FINALLY a movie, you do not have to think twice about giving the two thumbs up. Pete’s Dragon has brought back the magic missing from movies.
It is a remake, more of a new take on a 1977 musical movie by the same name which was part animation.
The only thing that is common with the 1977 movie is that Pete is an orphan and has a dragon named Elliot as a friend. And also the two movies share the same name.
It has the same feeling as ET, Never Ending Story or the Goonies. The type of feeling that Walt Disney was renowned for before that sense of magic was lost. I think that magic has been found again and Pete’s Dragon is something the whole family can enjoy together.
This is the type of movie with a boy and his dog theme but instead of a dog, the pet is a furry, lovable dragon named Elliot and, believe me, he proves to be the main attention. Children aside, even adults would enjoy the movie.
Elliot is truly more of a furry pal than a fire-breathing hellion. He looks out for a young orphan named Pete, played by Oakes Fegley, whose parents die in a car crash at the opening. The two become family, living in the forest together, playing together, flying together, and sleeping cuddled up, in an impossibly adorable scene that will make every kid wish they had their own pet dragon.
This goes on for six years until they are interrupted by humans. Grace played Bryce Dallas Howard, the orange haired beauty from Jurassic is a forest ranger and her dad played by the legendary Robert Redford told her tales of a dragon that lived in the forest he saw as a young man.
And of course Grace does not believe her dad. Wes Bentley plays her fiancé who is ironically a lumberjack, cutting down parts of her beloved forest. The main antagonist is played by Karl Urban who is Grace’s fiancé’s brother and business partner. Urban is a trigger-happy huntsman who wants to shoot animals, chop down trees and do whatever he feels like.
Pete ventures too close to get a look at his first bit of human contact in six years. His curiosity gets him ripped from his treehouse and Elliot’s existence revealed, and the two are painfully separated.
Pete has to now save Elliot just like how he saved him all those years ago when he was a little boy alone in the woods.
After the existence of Elliot is revealed, dragon hunters come after him seeking the legendary creature.
The story is different from the musical and at times is predictable and some may feel it slightly lacking.
However, it makes up for that in heart. And the real heart of the movie are the relationships. The friendship between Pete and Elliot, the love Grace has for her dad, her step-daughter and then Pete. The kind of relationship that was once seen in ET or many at times during Lassie, and it does bring back memories of movies of the ’80s that were considered to be magical.
This is the type of movie that makes you feel that there is still magic in movies.
One thing for sure, after watching Pete’s Dragon there will be children and even some adults who will be wishing if they could just have their own pet dragon.
The child actors in this movie are great with awesome performances. And after watching this movie you will ask how has this movie become one of the best to hit the screens so far.
Director David Lowery has truly given a soulful movie. Make this one a family experience and enjoy it together. A must-see for both adults and children.
And believe me, this movie will have you believing in magic again.
