Hello beautiful humans!
It's been quite some time (about 2 years) since I did the most recent entry in this series, and it's one that I definitely see some great potential value in... so here we are again. I've been doing almost exclusively videos for the last few weeks, and I really wanted to switch back to something a little more text-oriented.
In case you missed out on the first run of the series, I'm basically just going through and giving a brief introduction, some highlights, and what I see as valuable about various movies. This isn't from a "cinematic" standpoint, and I'm not talking about the entertainment value per se, I'm trying to introduce people to content that can help make their lives better. While entertaining them.
Previous Episodes of Sunday Cinema Reflections
Episode 1: K-PAX
Episode 2: Snowden
Episode 3: The Peaceful Warrior
Episode 4: They Live
Episode 5: Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land
Episode 6: The Big Short
Episode 7: A Bug's Life
Be warned, while I do not plan to spell out the whole story of any of these movies, there will most likely be at least some spoilers in every episode.
Episode 8: Onward
The Movie
Onward is Pixar's newest film, and their second swing at a fantasy-esque environment (the previous one being Brave), and begins in a world of jobs, cars, schools, and all the societal horrors that we are used to seeing. The background of their world, however, is that it basically started off as Lord of the Rings, until someone invented electricity...
There is quite a bit of humor (my god the pixies are hilarious), plenty of wonderful visuals, and you can tell that they definitely had at least a few DnD players on their team. You'll also notice lots of easter eggs, from LOTR to Clash of the Titans, and more. Overall, definitely the best new movie I've seen this year.
As has been the case with each of these articles, doing a bit of research about the movie itself has led to some interesting revelations. In this case, I found it quite awesome that the score was done by Jeff & Mychael Danna. Even if you aren't familiar with the names, I'm sure you are familiar with their work. For me personally, it instantly brought me back to The Blood of Cu Chulainn, the theme song from Boondock Saints... which also happened to be the music we used at my wedding. (Yes, at one point long ago, I was married.)
I took a short break from writing this, and realized that Boondock Saints actually has quite a few similarities to this story, at the foundational levels. Both are stories of two brothers, going on a difficult journey (VERY different journeys), and meeting their father.
The Story
The main character of our story is Ian, an elf celebrating his 16th birthday. Ian lives with his mom, his brother Barley, and their pet dragon... and to say he is a misfit would be quite the understatement indeed.
After meeting an old friend of his dad's (his father passed away before he was born), Ian is filled with a new drive to become a better version of himself. For a moment, before it is crushed by embarrassment and all the usual things that keep teenagers down.
Upon arriving home from school, the boys are given a package left by their father, with instructions to open once they are both at least 16. Inside is a wizard's staff, a Phoenix Gem, and a spell to bring their father back to life for a day - so he can see who they grew up to be.
Obviously, something goes wrong, and the boys have to go on an adventure to complete the spell. Along the way challenges, healing, epiphanies, and hilarity ensue.
Some Quotes
Wilden Lightfoot: "Long ago, the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous. There was magic. But it wasn’t easy to master. So the world found a simpler way to get by. But I hope there’s a little magic left in you."
~
Manticore: "You have to take risks in life to have an adventure."
~
Barley: “For a spell to work, you have to speak from your heart’s fire.”
~
Barley: "We are going on a grand and glorious quest."
Ian: "It’s not a quest. It’s just a really fast and strange errand."
Barley: "It’s totally a quest."
Why I Wanted to Share Onward
My experience with this movie has been quite an interesting one. At some point, a couple months ago, I was browsing new videos on TPB. (as I do - since I don't have Netflix, Amazon, or TV - that's how I discover new shows/movies) When some title catches my eye, I check out IMDB and get a real general sense of what it is, and if it sounds good, I'll download it. Oviously, Onward seemed pretty aligned with my interests, so I downloaded it... and there it sat on my hard drive for many weeks.
Just a couple weeks ago, I had this really clear & powerful desire to leave behind the parts of my life experience that aren't based in magic, and to focus my energy on the important things in life: Joy, Love, Compassion, and all the magic at my fingertips. About a day after that, without checking back into just what this movie was about, I decided to watch it. Too perfect!
While there are certainly differences between the world in the movie and ours, I would say that they are mostly aesthetic. Whatever your age, I feel confident that this film will add a bit of magic to your life.
Thanks for tuning in for another episode of Sunday Cinema Reflections, and please be sure to follow my blog to catch the next one, plus all my other content.
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