(L to R) Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan star in ‘Presence’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan about their work on ‘Presence’, collaborating with director Steven Soderbergh on set, navigating shooting from a first-person perspective, and Liu’s character’s different relationship with her children.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Liu, Sullivan, Callina Liang, West Mulholland, and Eddy Maday.
Lucy Liu in ‘Presence’. Photo: Neon.
Moviefone: To begin with, Lucy, what was it like working with Steven Soderbergh on this film, particularly in the style in which he was shooting from the first-person perspective? And as an actor, did you have to make any adjustments to work in that way?
Lucy Liu: It was really a dream come true working with Steven and working in this way, in this experimental fashion with this one camera being the audience and the presence was wonderful. Because I think I would prefer working with him in this manner over a traditional style of filmmaking, because it was taking a chance on something new and seeing how it worked. That’s exciting to me, because it just makes it that much more fun and interesting that you’re taking a risk with somebody who you find to be such an inspiration in that world of cinema.
(L to R) Chris Sullivan and Lucy Liu in ‘Presence’. Photo: Neon.
MF: Chris, what was your experience like working with Steven Soderbergh, and because of the way he shot it, did you feel like the camera was another character on set?
Chris Sullivan: Yeah, it was a unique realization. Even reading the script, I was like, okay, this is how this is going to work. Then getting on set, it wasn’t even so much the one camera, it was the type of lens that he used, which was this 14mm super wide lens. Just realizing that no matter where you are, you’re just always on camera. It took me the first day of shooting to figure out, “Okay, this is how this is going to work. Okay, we can do this”. Because even on that first day, Steven was like, “I’m not sure if this is going to work, so I guess we’ll find out.” Which was kind of thrilling, because you knew you were in the most capable hands. If anybody was going to try this and it was going to work, Steven Soderbergh was going to make it work, and he has, and it’s one of the scariest movies that’s been released in a long time. So, there you go. We’re not in Kansas anymore, baby!
Callina Liang as Chloe in ‘Presence’. Photo: Neon.
MF: Finally, Lucy, Rebecca has a very different relationship with her son than she has with her daughter. Can you talk about that and what it says about the character?
LL: I think the character is not concerned with what other people think about her. I think she is very particular about her affection towards her son. That dialogue that she has with him is almost like the horror movie itself to me, that she really is dislocated so much from her daughter and from her husband, frankly. I think the dynamic of their family and their dysfunction is what is kind of fascinating and at the same time terrifying.
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What is the plot of ‘Presence’?
A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.
Not to be confused with Netflix’s ‘Red Notice,’ another algorithm-induced action movie starring Dwayne Johnson and a Marvel superhero, ‘Red One’ aims to be something for everyone: it’s not just an action movie, but it’s also trying to be a fantastical Christmas story and a heartwarming family yarn. As often happens, however, the effort to please all audience quadrants results in something bland, boring, and derivative.
Directed by Jake Kasdan, who also collaborated with The Rock on the recent, overrated ‘Jumanji’ movies, ‘Red One’ does feature a cute idea at its core and a winning performance from J.K. Simmons as a very different kind of Santa Claus. But a lethargic pace, an often-murky visual palette and a ton of half-baked CG, along with less than stellar efforts from some of the cast, makes ‘Red One’ the kind of holiday present you hope they included the gift receipt for.
‘Red One’ opens with a prologue in which a young boy named Jack O’Malley (Wyatt Hunt) shows his disappointed cousins where the Christmas gifts are hidden, simultaneously smashing their dreams and foreshadowing his adult career as a cynical, clandestine tracker and bounty hunter (now played by Chris Evans) who claims he can find anything. He’s also – as par for the course for this kind of thing – divorced and a largely absentee dad to his son. But Jack’s life takes an unexpected turn when he helps an anonymous client pinpoint a security breach at some kind of mysterious location near the North Pole.
That location happens to be the complex where Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons), his wife (Bonnie Hunt), and their many human and non-human employees live and work behind a security shield that might give Wakanda a run for its money. But that security is compromised thanks to Jack, and despite the best efforts of Santa’s head of security, Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), a quasi-military squad parachutes in and kidnaps “Nick” – as Callum calls him – whisking him into the clutches of Gryla (Kiernan Shipka), a legendary winter witch who wants to channel Santa’s magical powers to disrupt Christmas with her own nefarious plans.
That leaves it up to Drift and Zoe Harlow (Lucy Liu), head of the Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority (M.O.R.A.), which oversees the existence of mythological creatures around the world, to forcibly recruit Jack in their efforts to reacquire Santa and keep Christmas on schedule. Along the way they’ll interact with more creatures out of legend, including Santa’s estranged brother Krampus (Kristofer Hivju), while Jack learns the value of family and Drift slowly regains the positive outlook he’s lost over the centuries as more and more humans migrate to – you guessed it – the Naughty List.
On paper, this sounds like a fun, even fresh premise for a Christmas movie – all the creatures of myth and folklore are real and live in a cautious détente with humanity, while Santa himself trains for Christmas like an Olympian and covertly visits department stores in presidential-style motorcades just to reconnect with the public. Some of this material elicits a smile for sure, even as the world-building threatens to overwhelm the narrative at times.
The bigger issue is the film moves at the pace of an elf who’s had far too much spiked egg nog. It’s also tonally all over the place; one minute it’s a self-referential action movie, the next it’s a family comedy desperate to tug at the heart. Either way, none of the jokes or emotional beats land very well, and when a comic performer like Nick Kroll gets wasted in a painful cameo you know this is the cinematic equivalent to the Christmas that you really wanted that Xbox and got a sweater instead.
And it looks like hell too. Large swaths of the movie take place at night in the snow, but Kasdan makes it inexplicably murky, particularly the climactic sequences, and there’s enough bad CG to make ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ look like ‘Dune: Part Two.’ One scene set at a beach resort can’t escape painfully looking like it was shot on a Volume stage, with the digital snowmen that launch a surprise attack in the sequence looking pasted into the action. For a movie that reportedly cost $250 million to make, ‘Red One’ doesn’t deliver on the kind of big-screen wonder necessary to make this work.
