Slumberland movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Slumberland

This adventure comedy movie is now available exclusively on Netflix.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 57 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is based on the comic strip series called “Little Nemo in Slumberland” by Winsor McCay. Slumberland takes audiences to a magical new place, a dreamworld where precocious Nemo (Marlow Barkley) and her eccentric companion Flip (Jason Momoa) embark on the adventure of a lifetime. After her father Peter (Kyle Chandler) is unexpectedly lost at sea, young Nemo’s idyllic Pacific Northwest existence is completely upended when she is sent to live in the city with her well-meaning but deeply awkward uncle Phillip (Chris O’Dowd). Her new school and new routine are challenging by day but at night, a secret map to the fantastical world of Slumberland connects Nemo to Flip, a rough-around-the-edges but lovable outlaw who quickly becomes her partner and guide. She and Flip soon find themselves on an incredible journey traversing dreams and fleeing nightmares, where Nemo begins to hope that she will be reunited with her father once again.

THINGS I LIKED:

Unlike Jason Momoa’s most recent movie, The Last Manhunt where he has very little screen time, Slumberland features his comedic chops in many of the scenes. He provides goofy fun and whimsy.
Marlow Barkley gave a fantastic performance, especially for such a young actress. She constantly reminded me of Saoirse Ronan. I could easily see the two together in a movie about two sisters or a mother and daughter.
I really enjoyed Chris O’Dowd and Kyle Chandler in their roles too.
I like the subtle connections. For example, Philip sells doorknobs, while Flip is constantly looking for doors to open. Captain Nemo fights a giant octopus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, while Nemo’s nightmare is about an evil fog that looks like an octopus.
Entertaining special effects.
Fun fact: The poem that is read at the funeral is called “Crossing the Bar”, written by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Children will love this fantasy and stay engaged. So will their parents.
You’ll laugh on the inside, as well as on the outside.
There is an emotional depth that rewards the audience with meaningful insights.
Little Jacob So was ridiculously adorable as the truck driver.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

What is so terrible about having a protagonist who is a boy? Nowadays, every boy lead has been replaced by girls in movies. Such is the case of this movie adaptation of the comic strip which was originally about a boy named Nemo.
Why wasn’t Winsor McCay given on-screen credit for creating the characters in the movie?
Some bad CGI moments that take you out of the magic.
Some of the action sequences are extremely chaotic.