A review on Slumberland

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Jason Momoa and Chris O'Dowd comes along on this one. It's funny I'm just coming across this movie given it was released about two years ago. Fifteen seconds into the movie trailer and I knew I had to check out the full movie. So the movie goes like this.

A young girl discovers a secret map to the dream world of Slumberland. And with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares with the hope that she will be able to see her late father once again. So this is a cutesy family fantasy movie where we follow Nemo, this young girl who has vivid dreams. And once her father suddenly dies, she searches for an item in her dreamland that will allow her to see him once again.

Marlo Barkley stars as Nemo, and she is really great as she balances reality with fantasy. And she creates a very likable kid who's worth rooting for. We don't get a ton of background on her, but the film does a good job of introducing us to her right from the start so that she's someone that we can care about almost instantly.

Jason Momoa plays Flip, this outlaw that Nemo meets in Slumberland. Momoa plays the character with utter abandon. He's hilarious and childlike and then wholesomely snarky.

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And you can really see the fun that he's having with the character as he just hoops and hollers and really hams up his performance. That may sound like it's cheesy or even cringey, but it's not. Momoa can really pull off this persona.

And I think he shines in the role. Chris O'Dowd is also in this as Nemo's uncle who takes her in. And I love how awkward he is. He's got a ton of subtle humor with how out of touch he is as the uncle. And I also really enjoyed how out of his depth that he was. But he's also incredibly engaging in his efforts to just figure out how to suddenly be a parent.

Nemo has a stuffed animal named Pig. And when she's in Slumberland, Pig comes to life. And I absolutely loved watching it because he would tumble about and then seems to always be getting into these weird positions.

And these are often done way in the background. So it makes it even more funny. And then plus the design of Pig.

It's really cute, making it to be very dog-like in the mannerisms. Pig's CGI is pretty decent, but there are times in this where the CGI is a bit sketchy and it's not really convincing. Luckily, because a lot of what we watch is taking place in Slumberland, we already know it's a dream and so it's not real.

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So some of those wonky effects that can just be discounted as a quality of the dream. And still, though, it is noticeable, so it could be distracting at times. I chuckled a lot during this, mostly because it's just a cute story and I was enjoying the journey that Nemo and Flip were on.

And the story itself is pretty predictable. And when the reveal for one of the main arcs came, I thought it had been pretty obvious from the start. But that's not really a deal breaker with the storytelling.

Younger audiences are most likely they're just not going to figure it out before the reveal so they can enjoy that bit of mystery that's involved. There's good action in this, and it's mostly nonstop, keeping the pace fairly quick. The movie sits right at two hours, which might be a little bit too long.

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But because everything is constantly progressing forward, I never got bored with what was happening. I think at its core, the message is also a great one, just as the film takes a look at loss and longing for what was. Characters have to make decisions that could go against what they really want.

So there is some palpable tension and internal conflict that's raised. And when those decisions are made, they make sense. And they're most likely what everybody is already rooting for to happen, despite that predictability.

There's an element within Slumberland that involves a nightmare, but I don't think it's going to be too much for younger audiences. The imagery is smoky and it does take a form, but it's not something that's terrifying. It might be just enough to get the littles excited and then really invested in the chase.

Colors and the settings that are created for Slumberland. I thought they were a lot of fun visually. We have a very shiny city, this beautiful dance floor with singers and dancers that are made of butterflies.
Even a snow-capped mountain range. They're all just vibrant and very welcoming. And then Momoa's costume design is awesome. He changes outfits a few times, but his main clothing ensemble is this ratty T-shirt, a top hat, and then a beat up top coat. And plus, he's sticking out his stomach to just give him this slight paunch. And when that's combined with his filthy appearance and his ratty hair, he looks like a sketchy hobo with a heart of gold and a nose for adventure.

I had more fun with this than I thought I would. And I'm happy that it turned out to be such a wholesome adventure story with a decent bit of heart. It's definitely predictable, but that's offset by the very charismatic cast and the lighthearted humor.

So all in all, Slumberland transports the audience to a vibrant dream world guided by an over-exuberant Jason Momoa. While the story arcs are obvious and a bit too long, the production as a whole is quick moving, visually beautiful, and heartwarmingly charming. That being said, I give Slumberland four out of five stars.

Thanks for reading!