The Cast
(L to R) Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans in ‘Red One.’ Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
If there is one thing that stands out in ‘Red One,’ it’s J.K. Simmons’ performance as Santa. Playing against the archetype – this wiry St. Nicholas lays off the holiday cookies and trains relentlessly for his ‘Mission: Impossible’-like Christmas Eve run – Simmons nevertheless generates real warmth, good will, and wisdom as the jolly old fellow. It’s a shame that he’s only active for the beginning and end of the film, as a movie built around him might have been more interesting.
As for the leads, both Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans seem to be in something of a rut lately. The Rock has lost some of the self-deprecating sense of fun that has powered some of his best performances, and takes Callum Drift – a centuries-old head of security – so seriously that he comes across as monotonous. Evans as well, seemingly intent on getting past his earnest Captain America image, plays a variation here on the kind of cynical wisenheimer he’s essayed in recent duds like ‘The Gray Man,’ although he’s also trapped by the script’s rote characterization. Other members of the cast, like Lucy Liu and an underused Bonnie Hunt, more or less understand the assignment, although Kiernan Shipka is miscast as the villain, delivering no real menace at all. Kristofer Hivju stands out under a mountain of prosthetics as Krampus, although the scene at his castle goes on way too long.
You can’t just manufacture a holiday classic, but that certainly isn’t stopping Jake Kasdan, Dwayne Johnson, and company from trying. But Kasdan, who brought a certain amount of surreal humor to the ‘Jumanji’ movies, can’t work any magic here. ‘Red One’ huffs and puffs so hard to be all things to all people that it just ends up playing in similar fashion to one of those Netflix pics that’s good for Sunday-afternoon-chores background noise.
Perhaps a different, less ponderous, and less digitized story starring J.K. Simmons’ Nick could have concentrated on generating some real holiday spirit, but ‘Red One’ is likely to be packed away with the rest of the Christmas trinkets in the attic once the season is over, never to be seen or heard from again.
‘Red One’ receives 4 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Red One’?
A hacker (Chris Evans) is recruited by the head of Santa Claus’s security team (Dwayne Johnson) to help rescue St. Nick (J.K. Simmons) after he’s kidnapped by a witch intent on ruining Christmas for everyone.
With ‘Red One,’ stars Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, along with director Jake Kasdan (‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’), hope to create a modern Christmas classic infused with the sensibility of a large-scale action film and the heart of a family comedy. Johnson plays Callum Drift, the head of security for Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons), whose annual mission to deliver gifts around the world is run with the precision of a military operation out of his massive, well-hidden complex at the North Pole.
But a security breach allows Santa to be kidnapped right out from under Drift’s nose, with the breach traced to Jack O’Malley (Evans), a dark web tracker and bounty hunter who is forcibly recruited to help Drift locate Santa and his kidnappers. The trail leads them to Gryla (Kiernan Shipka), a winter witch out of Icelandic folklore who plans to use Santa’s own magical powers to rid the world of naughty children forever – unless Drift and O’Malley can stop her and rescue the man who Drift simply knows as “Nick.”
With ‘Red One’ scheduled to open in theaters on November 15 as an early holiday present for moviegoers, members of the cast and crew – including Evans, Johnson, Shipka, Simmons, Lucy Liu (Zoe Harlow), Kristofer Hivju (Krampus), Bonnie Hunt (Mrs. Claus), Kasdan, producer Hiram Garcia, and others — participated in a virtual global press conference that Moviefone had the opportunity to attend (minus the egg nog and cookies).
Director Jake Kasdan revealed that the initial impetus for ‘Red One’ was to bring audiences a whole new vision of Santa Claus – as an action hero who trains hard to get in shape for Christmas, and who leads a vast, well-organized, and tightly-secured operation.
Jake Kasdan: That was absolutely one of the most exciting aspects of this movie, was sort of looking at a way that we could tell Santa’s story that we’ve never quite seen before. You’ve seen him a certain way your whole life, and we always thought that the great exciting idea for this was, what if you could sort of pull back the curtain and see what he’s really like? So all of those aspects of this came from that sort of seed idea.
Producer Hiram Garcia, who also came up with the original story for the movie, said he wanted to create the “definitive” Santa onscreen and make him cool again.
Hiram Garcia: I think when we did start working on this, one of the goals was, and actually when we were going around pitching it, we always ended the pitch with saying our hope was to tell a story that really inspired people, turn Christmas on its head in the mythology, but also to create the definitive Santa Claus. There’s been so many good Santa Clauses, but to find one that really took a connection with the audience to the next level and brought a coolness out in Santa that as a big Christmas fan, I always knew Santa’s got. I feel like we did that with J.K. and especially the way Jake envisioned him on screen. J.K.’s performance as Santa is everything we dreamed and more.
Chris Evans said that making an action movie based around Christmas was easier than it might seem because the folklore around the world is full of such fantastical legends and creations.
Chris Evans: We had a whole team of people who [were] trying to crack that code. I mean, I think it actually provides a lot of fun. There’s such great Christmas lore, folklore, not just the stories we all grew up with, but internationally…When you hear about some of these creatures and stories and mythology, it almost begs for some sort of action-adventure movie. So it’s not quite as hard as you think.
4) The Secret Ingredient To This Christmas Confection
(L to R) Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans in ‘Red One.’ Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Dwayne Johnson said that director Jake Kasdan brought something to ‘Red One’ that makes the movie special.
Dwayne Johnson: Something that Jake inherently does in his films — and I’ve had the privilege of working with him now three times, on the first two ‘Jumanji’ movies and now ‘Red One’ — is heart. There’s so much heart in this movie. That’s often an overstatement, I think, in storytelling in Hollywood, but it’s true. One of my favorite parts of the movie is where J.K. as Santa Claus reminds me that it’s our job to see the best in people and look beyond if they’re on the naughty list, and look at the kid in everybody.
5) Lucy Liu Didn’t Know At First She Had A Big Action Scene
Lucy Liu plays Zoe Harlow, the director of MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority), an agency charged with keeping track of the world’s mythological beings. Although initially it didn’t seem like she’d participate in any of the action, things took a different turn during filming.
Lucy Liu: Well, it was impromptu. I had spoken to Jake and I said, “Is there any training or do you need me to prep anything?” He said, “No, I think maybe she’s going to throw a kick and maybe a punch. Maybe that’s it. You’re just the boss lady and then that’s all it’s going to be.” I said, “Okay, great. No problem.” I show up to the set, we’re doing the costume fittings and everything, and then the stunt coordinator comes in and he says, “I just want to give you a little bit of a previs of what we’re going to do.” He shows me this entire action scene. And my face just turned white. But then I was like, “Okay, let’s do this.” As soon as I got the sticks in my hands, it was like muscle memory kicked in. It was like I was alive again…I hadn’t done it in a long time, but it just came back to me. I love watching action movies. I grew up watching them, and actually being on the screen doing action is so exciting. I think that it gets kids excited, it gets girls excited, it gets women excited. So it’s nice that you still got it.
