Review of Pete's Dragon (2016) by Chris M — 19 Aug 2016

In an otherwise lukewarm summer at the movies, it did not seem possible that another remake would have done the trick to turn that all around at the last second. That being said, Pete's Dragon (1977) was a very poor film, even for its time, so this re-imagining was completely warranted in my eyes.

Release at the end of the latter half of the summer, this is the film I believe needed to happen. Although films like Finding Dory and Star Trek Beyond are still creeping into a few theatres around the world, it was time that audiences had a fresh film to take their families to, or just enjoy a harmless, relaxing, and beautifully re-imagined Disney tale.

This is why I believe 2016s Petes Dragon is everything it needed to be, and more. Unlike the original film that just begins with a boy living with a dragon in the woods, this re-imagining gives a little more insight on his past, making you care much more for the title characters.

As a recently orphaned boy is left stranded in the woods, he befriends a dragon, lives with him in the woods for over six years, and is eventually found by a forest ranger, played by Bryce Dallas Howard.

Her father, played by Robert Redford, claims to have seen this dragon in the past, and seems to be the only one who believes him. While the townspeople all believe the notion of a dragon actually living amongst them is just a legend that has never gone away, what they don't know is that those legends are actually true.

Like the original film, you will see everything coming from a mile away, but for this film in particular, that is exactly why it excels so much. While I did not go into this film thinking it was going to be a cinematic masterpiece, it is without question an impressive cinematic experience all on its own.

The way the character of Pete (played very believably by Oakes Fegley) interacts with the dragon is very charming to say the least, and when he first encounters others like him after all these years, his reactions are spot on.

Although the magical element of a dragon existing in our world is ridiculous, these characters all react to it as if it is really living among them. Although the film has a very clear through-line, never challenging its audience to see a bigger picture, it gives kids many life lessons, that even their daily television programming will not.

What I mean by this, is that throughout this film, there are mentions of adventures, what they really mean to certain people, what it truly means to be a part of a loving family. Sure, befriending a dragon would be cool to a little kid, but once reality kicks in, there is much more to life than just soaring on the back of a dragon.

The portions that stuck with me, long after the credits rolled, were the subtle touching moments, that were very unexpected from a a film such as this. Disney has always been known for their fantastical elements when it comes to children's films, but there were a few moments that will remaining on a loop in my mind for the remainder of the year.

Although this will not be my favourite Disney picture of the year, as films like The Jungle Book or Finding Dory were much more thought-provoking, there is something about this film that almost makes it more memorable.

Scenes with a family reading a storybook would intercut between children looking at the pages, as a dragon is actually soars the skies near their house. With the moonlight shining on him and the musical score giving me goosebumps, there was nothing I could do, but tear up at the magic of filmmaking on screen.

This is why I go to the movies. While this is by no means a Disney classic and it is clearly a film directed at a younger audience, this extremely simple/predictable tale is able to transcend its material, making for a very surprising time at the movies, in my opinion.

Pete's Dragon exceeded my expectations in many ways, and is easily one of my favourites of the summer. While there was not much competition this summer, that is still saying quite a bit. I was absolutely overjoyed with Pete's Dragon.

Yes, it is very predictable, but is incredibly well done and for that, I was able to ignore the predictability and I was brought to tears. As far as remaking films go nowadays, you don't get much better than this.