Review of Luca (2021) by Nateed — 28 Jul 2021

When comparing Luca to other Pixar films, it seems a bit different. Why is that? Well, this movie is very simple. I don’t necessarily think that being a simple movie is a bad thing. For instance, Luca told a fun and exciting story without having too many rules or constraints.

While there are some hiccups in the storytelling, it is a solid film. What I like best about this film is the animation which elevates this film to a whole new level. The animation style is awesome and the textures on everything are just so perfect.

These aspects really shine in the dream sequences which is probably the best part of the film. The vibrant colors and fun character designs will really pull you in. The world-building in Luca is also fantastic.

Portorosso is so beautiful and the constant liveliness of the town makes the surrounding of the characters feel much more alive. Even the town in the ocean was really nicely done which is some great work considering the movie only spends around 15 minutes under the ocean.

Although, one minor nitpick I had was that I feel like the ocean segments needed to be a bit longer with some more exploration of the world for storytelling reasons rather than worldbuilding. I would have loved to have seen Luca’s parents try and show him that life under the sea is great.

The major problem I have with the movie is the pacing. The film had such great pacing in the first and second act, but it kind of lost its step in the final act. The whole ending felt rushed and didn’t have the big impact or climax that other Pixar animated films have.

The simplicity of the movie sort of plays into that a bit. The movie doesn’t even reach 90 minutes without credits. I’m not saying that short movies need to be longer to have a good story. It’s just that this film needed a little more substance to it.

If the filmmakers added a handful of small scenes to the final act, I think it would have made Luca feel more complete. Due to the rushed ending, some of the characters and their traits feel a bit wonky.

I think Alberto’s personality needed to be fleshed out some more with a couple of more scenes that described him personally. Yes, the movie is called Luca, but if Alberto is going to be such an integral part to the plot, it would have made sense to incorporate more of him and his character traits into the movie.

Luca’s parents suffer from a similar problem. It is not as bad as Alberto, but I do think that Luca’s parents needed to be fleshed out some more as well. I sort of glossed over this earlier, but both Daniela and Lorenzo needed some more time with Luca and to show him how great his life is.

Their concern of him going to the surface feels a bit rushed with more of a focus on jokes. However, Luca is such an enjoyable movie. Yes, there are some problems, but they aren’t big and aren’t present throughout the whole movie which makes it an easy movie to watch.

What the movie needed was just a small push in the final act to make it feel more whole and complete. Other than that, Luca is a solid movie. Read more reviews like this at postcreditreviews.