Geekscape Reviews ‘Abominable’ In 4DX
Following in the footsteps of a movie as popular as How to Train Your Dragon is a tough feat. Following the conclusion of one of Dreamworks Animation’s biggest film franchises, Abominable tries to capture its own brand of magic with a heartfelt coming of age story that’s brought to live by the immersive 4DX format. Thankfully, it mostly succeeds as it treads familiar territory rounded out by some of the best visuals I’ve seen in an animated film this year, making it a worthwhile film for kids and kids at heart.
Abominable follows Yi, (vocied by Chloe Bennet of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fame), a teenage girl who is having trouble coping after the death of her father. Drowning herself in multiple jobs to save money for a trip around the world that she never got to take with her dad, she finds herself distancing herself from the rest of her loved ones, including her mother, grandmother and her childhood friends Jin and Peng. This is fine by Jin, who grew up to be more obsessed with his self image than maintaining his friendships, leading to both becoming estranged. Elsewhere, an animal testing lab has lost track of a yeti that they had under captivity, which eventually seeks refuge in Yi’s secret hideout. After protecting the newly named Everest after its home, from its captors, Yi embarks on a journey with her friends to return the yeti to its mountain, reminding the kids about the importance of familial support along the way.
Plot wise, Abominable manages to hit all of the beats you would expect from a movie of its kind. By managing to tug on the heart strings without ever becoming too much of a downer, it does a good job of presenting the difficulty of coping with tragedy around the idea of drifting apart from the people you need the most. This is driven home by strong performances from Bennet and Tenzing Norgay Trainor’s Jin, with Albert Tsai’s younger Peng keeping the group together with his lighthearted comic relief. Surprisingly, none of it becomes overbearing and manages to come off as natural as a road trip with a yeti can be, even when the jokes don’t always hit as well as you’d like. Even though the movie rarely surprises, it still has its moments of subverting expectations by teasing cliches before going in the opposite direction, which was very much appreciated when family movies often can be telegraphed from the very early moments of the film.
Another example of subverting expectations is with Abominable‘s villains, made up of Burnish, (Eddie Izzard) and Dr. Zara, (Sarah Paulson). The former is a disgraced explorer who wants to restore his reputation by proving the existence of yetis at any cost, acting like an evil version of Hugh Jackman’s character in Missing Link while the latter is a Zoologist under his employ who wants to make sure the animal is treated humanely. Yet, as the movie progresses, these characters are progressively given both subtle and not-so-subtle wrinkles to their personalities that give them more depth, providing one of the bigger surprises of the movie. Even then, seeing the villains on screen is almost always a treat since the goons have some laugh out loud scenes.
But naturally, the star of the show is Everest, who’s journey home takes center stage alongside Yi’s personal growth. Without saying a word, the yeti manages to show so much emotion throughout as its bond with the kids continues to grow. Its fear, trust, loyalty and eventual confidence feel earned, helping the audience attach itself to the bond these characters create. With that said, the highlight of the movie is when Everest performs its nature bending magic, creating some of the most visually striking moments I’ve seen in a film this year. From the silly giant blueberry scene seen in most of the trailers to the breathtaking ride on the wave of flowers, moments like these are almost worth the price of admission alone. The fact that a touching story with some heavy themes without ever getting too dark comes with the package really helps Abominable stand out.
These effects are even more immersive once the 4DX format comes into play. Admittedly, the screening was in a smaller theater than normal, but the effects seemed stronger than in any film I’ve seen before, all of which for the better. Wind and cold were used to their full potential, making me wish I had packed my winter clothes as the characters climbed Mount Everest. Snow rained down on the theater once in the mountains while the room was engulfed in a flowery smell as the characters raced through fields. We could feel the action and chase scenes as our chairs rocked with each big bump and turn, helping the movie reach an extra level of immersion that improved the movie more so than any other I’ve seen in the format. If you have the option to see it in this way, then I can’t recommend it enough, which feels like an experience in itself.
Abominable‘s only glaring flaw is its lack of cohesiveness with its setting. Not many films of this kind take place in Shanghai, but from the way it’s presented, you might think it was Times Square or any other major metropolitan city, (complete with a visible McDonalds in the background). The film quickly abandons the city for smaller villages as the kids globe trot on their way to Mount Everest, but we never get the feel of exploration that we should normally get with a plot of this nature. Aside from that and the predictability of the plot, these are small nitpicks in what is otherwise an excellent animated film.
Abominable manages to stand on its own as an animated film that goes above and beyond its expectations, providing a predictable story about family and loss that plays up its story beats as well as they could be, all while throwing in a few surprises here and there. Visually, the film is an achievement, further enhanced by the immersive 4DX format. Ultimately, the movie is only held back by a lack of cohesiveness with its settings, but as a whole, I can’t recommend it enough. Whether or not Abominable is the next big Dreamworks franchise is yet to be seen, but I’m hoping to return to this world if it can manage to be as fun as it was the first time around.
Final Score: 4/5