6) Kiernan Shipka Got Her Villain On For The First Time
Kiernan Shipka (‘Longlegs’) appears as Gryla, the legendary winter witch who masterminds Santa’s kidnapping, and said she relished her first opportunity to play the main villain in a movie.
Kiernan Shipka: It was really fun. I loved it. I’ve never really played a proper villain before. I’ve definitely played people who were dark and twisted, but the film kind of hinges on this kidnapping. It was really cool to feel like I had a part in the movie that was sort of moving things in any sort of direction. That was really fun. I liked those stakes. I love that this movie’s so fun. I mean, there’s a lot of heart in it, there’s a lot of action in it, but at the end of the day, I think you sit down and it’s a really fun watch. So playing someone who is a villain, but also maintaining a sense of levity and fun with the whole thing was also really lovely. So it was great. I’ll play a villain anytime. It was fun.
7) Kristofer Hivju Went A Different Way Playing Krampus
The figure of Krampus, in European Alpine folklore, is said to accompany Santa/St. Nicholas on his rounds and punish the children who have been naughty. Although wearing a full, practical costume complete with horns, actor Kristofer Hivju (‘Game of Thrones’) decided to play him not as a horrific monster but as Santa’s estranged, self-absorbed brother, who indulges in wild parties and slapping contests with his obedient guests.
Kristofer Hivju: For me it was like the character is more or less the suit, right? So I tried to play against the suit, and actually play him as feminine, as narcissistic, and self-indulging as possible. Suddenly that mixture became a bit disturbing. But the funny thing about Krampus is that he has the same objective as Nick. They want the same thing. It’s just the method [that’s different] — punishing or rewarding. Sometimes you need a bit of slapping.
Dwayne Johnson said that having Krampus played by an actor in a suit on the set was a huge advantage over the character being created via CG.
Dwayne Johnson: For Chris and I, when we step on set and we had the privilege of obviously being on set for many, many days with Kristofer as Krampus, it is one of the most impressive things we had ever seen. He’s massive and he really does such a spectacular job as Krampus. In our story the mythology is that he’s the brother of Santa, and the prosthetics that he was wearing are from Joel Harlow, who’s an Academy Award winner, and you really see it. But the challenge is that there has to be so much life going on in his eyes because everything else is just these incredible prosthetics. Because he’s such a superior actor, you feel that in the movie.
Chris Evans added that working with practical effects and creatures like Krampus on set brought back memories of the movies he loved growing up.
Chris Evans: I grew up on movies like ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘NeverEnding Story’ where it was all practical and it was real. Those things stuck with you as a kid because it was things that you never saw in your normal life. I know now that every other movie is just loaded with CG. In a way there’s so much of it that when you do get a film that goes practical, it still sticks with you in that same way because it’s still rare like it was when I was a kid. That’s what makes it feel like a real character, a real performance. It’s not common anymore, which is nice.
Dwayne Johnson shared what was most important for him about the Christmas holidays.
Dwayne Johnson: Just getting family together would be our #1 greatest family tradition. I know it’s simplistic, but a lot of times when I was growing up, my dad was always on the road and he wasn’t always home for Christmas. In the business that we’re in, sometimes it requires us to work over the holidays. So for me, just to have the entire family together, that’s the most important thing.
Santa himself, J.K. Simmons, shared a story about his family during the holidays and how Christmas taught him and his sister a valuable lesson.
J.K. Simmons: I have an older sister, two years older. She was probably six and I was four, and my little brother was a baby. Of course on Christmas morning we’re up before the crack of dawn, bothering our parents and getting them out of bed and they’re dragging their butts out of bed. But I think that was the Christmas that my mom just said, “Go make some oatmeal.” My sister, she’s the oldest, so she’s the assistant mom. So from every Christmas from then on, my sister and I would get up, we would make the oatmeal, and after we ate the oatmeal, then we were allowed to open the stockings from Santa. Then we waited for mom and dad to wake up to open all the rest of the presents. So it taught us a real kind of self-sufficiency, and it gave my sister, especially, a sense of responsibility.
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What is the plot of ‘Red One’?
After a villain kidnaps Santa from the North Pole, an E.L.F (Extremely Large and Formidable) operative (Dwayne Johnson) must partner with the world’s most accomplished tracker (Chris Evans) to find Santa and save Christmas.
(L to R) Henry Golding as Hu and Brandon Soo Hoo as Tom in ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Paramount+.
Launching on Paramount+ February 2nd, ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ represents a solid dose of forward momentum for the portrayal of Chinese mythology on screen for more general audiences.
It’s a shame, though, that the film –– which we’d recommend for its entertaining voice cast more than anything in the script itself –– is an entertaining enough romp for younger audiences but seems unlikely to come across as anything other than second tier when truly boundary-pushing animation exists.
Does ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ Earn its Stripes?
(L to R) Henry Golding as Hu and Sandra Oh as Mistral in ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Paramount+.
In development for a long time, and handed off between different filmmakers, ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ has been on one of those journeys where you have to wonder if something happened to it along the way. It was, at one point, being considered as a theatrical release, but is now arriving direct to streaming.
There is less of a negative aura about such shifts these days, in a time when there are truly superb streaming shows and movies, but it’s tough to discount the idea that the finished product here just doesn’t scream “theatrical release”. The animation, while certainly competent, can be a little jerky with its human characters in particular (one scene, a vision for the main character, is much more aesthetically pleasing) and the storyline, as we’ll dig into, is a reheated offering of something we’ve seen many times before.
‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’: Script and Direction
Brandon Soo Hoo as Tom in ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Paramount+.
Perhaps the biggest issue with ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ is in its basic structure. Though some stories are trotted out time and again because they’ve proven to work, here you can really feel that the authentic ethnic detailing layered over the exceedingly basic skeleton doesn’t quite cover the seen-it-before aspect at its core.
