‘Elio’ REVIEW: An adventure that you'll probably forget
‘Elio’ REVIEW: An adventure that you'll probably forget
Elio and Glordon admiring the Communiverse in Elio | Still courtesy of Disney / Pixar
There came a time when Pixar meant something to the average moviegoer. Just hearing the word will remind people of what movies they fell in love with: Toy Story, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille…the list goes on. Sadly, it's been a while since a film they made most recently is something people would remember, and there is no doubt in my mind that their latest feature, Elio, is one of those that will be forgotten in due time.
Now, Elio is not a bad movie per se. I think the film's heart is in a good place, even if it fails to make a mark. The film is centered around Elio, a young boy who recently lost his parents in a tragic accident and has to live with his Aunt Olga. Olga also has to give up her dream of being an astronaut to take care of her nephew (very akin to the sibling relationship and domestic situation found in Lilo and Stitch).
Elio then finds an obsessive fixation on the possibility of discovering alien life in outer space, wishing to be abducted as he no longer finds any sort of connection with anyone on Earth, not even his aunt. Eventually, he does get abducted and befriends many different alien species, particularly a young caterpillar-looking leech-like alien named Glordon. Again, this certain element feels similar to Lilo and Stitch.
Audiences of all ages will definitely find something to enjoy here, whether it'd be the cute aliens, or the film’s heartwarming story about grief, loneliness and connection centered around the weird little alien-obsessed protagonist.
Elio interacting with other planet ambassadors in the Communiverse | Still courtesy of Disney / Pixar
However, the film — similar to the most recent Pixar features — feels like the creators were stuck on autopilot mode when they created it. Elio’s journey, in particular, severely lacks that feeling of serendipity and wonder that one must experience when they’re having an adventure and exploring places that are so foreign and mesmerizing. Sure, the story is relatively fine on paper, but it goes through all-too-familiar motions and feels like it's checking boxes on what things they must cover.
Even most of the characters, outside of Elio, Olga and Glordon, are deprived of memorable features. In the classic Pixar features, one can definitely recall how a side character who only shows up for at least a scene, looks, and how they behave. In Elio, none of the aliens have distinct personalities and body language. They all seem to blend together into an unrecognizable entity, which is detrimental to the audiences’ experience in seeing the world through the protagonist’s eyes. We should all feel a certain affinity with these creatures like Elio, not further alienation.
It has been well-established that Pixar has a storytelling formula that the company commits in utter faith. There’s no denying that it works, especially in the past. But when you keep doing the same thing all over again, it’s eventually gonna go stale. And right now, they should better try innovating and shaking things up a notch soon, because these recent results have been really bland.
‘Elio’ is now showing in cinemas nationwide.
