Spellbound
Warning : Minor spoiler for Spellbound
Netflix ’s belated wizard family adventure musical , Spellboundis already getting dragged through the clay in the reviews . While the production values are incredibly gamy , witha hotshot - studded castandsongs written by two of Broadway ’s greatest songster , it ’s clean from its 45 % military rank onRotten Tomatoesthat this story about familial struggle has n’t leave audiences transfixed .
The film adopt Elian , the Princess of Lumbria ( Rachel Zegler ) , who has been working with her royal ministers ( John Lithgow and Jenifer Lewis ) to shroud the fact that her parents , the king ( Javier Bardem ) and queen ( Nicole Kidman ) , have beenturned into giant monsters by a curse . When the Oracles of the Sun and Moon ( Titus Burgess and Nathan Lane ) run out to give any helpful advice and the family enigma is revealed , Elian decides to take her parent into the Dark Forest of Eternal Darkness in hope of finding a therapeutic .
Spellbound Tries Saying Serious Things About Family Struggles But Is Basically Talking With Its Mouth Full
Despite Several Good Moments, Spellbound Hasn’t Been A Hit With Critics
Much ofSpellbound ’s script crackles with apt talks , and its core message is a surprisingly heavy financial statement about take to accept the nature of how families and relationships alter over time . Elian learns to speak up for herself and her own needs to her parent , and her parents realize that their human relationship has n’t been a healthy one and that they require to single out .
Then there ’s " Remembering , " one of the cinema ’s most emotional birdsong , where the transform parents enounce their conflict with trying to think Elian and their lives before the hex . It ’s a hefty piece , with splendid carrying into action by Kidman and Bardem , and much of it will resonate with anyone who has had to struggle with the catastrophe of a love one suffer their computer storage .
Yet for all this pathos , Spellboundcan’t hold a uniform tone . John Lithgow ’s character , the pretentious Minister Bolinar , incidentally switches bodies with Elian ’s minuscule over-embellished almost - hamster companion Flink and nose up trail along with Elian . He gets an entire melodious number about learning to be less concerned with appearance , but while hearing Lithgow peach about shaking his " prominent fat caboose " is cunning , and the ethos of the song meet the film , the livery seems out of property compared to the much more personal emotional journeys of Elian and her parents . It ’s too dissonantfor anyone to get used to .
Spellbound’s Songs Were Written By Broadway Greats And Unfortunately, That Doesn’t Work Out Well
Spellbound ’s
In the end , it’sSpellbound ’s songs that are the frail part of the motion picture , and that ’s unfortunate . With the euphony composed by Disney legend and EGOT succeeder Alan Menken and lyrics by his longtime collaborationist Glenn Slater , all the pieces were there for another success on the same level as their last melodic collaboration , 2010 ’s smash hitTangled . Yet most ofSpellbound ’s music feels unfinished and awkwardly dense . While several are entertaining in their own rightfield , few go far enough to leave survive impressions .
The visuals from studio apartment Skydance Animation are absolutely gorgeous , especially the shockingly adorable infant gryphons .
The Broadway legends seem to have hit an unfortunately sour note withSpellbound , and that ’s a pity , because the film has plenty of clever selection . The visuals from studio Skydance Animation are dead gorgeous , particularly the shockingly adorable babe griffon . Burgess and Lane as the diminutive Oracles are hilarious , with enough odd - couple bickering between them that it almost seems that Lane is canalize his type from 1996’sThe Birdcage . For the most part , the script forefend leaning too firmly on well-fixed figure of speech and take into account the persona to genuinely fight . Unfortunately , though , Spellboundjust ca n’t get its audience under its charm .
Source : Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
Spellbound , directed by Vicky Jenson , follows Princess Ellian on her adventuresome quest to deliver her kinsfolk and kingdom . As a mysterious enchantment transform her parent into monsters , Ellian must voyage this parlous journeying to restore the King and Queen of Lumbria .