Adapted from the young adult novel by Laurence Yep by David Magee (an Oscar nominee for his work on ‘Life of Pi’) and Christopher Yost (a veteran of Marvel movies and who you suspect provided much of the quippiness on display here), the script has its moments, but struggles to overcome the notion that you’re watching the 534th take on material that the likes of ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Percy Jackson’ and any number of other, better examples have tackled.
The young target audience, of course, likely won’t mind too much, enjoying the colorful, jokey characters and the rising stakes. But anyone who has seen a movie of this sort will soon find themselves making a mental checklist of what to expect –– the wise mentor (in this case, a grandmother who loses her life to the main villain), the grouchy new guide, the wide-eyed kid who had no idea he possessed magic powers, the goofy sidekick, the noble sidekick, the baddie with an all-purpose idea to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth and rule the darkness that follows, etc., etc.
Directors Raman Hui, Paul Watling and Yong Duk Jhun do manage to give the movie a grounding in Chinese zodiac beliefs and an authentic feeling of being set in San Francisco (though sometimes falling into bland, generic traps such as having main character Tom attend “San Francisco High School”). As mentioned, the animation style is more serviceable than truly impressive and while not everything can be at the ‘Spider-Verse’ level, these days you do wish more movies would try (it’s a reason we enjoyed ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’).
‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’: Performances
(L to R) Sherry Cola as Naomi, Sandra Oh as Mistral, Bowen Yang as Sidney, Henry Golding as Hu and Brandon Soo Hoo as Tom in ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Paramount+.
If there’s a real saving grace here, it’s the appealing, funny and emotional performances of the voice cast. Though it seems every film (and TV show; witness ‘The Brothers Sun’) with Chinese characters is contractually obliged to include Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh, she does at least give the underwritten villain role some gravitas.
As Tom, the young man who discovers he has a magical legacy, Brendan Soo Hoo is an appealing personality who sparks well off the rest of the cast. Henry Golding, meanwhile, is somewhat saddled with the standard grouchy-yet-heroic character of Hu, the Tiger who takes Tom under his wing –– er, paw? –– when the lad’s grandmother gives her life to protect him. In terms of character design, he’s like a kid-friendly Wolverine, even down to the muttonchops when in human form.
Elsewhere, the basic scripting is helped by a great ensemble that includes the likes of Sandra Oh, Sherry Cola and Bowen Yang, who bring the lines to life and work well against both Golding and Hoo.
‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’: Final Thoughts
(L to R) Henry Golding as Hu, Sandra Oh as Mistral, Sherry Cola as Naomi and Brandon Soo Hoo as Tom in The ‘Tiger’s Apprentice,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Paramount+.
Definitely one for the younger crowd, and unlikely to inspire much faith from older audiences, ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ is a mildly diverting animated adventure whose welcome diversity can’t disguise the well-used tropes and narrative at its center.
A fun cast certainly helps, but we’re not sure we see this one launching a franchise any time soon.
‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’?
Based on the popular children’s book series of the same name by Laurence Yep, the movie follows Chinese-American teenager Tom Lee (Brandon Soo Hoo), whose life changes forever when he discovers he is part of a long lineage of magical protectors known as the Guardians.
With guidance from a mythical tiger named Hu (Henry Golding), Tom trains to take on Loo (Michelle Yeoh), a force that is as powerful as a Guardian but with evil intentions to use magic to destroy humanity. To have a fighting chance against Loo, Tom must reunite all twelve Zodiac animal warriors and master his own newly discovered powers.
(L to R) Diana Lee Inosanto as Horse, Poppy Liu as Snake, Greta Lee as Rabbit, Jo Koy as Rooster, Henry Golding as Hu, Patrick Gallagher as Dog, Deborah S. Craig as Pig, Sherry Cola as Naomi and Sandra Oh as Mistral in ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures/Paramount+.
The poster for animated movie ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ is online.
The animated movie will feature Michelle Yeoh and Sandra Oh.
It’ll land on Paramount+ on February 2nd.
New animated movie ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ has had quite the journey to screens, first picked up as a potential live-action adaptation of Laurence Yep’s 2003 book by Cartoon Network in October 2008, with a script by David Magee (who has some experience with tigers given ‘Life of Pi’).
The project was cancelled after Cartoon Network stopped developing live-action projects, but Paramount picked it up as an animated adventure movie in 2019, and while it was originally targeting a 2022 release, pandemic delays led to a slot for 2024.
Now, though, the movie will premiere on Paramount+.
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What’s the story of ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’?
The movie follows the story of Tom Lee, who gets drawn into a magical world against his wishes when his eccentric grandmother who he lives with in San Francisco’s Chinatown turns out to be the guardian of the phoenix egg.
When his grandmother perishes in battle and is spirited away in a ghost cart, Tom must apprentice with an unlikely mentor –– a tiger, Mr. Hu –– to learn ancient magic and become the egg’s new protector. They team with an unlikely band of exotic creatures, each representing a different sign of the Chinese zodiac, who can morph into human form while retaining their innate animal characteristics.
Who lends their voices to ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’?
‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ hits Paramount+ on February 2nd. Photo: Paramount+.
‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ certainly boasts a top-notch cast, led by Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding (who shared the screen with her in the live-action ‘Crazy Rich Asians’).
The DC comic-book sequel is coming to Max faster than you can say Shazam! Follow the Shazam family along on their next adventure and their battle with the daughters of Atlas.
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Following the events of 2019’s Shazam! Billy Baxton and his foster siblings continue to be heroes for the people of Philadelphia, now with a better understanding of their newfound powers. But a new threat arrives that proves to be much more powerful than anything they have ever faced.
“Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with their adult superhero alter egos. When a vengeful trio of ancient gods arrives on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Shazam and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of the world.”
‘Shazam Fury of the Gods’ opened to $30.1 million, $23.3 million less than the first film despite it being number one in the box office for its opening weekend. The sequel has grossed $132.1 million worldwide since its release.
Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu Faces Off Against The Shazam Family
On top of juggling their superpowers and their normal lives, Billy and his siblings faces a new threat in the Daughters of Atlas. Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu play sisters Hespera and Kalypso, arriving on Earth seeking revenge from those who took their powers. They go head-to-head with the Shazam family, stripping some of them of their powers, rendering Billy to face them alone.
The chemistry between Mirren and Liu is undeniable, and some of the best moments in the film were when both were on screen together. The addition of Rachel Zegler (‘West Side Story‘) as the third sister Anthea created a fantastic dynamic as she struggled with how far her sisters are willing to go to regain their magic.
