divergent. Before the finale faux pas, my critiques had been little more than nitpicks: animation feeling slightly flat at rare moments, certain characters being a bit stock, or a villain in a children’s film being a little too easy to ferret out. It’s a testament to how much fun that the first two acts are that it doesn’t dampen my overall thoughts too much.
In the deluge of content they produce and/or acquire, Netflix’s animated offerings continue to be among their most creatively consistent. With Nimona, they’ve offered up a realm I’d be more than happy to take a return trip to.
Rating: Loved it
Nimona is currently streaming on Netflix.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Twitter and Letterboxd