Onward, among many other films, was set to hit theaters at the time when the CO-VID 19 pandemic was really starting to hit the United States. As consumers, we began to see the entertainment industry shut down almost overnight. All sports were cancelled until further notice, live concerts have been put on hold, many businesses and most notably, movie theaters, were forced to close their doors. This pandemic may just shift the way we watch movies forever.
Whether or not you have children, you’ve probably been searching for entertainment during the “Safer at Home” orders. While I know that going to and from the fridge takes a lot out of your tank most days, if you have the energy, you’re going to want to check out the latest film Onward from Disney/Pixar.
In the film, teenage elf brothers Ian (Tom Holland, Spider-Man: Far From Home) and Barley (Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy) set out on a journey to bring back their late father for the day. The quest these two brothers embark will not only test their strength, but their relationship as well. Ian and Barley are unique in their own ways and have personalities that conflict at times. They also have moments that will warm your heart as well. If you have a brother like I do, you’ll be able to relate to many of these moments. If you’re an adult that is viewing this from the comfort of your own home 1) I feel for ya, homie. 2) you’ll still find moments in this film that’ll make you laugh out loud.
Throughout the film, I thought it had fairly good pacing and didn’t have me wondering when it would be over. It also wasn’t as predictable as previous Disney movies that I’ve seen. (Both parents die, the main character goes on a mission, the whole goal was to find true love. We’ve seen it enough already!) While there weren’t any musical numbers like Elsa in Frozen, I think this movie would have been a lot different if it were a musical. It would have taken away the overall message of the film for me. But if I had to pick the soundtrack to this movie, I would have thrown in some Foo Fighters for those badass moments, The Fray for when you need to feel all of the feels, and quite possibly a track from Whitney Houston. (You know the one.)
Disney did a great job in casting this film as I think Tom Holland and Chris Pratt would make for great brothers. That is putting aside what happened in Avengers of course. Not only were the brothers well cast, but having Julia Louis-Dreyfus play the role of the mother fit perfectly. She was protective of her boys, but not smothering them to an extent that was unbearable to watch. You could tell she was dealing with the loss of her husband, but also the film was sure to make note that she was trying to move on by dating again.
Grade: 8/10
Overall, I would give Onward an 8 out 10 on The Northern Nerd scale. It’s not quite the powerhouse film that you NEED to see, but honestly, what else do you have going on right now? I encourage you to watch the film and let me know what your score of the film was.
It may be awhile before we are back in movie theaters again, but like I mentioned previously, CO-VID 19 could change the way we watch movies forever. Everything might be instantly streamed at your house where you and a couple of friends split the cost of a movie while drinking some brews. Or—get this——drive-in movie theaters might make a comeback! The old soul in me is banking on the latter of the two. Happy viewing.