Each sister possessed a different type of magic. Hespera has the power to manipulate the elements, giving her the ability to control air, water, fire, and earth. Kalypso has the power of chaos and can cause widespread panic and hysteria just by a whisper in one’s ear. Anthea has the ability to manipulate reality, giving her the control to wrap and shift her surroundings.
The threat doesn’t stop there. This film is also filled with fantastical creatures from Greek mythology such as Ladon the Dragon, chimeras, minotaurs, harpies, and cyclops. The creatures were born out of the Tree of Life planted by Kalypso, wreaking havoc on Fawcett City. While not tied to the Greek mythology, unicorns also played a part in the movie serving as steeds for the Shazam fam.
The Wonderous Cameo
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in ‘Wonder Woman 1984.’
In the 2019 ‘Shazam!’ film, there was plenty of mention of other DC superheroes such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Superman. In fact, Superman (sort of) made a cameo towards the end of the film, though not played by Henry Cavill as he was only seen from the chin down. This was again mentioned in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’, acknowledging that Shazam is not the only superhero in this universe.
Audiences were quite surprised to see a full-on cameo of Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot. Wonder Woman appears during the film in Billy’s dream but her face was not revealed as the dream was interrupted by the Wizard Shazam in order to communicate with the teen. However, toward the end of the film, the Amazonian warrior appears again and as the camera continues to pan up it is revealed that it is Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, complete with her iconic theme music.
Since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as co-chairmen of DC Studios, it was revealed that they’re resetting the DC Universe after ‘The Flash’. It is uncertain whether we’ll see the likes of Gal Gadot and other DC superhero actors such as Jason Momoa or even Zachary Levi appear in future DC films as their characters. Regardless of the future, it was a treat for DC fans to see Gadot’s Wonder Woman make her appearance in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’.
The film premiered on March 14, 2023. You can still experience the superhero action-comedy in theaters. Be sure to check your local listings and Moviefone for showtimes below. ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ has a total runtime of 2 hour and 10 minutes.
Watch the official trailers for ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ below:
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Prefer to watch experience the movie from your home? ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ will be arriving on HBO Max (soon to be renamed to Max) on May 23, 2023. If you’re not a subscribed to the streaming service, you have the option to purchase the movie or rent on VOD.
Set a few years after the events of 2019’s ‘Shazam!,’ Billy Batson (Asher Angel), Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), and their foster siblings can now transform into powerful superheroes by using the magic words “Shazam.” But with the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) missing, when the daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler) return to Earth to claim back their magic, it’s up to Billy and his siblings to save the wizard and stop the evil sisters before they destroy Earth.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Grace Caroline Currey about her work on ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods,’ playing Mary in her superhero form, wearing the costume and doing stunts, her DC Comics research, Zachary Levi’s leadership on set, reuniting with the cast, and working with new cast members Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler.
Grace Caroline Currey attends the World Premiere of ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ in Westwood, CA. Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Grace Caroline Currey about ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods.’
Moviefone: To begin with, when did you learn that you would not only be returning for the ‘Shazam!’ sequel to play Mary Bromfield but that you would also be playing the character in her superhero form?
Grace Caroline Currey: I mean, quite a few years had passed and every year that passed I feel like our whole cast would say, “Has anyone heard anything? Are we going to get a sequel? When is it happening?” So finally I got the call that we were going to get a sequel, it was happening, and it was a very long awaited phone call. Obviously, we have a massive cast and getting everyone’s schedules together was wild. But then also getting to be told, not only was I coming back for the sequel, but that I was going to get to be in the suit as well. That was another moment of, is this real? I think it didn’t feel real until I was in fittings and actually putting a costume on and looking at myself in the mirror and going, I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s happening and I’m here. It was crazy.
MF: Was it ever explained to you why the decision was made for you to be the only actor playing both your character and their superhero counterpart?
GCC: I mean, technically speaking, and I think comic book wise, Mary didn’t visually change a whole ton when she was Mary Marvel in her comic book run. So it was actually pretty comic book accurate to have me doing both. But I will say, if you were going to have any of the kids do it, she’s the only one that makes sense because she’s the oldest, she is an adult. I think also technically speaking, when you have an adult actress playing the human form, it does visually get a little tricky when you have two adults playing the same role. I had a wonderful time getting to play Mary’s dramatic moments and then getting to play the entirety of her in her superhero form. They just said, “Let’s do it. Let’s have you be responsible for her human form, and her superhero form.” That was the best for me as an actor because I got to really plot out who Mary is through and through and be responsible for that continuity. That was the best. But yeah, the explanation was just that I’m the oldest and I’m an adult, and there you go.
MF: What was it like for you to finally wear the costume and perform some of your own stunts in the action sequences?
GCC: Oh gosh, what a level up. I guess it was a level up for the human form of our characters too because we got to ride unicorns this time around and have a lot of action going on even in our human forms. But I really love doing stunts. I really love being in the stunt harness. It feels like the harness is a superpower in a way because I put it on and suddenly I’m able to fly. I’m able to flip upside down while flying and do all sorts of fun stuff, thanks to the harness. I’m able to land from a crazy high height and do a fun superhero landing. So, definitely getting to explore playing a superhero and then nerd out and have the kind of thoughts of, how do I pose my body when I’m flying or standing, and how is this different from when I’m human? That was really fun. I was talking to someone in our costume department and I was like, this is my first day on set, and I don’t know how to stand. Why is this feeling so complicated? I know it’s not, but I grew up looking at comic books. I grew up watching the ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ and ‘Justice League.’ I wanted to look like a superhero and I wanted to make sure I was doing it right. He’s like, “You’ve got to look at Olympic athletes and their physicality. Look at the photos of athletes because that was what comic book artists were using for their illustrations. They would grab stills of runners when they’re about to run.” That was really cool, looking at those. You’ve got that athletic feeling, you’re ready for action with your hands in fists and just this kind of I’m ready feeling. Whereas when it’s Mary in her human form, she’s sitting on a beanbag chair reading her organic chemistry book in a hunched over position.
MF: Mary Bromfield (or Mary Marvel, as the character was originally known), has played an important role in the pages of DC Comics. Did you dig into any of the comic books to research your character’s history, or did you choose not to so you could approach the character with a fresh perspective?
