This Movie Proved that Netflix Isn’t All Bad…
I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that the quality of what Netflix has to offer has been on a steady decline these past couple of years. So when I was about to watch Nimona, the newest animated movie on Netflix, I wasn’t really expecting much from it. I thought it would be at best, fine, but not remarkable enough that I would write a review for it. But I was wrong, and I should’ve known that I was gonna be wrong. While I haven’t read the graphic novel that the movie adapted, I am somewhat familiar with the other works of ND Stevenson, the graphic novel’s author, so I should’ve expected something a little more special, which it certainly was.
What is it about?
The movie is mainly about two characters. First, we have Ballister Boldheart, the kingdom’s first and only Elite Knight to come from a non-noble background, thanks to the queen, who decided to change the traditions. However, during the day of the knighting ceremony, the queen died and Ballister was framed, making it seem as if he was the one who killed the queen.
And then there’s Nimona, a shapeshifter who visited the now-hunted Ballister, insisting to be his sidekick. Together they tried to do whatever it takes to clear Ballister’s name and find out who framed him.
My thoughts…
The first thing that caught my attention about this movie is the setting. It’s not a traditional medieval fantasy setting, but it’s not a traditional cyberpunk setting either, it’s both. It’s just the medieval fantasy setting, but thousands of years in the future, which is such a simple twist, but it does so much to make it feel unique. I’ve seen it done in literature, but not visually like this.
Another thing that impressed me — and very much helped the setting to be as good as it was — is the animation style. While it’s not quite as impressive as something like the Spider-Verse movies, or even Netflix’s own Arcane, it’s still in that same vein of animation that combines 3D animation and 2D animation. And it’s done in such a meticulous way that energized the entire story. A lot of the moments in the movie just wouldn’t work if the animation wasn’t as dynamic as it was.
Another notable thing is how emotional the movie ended up being for me, particularly because the movie isn’t that long, only around 100 minutes long, and considering all the worldbuilding it had to do (sometimes quite clunkily, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal), it managed to really build up both of the main characters and gave them both story arcs that are quite emotional. The dynamic that the two has is really unique and would’ve carried the movie if the rest of the movie needed it (they didn’t).
And finally, I want to touch on the story a little bit. It was really fast paced but never too fast in a way that some graphic novel adaptations can be. It was also the perfect level of unpredictable, where things are not predictable, but also nothing seemed to be pulled out of nowhere. Sure, it didn’t amaze me in terms of the scope or imagination, but it didn’t need to and it still did its job well enough.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for something to watch on Netflix, something that isn’t too long and is actually decent, then this movie would be perfect for you. And if you’re looking for more good animated movies after being amazed by Spider-Verse, then this would also be a good watch. 4/5.
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