Review of Pete's Dragon (2016) by Robby K — 29 Aug 2016

Disney's live action remakes have been hit or miss as of late. "Pete's Dragon" is visually stunning, and filled with emotion, yet it still falls somewhere in the grey area between good and bad.

The Dragon itself is the grounding point in the movie, it's what you care about, and it's what makes you feel the emotions, but the rest of the characters are very, very lackluster. The film struggles to pick a main protagonist.

Is it Robert Redford who only seems to be in 1/4 of the movie? Is it Bryce Dallas Howard's character? You would think it would be the titular character of Pete, but he doesn't really have any depth outside of the first 5 minutes of the film.

The main "Villain" played by Karl Urban has no motive other than "I am the bad guy". And the story, while well told, feels like just another feel good Disney attempt that doesn't really have a reason for being here.

It will make for a fun movie night with the kids, but don't expect "Jungle Book" or "Cinderella" quality from this adaptation.