GCC: I have a drawer of Mary comics that have been given to me. When I first played Mary, there actually was talk of, do we want to have the same actor for her human form and her superhero form? They were juggling and I was told, they hadn’t decided if I would be doing both or not. Then they ended up obviously going with the adult counterpart, which I think really sold the whole Shazam family into adults payoff. I feel like you really need that. So I had for the first one, a really dear friend of mine got me this giant box of Mary comics with different appearances and volumes, and I was just digging through trying to see, what’s the common thread of her mannerisms? She’s written a specific way that is different than some of her other appearances. We do see a little bit of this Mary in ‘The New 52’ because you’ve got the foster system, but it was still really cool to learn about her having this history of being Billy’s twin sister at one point, or the whole thing with her parents at an archeological dig storyline. All that stuff was so fun to learn about. I’m a bit like Mary, where I get really curious about things and I just want to get intellectually in it and know as much as I possibly can, and get as much knowledge as I can. So in prep for Superhero Mary, I had a lot already in my brain from the first ‘Shazam.’ If anything, it was just carrying over that established thing and just being mindful that at the end of the day, Mary’s the one with the wisdom of Solomon. That’s all.
MF: What was it like working with Zachary Levi, and as number one on the call sheet, what type of tone does he set during production?
GCC: He is incredibly on it, always. I think he’s the most on it actor I’ve ever worked with. He’s so on it that sometimes it’s like, we can relax, let’s just take five. Because when he gets on set, he’s aware of what everybody is doing, how time could be managed better, and he’s really mindful that he is not contributing to time not being managed well. So he is always on his mark, he’s always ready, and he’s mindful where we need to be. He’s almost a Mary within the realm of filmmaking and it definitely comes from his experience on ‘Chuck.’ When you work on a TV show, you are so aware of how the sausage is made. So I think him being our leader, it’s great because it doesn’t feel like we’re sitting around twiddling our thumbs, because he’s always just on it. He knows what’s going on. I know this is sad to say, but sometimes you get on sets and your number one does not know their lines. It’s so sad to say that, but sometimes they just are not prepared and it’s always the most baffling thing to encounter because it’s like, do you want to be here? I love this and this is a job. Thank goodness he is not that person ever! So we’re really lucky to have Zach on ‘Shazam’ because he’s the glue. Everybody goes back to his house at the end of the day to hang out, play video games, and eat barbecue.
MF: What was it like reuniting with the other actors that play the foster kids, and also what was it like working for the first time with the adult actors that play the superheroes?
GCC: Oh, it was really cool. I feel like I get all the presents because I’m with the kids, and I’m with the adults. I hang out with everybody the most. I selfishly felt like my joke is that I get invited to all the birthday parties. I get to be with the kid group chat and the adult group chat. I was running around the streets of Georgia with Djimon Hounsou for a lot of the movie, and he is an incredibly warm human, that’s very thoughtful and that was really cool to be. But then the superheroes, I mean, D.J. Cotrona’s become my Hollywood big brother. I’m always texting him being like, “D.J. I’ve come against this situation. What’s your advice?” Everyone in the adult cast seemed to have a moment where they were helping me with something. But working with the adults was really cool and there’s no bad egg, which is, when you have so many people, it’s rare. I’ve worked with lovely people. I don’t want to make it sound like I haven’t, but this experience was really special.
(L to R) Grace Caroline Currey and Helen Mirren attend the World Premiere of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” in Westwood, CA. Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau.
MF: Finally, Oscar winner Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler join the cast as the villainous Daughters of Atlas. What was your experience like working with them, and can you talk about what they brought to this sequel?
GCC: Well, the cool thing I have to say about Helen is that you really wonder what the set is going to feel like when you have someone who’s such a legend. There’s definitely this feeling where it’s like, we’re in a Helen Mirren movie. Helen’s in our movie, Dame Helen Mirren! But I got to say, I was surprised by the fact that she felt like one of us. Sometimes it can feel a little bit like, “Everybody get ready. This person’s coming to set, who is a big deal.” But no, you turn around and she’s just right there and she’s ready to go. She’s at her mark before anyone else or anyone tells her, and she’s in the stunt harness getting picked up over Zach’s head. I’m watching this thinking, I’m afraid of Helen. She’s such a boss and also so inspiring. I want to be like Helen when I grow up. It was also really fun to have moments of sitting on the steps while we were waiting to shoot with Helen because she wasn’t the actor that was going immediately back to her trailer. She was there sitting on the steps and chatting with me. Then Lucy’s jumping up and telling our props department that because of the wood table we just smashed against the wall, there are now wood chips are on my cape and they could hurt me. Out of the blue, she’s stepping in and saying, “Everybody, I want you guys to be aware that these were on her cape. I’m going, ‘Thank you,” and she’s saying, “I got your back.” Then of course, I love Rachel. I feel like everybody knows I love Rachel. Rachel’s my buddy, and she’s awesome. She’s just a good egg and she’s such a great human.
Following the events of 2019’s ‘Shazam!,’ Billy Batson (Asher Angel), Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), and their foster siblings can transform into powerful superheroes using the magic words “Shazam.” But with the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) missing, when the daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler) return to Earth to claim back their magic, it’s up to Billy, Freddy, and their brothers and sisters to save the wizard and stop the evil sisters.
While ‘Fury of the Gods’ is a more mature installment than the original, it loses some of its magic and charm along the way introducing several new characters, but not having enough time to adequately explore them all. Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler are welcomed additions to the cast, and while Zachary Levi, Jack Dylan Grazer, Meagan Good, and Grace Caroline Curry all give good performances, it’s not enough to overcome a complicated script and undefined VFX characters in the third act.
I mention this only because it takes away some of the urgency of the movie, since there is a possibility everything that happens could be erased by ‘The Flash.’ It makes it difficult to care about these characters and what happens to them, since their future is up in the air after ‘The Flash’s release.
The sequel also wants to take the ‘Empire Strikes Back’ approach and be a darker toned follow up. It manages to succeed but at the sacrifice of a lot of the fun and innocence of the original. Billy’s struggle to find his place in the world, both as a hero and a young man is a well-executed theme of the film, and works for the most part but they don’t quite stick the landing. Director David F. Sandberg’s take on the original movie was brilliant, making a superhero version of ‘Big.’ But the sequel is weighed down by the darker tone and the multiple characters and villains the movie tries to juggle.
