The trick is to think that it will be another animated film within the catalog of Netflix; imagine that there will be no greater depth, in that ocean of entertainment; that his characters, driven by clichés, will not undergo a major transformation. The trap is to believe that and not dare to see the sea monster (The Sea Beast), losing the luck of finding it to liven up a couple of hours of life.
It should be clarified: the sea monster it does not offer something different from several of the most famous animated films; independent cinema or even more auteur animations may be superior (they sure are). But this Netflix movie can satisfy several of the key points of a production aimed at children. In that context, it works in a good way.
His drawing is pleasing to the eye, he has characters that adults and children can identify with and, most importantly, the transformation they undergo. Even in sections where it is predictable, this series of factors means that they can be omitted in favor of the story that it is telling: how tradition and stories can be manipulated according to the point of view from which they are narrated.
the sea monster: background
How many of the stories we know are true? The common place (and no less valid for that) tends to emphasize that the story is told by the victorious, those who in many cases are the only ones left standing or have the financial resources to be able to tell. That is the idea that the sea monster wants to raise, suggesting that, in essence, the main threat against humanity is not another species, but its own.
This idea is planted in the story by an orphan Afro-descendant girl named Maisie Brumbleinterpreted by Zaris-Angel Hathor. More than a detail of inclusion, representativeness, it is a declaration of principles: she represents so many generations abandoned at sea, marginalized and discriminated against, by those who have built (written) that story made book with which she grew up and with which he was fascinated Her journey, in moments, is the one that adults go through through the years: discovering how much myth there is in the ideas presented as truths.
His counterweight, a white, traditional man, clinging to that tradition that fascinates her, serves to polarize the story. But without them confronting each other. They are not adversaries. On the contrary, they serve themselves as mirrors to recognize themselves and try to break with the tradition to which they belong. In the case of man, Jacob Hollandinterpreted by Karl Urban (Thor: Ragnarök), it is about her way of life, one that the girl comes to contradict.
the sea monster
Facing a threat greater than themselves, the protagonists of this story discover that their greatest danger is their own kind. An animated story with good drawing and characters that undergo different transformations, enriching the story with different symbolic readings. A film that can be seen by both children and adults. Most likely, both groups will like it.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
The fall of the idols
So, the Netflix adventure story uncovers different layers that make it more than just a funny story. His characters, opposed to the Captain Crowinterpreted by jared harris, they have to deal with referent searches. It is not just any one, but the axis on which the stories of the beast hunters have been elaborated. The task is not easy: to dismantle the myth.
Another possible reading: note how the natural fear of human beings leads them down even more dangerous paths than what they feared at first. Between Captain Crow and Jacob Holland there is a very close relationship, of father and son, of referent to applicant. Something similar is proposed in relation to Brumble and Holland, only that they build another type of bond, free from some prejudices, while they are transforming.
In the meantime, the sea monster leaves behind the world in which Captain Crow grew up. Ideas are mutating and technology is also making its way. The character also allows the director, Chris Williams, to suggest the importance of personal searches, desires and aspirations; at the same time that he lets loose a reflection: what happens when those goals become harmful obsessions, poisoning the system. There is an answer: hate manifests itself in different ways. It is because of these types of messages that it is necessary to leave behind the initial perceptions about the sea monstera film to which the rhythm and tension of its second act could be questioned. Still, it’s worth play.