Review of Pete's Dragon (2016) by Jeff G — 29 Jan 2017

"It's a lovely and wonderful family film".

Movie Review: Pete's Dragon.

Date Viewed: August 12 2016.

Directed By David Lowery (Deadroom and Ain't Them Bodies Saints).

Screenplay By David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks, Based on "Pete's Dragon" by Malcolm Marmorstein.

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Oakes Fegley, Karl Urban, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Ian Harcourt, Jim McLarty and John Kassir.

Disney's streak of re-imagining their own classic films continues to roll on. "Pete's Dragon" is a lovely and wonderful family film. Yes, it features a heartfelt relationship between a boy and a lively creature and a hunter who wants to capture the creature for financial gain but you cannot deny that this film is gorgeous to look at and the cast is terrific. It is a remake to the 1977 Disney classic which was a live action/animated musical. This new movie may not have musical numbers but what makes "Pete's Dragon" work is that it is more different and sufficent compared to the original.

It's not in the same imaginative and awe-inspiring league as this year's re-imagining of "The Jungle Book" but at least this summer movie season will not end on a disappointing note. Mostly set in the small town of Millhaven, "Pete's Dragon" centers around an 11-year-old boy named Pete (Oakes Fegley) and his best friend "Elliott" who is a dragon. Elliott has been looking after Pete for six years. Pete's parents tragically died in a car crash and he has been living in the forest with Elliott ever since.

Pete and Elliott spot some wood cutters who are doing business pretty close to where they live. One day, Pete gets separated from Elliott as he spots a park ranger named Grace Meacham (Bryce Dallas Howard). Pete later gets taken to the hospital but he escapes in hoping to find his only friend, Elliott. He gets recaptured by Grace and the police but Pete soon gets to know her and and her soon to be daughter-in-law, Natalie (Oona Laurence).

Pete's forest is under the threat of being torn down by a lumber mill company owned by Grace's soon to be fiance, Jack (Wes Bentley) and his lumberjack/hunter brother, Gavin (Karl Urban). Pete tells Grace that he was raised in the forest by a dragon for six years, those details match the dragon stories her father (Robert Redford) used to tell many years ago.

When Gavin and his fellow lumberjacks go hunting in the forest, they find a green dragon who has the unique ability to turn invisible. Gavin tries to tell his brother that the dragon is real but he doesn't believe him so he sets out to capture the dragon and gain national fame for himself. Director David Lowery who's known for making indies such as "Deadroom" and "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" has constructed a family film that's magical and full of wonder. The kid actors have to get most applause for "Pete's Dragon" because they are so darn good here. Elliott is without a doubt one of the great fantasy film creatures. He's a fuzzy and warm green dragon who was named after a character in Pete's favorite book.

The most weird and most amusing thing about "Pete's Dragon" is that one of the police officers looks exactly like Ted Cruz. If you think I'm lying, watch the trailer for yourself and see if you can find him. What's refreshing about this American family film is that it is not set during the age of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, "Pete's Dragon" is just an old-fashioned family adventure that's sweet and emotionally-involving.

What are you waiting for parents! Take your kids to see "Pete's Dragon" and avoid the little piece of kitty turd known as "Nine Lives".