The visual effects in the movie are used pretty well, especially Kalypso’s dragon and the Dark Unicorns that appear at the end. But the finale also features numerous VFX creatures that don’t look as sharp, and muddy the final scenes of the film.
Zachary Levi is a very likable actor, and was perfectly cast in the role of Shazam in the original, portraying an adult superhero who is really a child. The actor’s own childlike enthusiasm leant itself well to the role, but with the darker tone of the sequel, the character is at times lost amongst the action and other super-powered beings. Levi does as much as he can with the material he was given, but the character fails to resonate as well as he did in the original.
Unfortunately, Asher Angel, who plays Billy Batson before he becomes Shazam, feels lost in the role. It’s a tricky thing because basically Levi and Angel are creating Billy together, but Levi easily has more screen time than his co-star, making it very hard for the audience to relate to human Billy, since we barley see him. And his emotional moments at the end of the film don’t seem to have the gravitas they deserve.
Jack Dylan Grazer, who plays Billy’s best friend Freddy Freeman, is thankfully given more to do this time around. The darker tone of the sequel mixes well with the character’s struggles, and Freddy’s relationship with Rachel Zegler’s Anthea, is at the heart of the movie. Adam Brody plays the superhero version of Freddy, but his performance doesn’t match as well with Grazer’s and it at times feels like they are playing two different characters.
Grace Caroline Currey returns to play Mary Bromfield, but in ‘Fury of the Gods,’ also plays her superhero alter ego, the only cast member to perform both roles. Currey shines as Mary and has more to do in the sequel, as she is still a mentor to her foster siblings, but is also struggling to balance college with crime fighting.
The other standout from Shazam’s superhero family is Meagan Good, who plays Darla Dudley in her superhero form. Good’s performance is one of the most emotional and funniest of the film, and the actress perfectly captures the young and enthusiastic attitude of her co-star, Faithe Herman, who portrays Darla in her human form.
Djimon Hounsou also reprises his role as the Wizard Shazam, but his performance is very one-note, and is not given the screen time to really make the character matter to the overall story.
Lucy Liu gives a fun and villainous performance as Kalypso, but the actress is at her best when partnered with Helen Mirren, rather than when she is on her own. Lui definitely excels in the action sequences, and Kalypso’s dragon is one of the best VFX creatures in the movie.
Oscar winner Helen Mirren gives a very menacing performance as Hespera, and is clearly having a lot of fun playing the villain. The actress is commanding in the role, a great advisory for Levi’s Shazam, and has strong chemistry with Lui and Zegler. There is a pop culture reference to ‘The Fast and the Furious’ franchise in the movie, and the look on Mirren’s face, who herself is a member of that series, was a fun bit of meta humor. Mirren handles her action sequences well, and injects just enough humanity into the character that she is believable, and not just evil for evil’s sake.
But the real standout of the film is Rachel Zegler as Anthea, the youngest of Atlas’ daughters and sister to Hespera and Kalypso. She begins the movie as Anne, a classmate of Freddy’s, who he develops a crush on. As Anne, Zegler is sweet and innocent, but not too much that her reveal as one of the sisters seems out of place. The actress makes the twist in the character completely believable and not too much of a stretch for the audience. She has great chemistry with Glazer, and you really believe that Anthea likes him, and is not just using him for her sister’s evil plans. Zegler has strong chemistry with Mirren and Liu as well, and you can understand how she could get caught up in their power grab.
Do Any Other DC Characters Cameo in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods?’
Yes. Much like the Superman cameo in the original ‘Shazam,’ there is a DCEU hero that appears in the movie, but is only seen from the neck down. However, surprisingly, the real performer that plays that character in other DCEU films does reappear for a cameo by the film’s end. It’s not in an end-credit or mid-credit scene, and I won’t say which character or performer returns, but I will say the scene takes place in the third act and is a bit more than a cameo, but not much. The character in question is played by a performer who’s future in the new DC Universe has been in question, but hopefully their appearance in ‘Fury of the Gods’ will shed some light on that.
Final Thoughts
While not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ tried to take too much on, with multiple character arcs, several new villains, and a VFX heavy third act. There are some fun moments and good performances in the movie, but the filmmakers tried to take on too much with this sequel, and with the DCEU ending soon anyways, the stakes just don’t seem that high at all.
‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
Following the events of 2019’s ‘Shazam!,’ Billy Batson (Asher Angel), Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), and their foster siblings can transform into powerful superheroes using the magic words “Shazam.” But with the Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) missing, when the daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler) return to Earth to claim back their magic, it’s up to Billy, Freddy, and their brothers and sisters to save the wizard and stop the evil sisters.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods?’
‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ once again stars Asher Angel and Zachary Levi (‘American Underdog‘) as Billy Batson/Shazam, Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody as Freddy Freeman, Meagan Good and Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Ross Butler and Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, D.J. Cotrona and Jovan Armand as Pedro Pena, Grace Caroline Currey as Mary Bromfield, and Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard Shazam.
Joining the sequel are Oscar winner Helen Mirren (‘The Queen’) as Hespera, Lucy Liu (‘Charlie’s Angels’) as Kalypso, and Rachel Zegler (‘West Side Story’) as Anthea.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Zachery Levi about his work on ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods,’ how Billy has changed since the first film, what playing this character has meant to him, working with Mirren, Liu and Zegler, and what fans can expect from the sequel.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, and Lucy Liu.
Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to someone sitting down to watch this movie right now to prepare for the experience they are about to have?
Zachary Levi: I don’t know that there’s anything I can say that can adequately prepare you for the amazing adventure you’re about to go on. But listen, if you liked the first movie, and I really hope that you did, I hope everybody got to see that, we were able to capture the same DNA. The same nugget of charm and humor and heart and family and adventure, all that stuff. We protected that. We brought that over to the new movie. But then we got more money and more time to make it even splashier and bigger. We got dragons! I mean, it’s all that stuff, so you’re welcome. You’re in for a treat.
MF: In this sequel, Billy is trying to find his place in the world both as a hero and as a young man. Can you talk about that and your approach to playing the character this time around?
