Review of Pete's Dragon (2016) by Gregory B — 21 Aug 2016

Pete's Dragon.

Initial Reaction: No, you can't have that dragon.

Main Characters.

Pete: He's a kid raised by a dragon. He's played by Oakes Fegley.

Grace: She's a park ranger played by Bryce Dallas Howard.

Plot Summary.

Pete was having a normal life when all of a sudden, he gets involved in an automobile accident - one that has left him stranded in the wilderness.

Luckily, a dragon just happens to come by and take a liking to the kid. So much so that the dragon takes the kid and raises him as its own.

Several years later, a logging company and a park ranger is searching through the same wilderness. They come across Pete and take him out of the wilderness and into Grace's home.

But then they discover the dragon inside the woods - and they have to do something about the beast.

SCORING.

Main Characters.

I like Pete a lot. He seems to get along with a dragon who he can't speak well with. It's Grace that I am annoyed with.

Grace just feels like the too perfect mother: she's caring, understanding, supportive, and perfect in every way. And this makes her extremely bland. SCORE: 5.

Supporting Cast.

The rest of the human cast is also forgettable because they don't bring much personality or spice into the story. Grace's daughter is supposed to become best friends with Pete, but I see little chemistry between the two of them. SCORE: 3.

Plot.

This film has a great start, and I will give it a pass on how contrived the story became when Pete was discovered.

But there are a few scenes where Grace and Pete talk with each other that felt - boring. I really wasn't thrilled to hear about how Grace became a park ranger or how she thinks that Pete is the "most brave kid she's every met." Ugh. SCORE: 3.

Originality.

This film felt like your usual family adoption film with a monster film tossed in just for fun. The dragon has an unusual look about him, but the other parts felt used and rehashed. SCORE: 4.

Violence Factor.

When the dragon is discovered, there's a fight scene where the humans capture the dragon, and there's another mild action sequence near the end. But I still wonder when the dragon is just going to incinerate something with its breath. SCORE: 5.

Other Moral Issues.

This film is supposed to be about bravery and learning to deal with odd looking creatures, but I felt that these issues were just glossed over in favor of amazing special effects. How could a dragon feed and care for Pete for all those years? SCORE: 3.

Final Score (out of 60): 23 % Score: 38.33%.

Pete's Dragon is great to look at, but it needs a better supporting cast and a better leading lady.