THEthe monster of the seasfilm by animation airing from today on Netflixbegins with a little boy at the mercy of the wavesclinging to the boards of a ship that has just been attached from a monster. A creature of the abyss spectacular in its awfulnessonly hinted at by the enormous shadow that passes swimming under the small castaway as it sinks among the pieces of the wreck.
An incipit visually powerful and rich in detail, which pays homage to most famous sea adventure storiesfrom Moby Dick to Titanic to Master and Commander – challenge at the edge of the sea. And right here the director accompanies us Chris Williamsauthor of Disney classics such as Bolt-A four-legged hero And Big Hero 6: to the very essence of storytelling.
The monster of the seas: the review
The subject of the story has the substance of myth. In a distant time when terrifying creatures roam the seas, i monster hunters are the heroes of the day. Among these the most famous is the Captain Crowwho with his ship, the Inevitablesail the oceans to free them from evil sea beasts. Assisted by Jacob Hollandbrave young bred like a son and destined to succeed him in the leadershipby the first officer Sarah Sharpe and from the other crew members, Crow has a account to be settled with Red Fury: a sea monster due to which he has lost an eye thirty years earlier.
And here we meet the other protagonist: Maisie Brumbleone lively girl guest of the orphanage sponsored by the king and queen to give shelter to orphans of hunters of monsters. Maisie is a ‘avid reader of volumes of sea stories, including The Adventures of Captain Crow. Stories of brave hunters and horrifying monsters who go ashore, taking quiet ladies from their gardens and chewing them greedily among the waves.
The Maisie’s ideals come directly from these books, whose final invitation to the reader – and to aspiring hunters – is invariably “Live a great life And die of a great death!“.
A rebel all pepper
We quickly understand that Maisie is one rebel when, inspired by her readings, she greets the companions of the orphanage, escapes from a dormer window and decides to embark on the Inevitable for join Captain Crow’s crew. One way to avenge his parents and give oneself an active role in the world: “The images in the books have become a realityand they demand a bloody revenge! ».
Despite the absolute veto of Jacob, reluctant to welcome a little girl among the crew, Maisie manages to enter the ship without too much resistance from the old Captain, who defines it “a nice peperino”And who is only interested in fighting the monster.
Jacob Holland and Maisie Bramble. (Netflix)
It won’t be long before the Inevitable is attached from Red Furya sea monster fromhuge horn marked by the strokes of countless harpoons. Her square head and knowing cat eyes, Leviathan’s size and her immense strength make her a terrifying opponent. A spark of intelligence shines in his gaze. Captain Crow manages to hook up Red Fury to the ship, which however risks being dragged into the vortex created by the struggle with the creature.
Going against orders of the captain, to save the ship Maisie cuts the ropes that bind the Inevitable to the monster. Maisie and Jacob are thrown in water and for them aadventure altogether suddencomplete with a landing on a verdant one unknown shore… In the company of Red Fury.
The terrible Red Fury. (Netflix)
An impeccable mechanism
We cannot reveal any more why the history from The monster of the seas is simple in its dazzling wealth of details. All in this animated film clicks to the right moment: twists, the alternation of moments of absolute calm to intense battle scenes. Predictable? In reverse: the ending hides a surprise that can be read on several levels – and also in this similar to the great classics of cinema and literature.
Between comedy and drama, the report among the brave hunter Jacob Holland and the young woman Maisie evolves from an initial paternalism of the first, annoyed by the girl’s resourcefulness, to afriendship made up of continuous adjustments on the nature of what it is right to do between nature and civilization, truth And propaganda.
As the two develop one relation similar to that between father and daughter – a daughter rebellious, courageous And nonconformist -, the Captain Crowlike the legendary captain Ahab by Melville starring Gregory Peck, he holds on to his own obsession with revenge.
Gregory Peck in the movie “Moby Dick”, 1956. (Getty Images)
We can anticipate that there will be a overturning of perspective, slow and difficult but inevitable, and that not everything that is given as a sacred and indisputable word necessarily proves to be true. There passion of the movie director Chris Williams for the ancient navigation maps and the illustrations seventeenth-century sea monsters gives the feature an allure vintage from the charm unique. Yet the role played by maps and books, which is continually referred to throughout the story, is not just an aesthetic detail. It becomes crucial in the its dual nature as an indicator and a possible mystification of reality.