ZL: Now it’s about three years later in life. He went from 14 to 17, almost 18 now, and that’s a big jump in a kid’s life. The rest of the kids, they’ve all been superheroes now for about three years and attempting to be a super team, but bumbling through that a lot. So Billy knowing that he is the leader, he’s responsible for giving all the other kids their powers, he takes it very seriously. He wants to make sure that he’s doing his best as a leader, as a brother, and as a son. Simultaneously, he’s about to turn 18 and age out of the foster system, and he’s terrified that he’s going to lose this family that he worked so hard and took so long to find. So that’s kind of where he’s at emotionally as we meet him in this movie.
MF: What has it meant to you to play this character over these two films, to work in the DC universe and for so many young kids be the embodiment of Shazam?
ZL: It’s the coolest dude. Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamt of being an actor, and I’m an actor. Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamt about being a superhero, a legitimate one, and I get to be as legitimate a superhero as anyone gets to be, pretending to be one. This particular character is so delightful because I was a huge fan of Tom Hanks in ‘Big’ and Christopher Reeve and ‘Superman,’ and I get to do both in one role. It’s a dream come true, honestly. Listen, I got to have fun in the Marvel universe (‘Thor: The Dark World’). Now I get to be my own man in the DC universe. I mean, my little nerdy heart is geeking out on the highest levels. It’s so fun.
MF: Finally, what was it like working with Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler on this project?
ZL: Delightful on every level, honestly. They are just exquisite human beings. Lovely, talented, so professional, but also just so human and humble. They were delightful to work with on set and on camera and just as delightful, if not more, off camera and living life.
(L to R) Voices of Lucy Liu, Jaboukie Young-White, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Gabrielle Union in Disney’s ‘Strange World.’
Journeying to theaters on November 23rd, ‘Strange World’ is the latest animated adventure from Walt Disney Feature Animation.
The company has a checkered history with adventure stories. The one-two flop punch of ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ and ‘Treasure Planet’ put the company off quests for a long time, while ‘Meet the Robinsons’ had pulpy retro thrills but didn’t connect with crowds.
So there is, understandably, a lot of pressure on ‘Strange World’, which offers up something similar to those movies, but with some modern sensibilities running through it that might just help it avoid the same fate.
The setting for this one is the community of Avalonia, whose occupants are obsessed with venturing beyond the mountains that cut them off from the rest of the world. Legendary explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) trains up a team to make the trip, looking to burnish his already sterling reputation by discovering what lies out there.
A prologue, animated in diverting style to look like pulp comic books, introduces us to Jaeger and his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal), who goes with him on expeditions. Yet Searcher shows little sign of wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps. On the big mission across the mountains, Searcher and the others discover a mysterious plant crackling with electricity. While Jaeger opts to keep on with the mission – and disappears – Searcher returns home, hailed as a hero, since the plants, which they name Pando, help Avalonia evolve to the next level of industrial revolution.
(L to R) Voices of Lucy Liu, Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jaboukie Young-White, and Gabrielle Union in Disney’s ‘Strange World.’
Cut to 25 years later, and Searcher has realized his own destiny, working as a Pando farmer, with a family of his own – wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) is a pilot whose crop dusting missions help keep the plants safe, while son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White) helps out around the farm, but has his own ambitions.
Yet when the Pando starts to show signs of dying out, Avalonia’s President Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu), another former member of the expedition team that discovered the plant, Searcher must embrace the idea of exploration, joining the mission to discover what is happening.
A journey that takes them to a mysterious world that lurks below their own, one teaming with weird creatures and perilous situations. Oh, and because you don’t tend to cast Dennis Quaid just for one scene, a certain long-thought-dead explorer.
Directed by Don Hall and Qui Nguyen who collaborated on ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ (Nguyen here adds co-director to his credit, as well as writing the script again), infuse their latest movie with a lot of heart and thrills. And just a hint of ‘Jurassic Park’ when it comes to our heroes’ initial reactions to wonders around them.
Perhaps the biggest influences here are H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, whose stories are full of weird creatures and unknown lands, crossed with the pulp sci-fi magazines that were huge in the 1950s/60s and 1970s. And there’s also a healthy dollop of steampunk tech to be found.
Also healthy? The movie’s attitude towards LGBTQ+ relationships. After a few years of making nods towards the concept in some previous titles, having Ethan be openly gay (and with a same-sex love interest) and everyone else in the family be perfectly accepting is a great step forward. It’s walking the walk instead of simply talking the talk.
Then there’s Legend, the Clade family’s three-legged dog, who is a bundle of doggy energy who never lets one missing leg hold him back.
The cast all throw themselves into their roles – Quaid is gruffly enthusiastic as Jaeger, who has gone a little irrational during his time spent in the cavernous chamber. Gyllenhaal brings a likeable, relatable energy to Searcher, who is nervier than his dad, but still able to find the hero within when called upon.
Gabrielle Union’s Meridian plays well off of her family, and has her own storyline to enjoy, putting her piloting skills to good use when the crew’s own flyer is taken out by a tentacled terror (and since he’s voiced by regular Disney Animation player Alan Tudyk, that’s a fun nod to 2015’s ‘Serenity’ and his ill-fated pilot Wash).
Young-White, meanwhile, is an engaging Ethan, a lad who longs for his own life, but also loves his parents (except when they’re smooching in front of him). Liu has less to do as Callisto, but still factors into the story.
Visually speaking, ‘Strange World’ is seriously impressive – a lot of thought has clearly gone into the design of the titular land and its denizens, a clever and narrative-worthy for every decision made. Even the squishy creature sidekick that Ethan names “Splat”, that could easily have edged into overused, annoying mascot territory has a purpose and a personality, the filmmakers smartly pointing out the main reason for its existence by having one of the characters exclaim that they can’t wait to merchandise it.
The same can’t completely be said for the story, which follows a relative basic track, albeit with one or two neat surprises lurking within. Beyond the smallest kids, pretty much everyone will be able to figure out how things will wrap up long before the end. But with characters this entertaining, it’s not so much of a concern.
There are some familiar beats to be found lurking within too, though – did we really need the 750th version of daddy issues? It’s the main driver of drama here, since Searcher resents his father for leaving to venture further while the rest of the party returned. And while they would appear to have a solid father-son relationship, cracks start to show between Searcher and Ethan.
Fortunately, there’s enough here that it doesn’t annoy to quite the same degree.
‘Strange World’ will have to work to beat the “adventure curse” at the box office, but it’s certainly a worthy entry in Disney’s canon and would make an ideal family trip to the cinema during the busy Thanksgiving holiday.
