The Movie Guru: ‘Elio’ and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ both great movies with deeper themes
Disney/Courtesy photo
‘Elio’ (in theaters)
Every space-obsessed kid (or grown-up who was a space-obsessed kid) needs to go see “Elio.”
Pixar’s latest movie beautifully captures the dream of every child who ever wanted to be abducted by aliens, but also goes deeper than that. In addition to a fantastic range of aliens and plenty of fun technology, there are messages about grief, community, acceptance and the struggles of being a weird kid. There’s some heavy stuff here, but there’s also some powerful resolutions and plenty of lighter moments. It doesn’t follow the plot of “E.T.,” but it’s got a lot of the same spirit.
In the movie, Elio is a weird, space-obsessed kid who lives with his aunt after the death of his parents. He’s desperate to get abducted by aliens, thinking he’ll find somewhere to belong, and when he sends a message to space that gets answered, it looks like he might be right. An alien warlord complicates things, bringing both danger and Elio’s first real friend. Can Elio save the day and figure out what really matters to him?
The quality isn’t the only reason to go see “Elio.” Only one in 30 animated movies these days are truly original (not based on a pre-existing IP), and every time one fails that number goes down even more. I know it’s scary to spend your money on characters you don’t know yet, but “Elio” will win the heart of any space loving child.
Give it a chance. You won’t regret it.
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Grade: Three and a half stars
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ (Netflix)
The human soul craves fight scenes synchronized to catchy pop music.
Add in an entertaining story, fun visuals, and a genuinely sweet message about self-acceptance and love, and you have the smash hit of the summer. “KPop Demon Hunters” is an absolute delight, funny and unexpectedly deep with a killer soundtrack. There’s so much here you don’t even have to be a KPop fan to love the movie. You just need to love great music, being true to yourself, and kicking butt in the name of life. Who doesn’t enjoy that?
The movie opens by explaining that there is a long tradition of musical demon hunters protecting the world. The current set of hunters are a famous KPop trio moments away from creating a shield that would protect the world forever. Unfortunately, the leader of the group has a secret she’s been hiding for years, one that threatens to tear the world apart.
Despite that fairly serious summary, there are plenty of lighter moments. The idea of an evil boy band is deeply entertaining all on its own, and the movie plays that up to perfection. The girls are also all deeply attached to food, and approach every meal with cartoon character-level gusto.
When it all comes together at the end, it’s more than the sum of its parts. The song that’s key to the ending is just as catchy as all the others, but it’s got a message that brought tears to my eyes. It’s vital to the story, but it’ll be just as vital to everyone watching it.
The fact that it’s got a great beat just makes everything better.
Grade: Three and a half stars
Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society. Drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.
