Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken follows the title lead, eldest daughter in a family of krakens hiding in coastal suburbia with a strict imperative to never venture into the water. However, when Ruby is forced to break this big rule she discovers that she can transform into a monstrous giant sea beast; the only question is: how is this going to affect her plans for prom? I liked the underpinnings of a coming of age story in this animated feature, watching a protagonist who really is so on the outside trying to understand herself and fit in is a very worthy narrative. From the outset things seem a bit stacked against Ruby, she's really on the social fringes and the rules from her parents are pretty stifling. Yet that promise of the big Prom and asking out her crush, Connor, seems to be things within her grasp. So suddenly experiencing a change in her body and within herself seems almost unfair and confusing; it presents a real road of sadness, confusion and anger for Ruby that I think is a pretty honest take of a teenage experience.

 

The soundtrack for the film is what really stands apart for me, this whole film is riddled with tracks that feel a really nice blend of indie, Top 40 and nostalgic to really encapture that teenage coming of age vibe. I had my issues with major aspects of the animation but one thing I cannot knock on are the environments. The colourful, oddball aesthetic of the seaside town is such a fine contrast to the raw and realistic portrayal of the surf and the sea.

Toni Collette, who voiced Agatha Gillman, really had to work at it but managed to really flesh out a role that would otherwise have been quite two-dimensional; Collette's really convincing in her desperate attempts to connect with and support her on-screen daughter. Will Forte, who voiced Gordon Lighthouse, is a character I initially thought would be way too over the top and kooky but Forte really made it his own; this eccentric ship captain might have been one of the funniest roles in the film. Jaboukie Young-White, who voiced Connor, has a really shy and gentle charisma that immediately endears him to the audience; I liked that Young-White really matched Condor's energy and crafted quite a compatible character.Annie Murphy, who voiced Chelsea Van Der Zee, was perfect as the campy over the top popular girl; Murphy has this light joyful quality that wins you over too and makes you really believe she wants to befriend Ruby.

 

However, the best performance came from Lana Condor, who voiced Ruby Gillman. I think this film really thrived on having such a great leading role and the work Condor puts in goes a long way to achieving this. Condor really has this energy to her that makes this character feel sincerely anxious and nervous but still makes her quite charismatic for the audience. Ruby would be very easy to do in quite a generic way but those moments where she feels flustered around her crush or feels unsure of how to navigate conflict with her friends come across quite sincerely. I loved Condor's portrayal of shock and distress when Ruby first develops her powers; it's a big moment in the movie and quite possibly my favourite part. This is a role that really naturally grows into confidence and I think there's no surprise that lana Condor continues to corner the high schooler coming of age scene.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a real example of what has set a large number of recent Dreamworks features back, there's no care being put into these films anymore. In recent years Dreamworks has been pushing out media like Trolls or Boss Baby which have been really simplistic titles lacking in imagination and really devoid of the spirit Dreamworks as a studio used to have. Sadly, Ruby Gillman continues this trend with a film that feels very thinly written and plays out every stereotype in the book from start to finish. While the central character is quite interesting there is no getting past the fact that this film does the story of a kid rebelling against the status quo, learns their new powers and then embraces their true self to fight the big bad and win the happily ever after. Ruby Gillman doesn't aim to break tradition or surprise you, it's a very boring story with a colourful cast bumping it along. The humour is pretty lousy, filled with a lot of cheesy jokes or excessive puns that rarely draw a real laugh from the audience. It's a pity this film couldn't strive to do more with this premise, as it stands we have had two very similar films in recent years that have done this entirely better and I'd sooner recommend them: Luca and Turning Red.

I felt so torn with the animation for this one, there are some really nicely designed environments in places but the character designs are absolutely ghastly. Everything looks blob-like, lacks details and feels awkwardly disproportionate. The 3D character models here are some of the worst I've seen in a big animated feature release in quite awhile.

Jane Fonda, who voiced Grandmamah, really overdid it with the melodramatic delivery in this one; Fonda felt like she barely put any effort in to voicing this role at all. Colman Domingo, who voiced Arthur Gillman, was a real background performance in this feature; Domingo really isn't quirky enough to fit the comedic Dad role. Blue Chapman, who voiced Sam Gillman, doesn't quite have the presence to make his role stand out; the cute comedic brother role isn't anything new and doesn't do anything unique here. Liza Koshy, Ramona Young and Eduardo Franco, who voiced Margot, Bliss and Trevin respectively, are a pretty weak ensemble friend group for the protagonist; Koshy particularly misses a lot with her wild energy that feels really randomly placed. Sam Richardson, who voiced Uncle Brill, is a comedic role that often feels unnecessary to the wider plot; Richardson crafts a goofy role who is difficult to enjoy and takes up far too much screen time.

I don't even really recognise Dreamworks Animation much anymore in recent years. I would give Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken a 4/10.