The monster of the seas: a feast for the eyes
The first scene of combat among the treacherous Bricklebackamong the most feared creatures of the abyss, and monster hunters is from anthology. Rhinoceros, sea dragon, triceratops, the monster really is frightening and at the same time beautiful. The spectator is dragged among the waves together with the beastwhich attempts to to chew there ship and to kill crew members with mega tentacles ending in a mouth full of teeth and eyeless that reminds a little i Demogorgons from Stranger Things.
And then the plus part nice of the matter: because the sea is full of creatures and not all of them are monstrous. Some are positively adorablehow Bluea cub marino who becomes attached to Maisie and acts like a little labrador, funny and affectionate.
Maisie and Blu in “The monster of the seas”. (Netflix)
There passion for detail it also emerges in quieter moments, such as the scene where Captain Crow meets the King and Queen al White Rock Castle: twisted columns reminiscent of Bernini’s canopy in San Pietro, golden spiers reminiscent of Thai or Vietnamese palaces – but with a touch of Hermitage. A heterogeneous baroque and grandiose that recalls the golden age of piracy, with all thegreed of goods, products and treasures that entails a imperialist mentality and decadent.
«I love the artists of the Hudson River SchoolSaid director Chris Williams “And Remington in particular. The use of ancient and vibrant colors in natural settings it’s something I wanted to try to implement in the look of our film. ” He therefore set out to find the perfect one equilibrium between one realistic stylekeeping the fun and the magic of movies classics of animation.
Technical matters: fantastic but realistic
Approximately 665 between artists and production staff worked on the film, which was partially produced during the lockdown. That of The monster of the seas it is a paradoxically very credible world, where computer graphics works wonders. The look of the ships – the Unavoidablebut also the Emperorowned by the Crown, monstrous gunboat vying to steal Captain Crow’s exclusive monster hunt exclusivity – absolutely realistic.
Especially the proportions I am extremely take carenot only in the objects inanimate but also inappearance of the characters. Which, as he explains Visual Effect Supervisor Stirling Duguid, who worked in collaboration with Sony Pictures Imageworks, “They don’t have the soggy or exaggerated look typical of animated films. The eyesfor instance, they are not overly large and the animation itself is more controlled. ” Sobriety, balance and proportion which combine to create a world fantastic but extremely credible.
Monster hunter Jacob Holland and aspiring hunter Maisie Brumble. (Netflix)
The shape of water
L’water plays a role of first floor in the feature film, which is a lot realistic in the representation of natural elements: «We had to invent all kinds of new tools to complete the project, “he declared Duguid. “Sony Imageworks have done a fantastic job with water effectswhich add so much to the credibility. ” Of course: out of 42 sequences, only 4 water does not appear. “This means that everything – the water, the ship, the characters, the camera – is in constant motion most of the time. “
There complexity of these sequences required to alternate between classic animation and special visual effects, also gained thanks to the study of ancient techniques. “After careful research we came across the Beaufort scalethat the sailors have used it for more than two hundred years for to describe the different types of oceans. ” A measure empirical of the wind forcefrom 0 to 12, representing each wave condition in relation to the wind, from calm to hurricane.
Characters
But it is also and above all a story of friendship, loyalty – to themselves and to codes of the sea – and how “family” not only that of origin but also the peer group that one you choose.
the Captain Crowvoiced by British actor Jared Harris in the original version and by ours Diego Abatantuono in the Italian version. An Ahab with a smoky but loyal character, faithful to tradition but ready to break it to get revenge.
Karl Urban voices the character of Jacob Holland. (Getty Images)
And then the first officer – with a wooden leg – Sarah Sharpe (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), abrupt and self-confident but also wise and intuitive. The uncompromising Ms. Merino (Helen Sadler), a screaming and highly respected boatswain. Jacob Holland (voiced by Claudio Santamaria), warrior and soccer player with a heart of gold, solar hero but not obvious. And finally Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), a flurry of power destined to upset any prejudice.
For children, yes, but also for adults, The monster of the seas it’s a movie to be seensumptuous and simple, fresh and vintage at the same time.
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