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Distant Memories of the Near Future

12/08/23

Summerhall (Red Lecture Theatre), Edinburgh

Set somewhere in an all-too-identifiable near future, David Head’s thought-provoking storytelling session is a stern warning that we’re all going to hell in a handcart – and that the eventual destination may be a lot closer than we think. 

In this dystopian world, the Department of Productivity is now partnered with Amazon shopping, and everything that makes us human appears to be up for grabs. 

Head leads us confidently through his quasi-lecture, aided by languorous mood music, remarkable lighting effects and an AI avatar, with whom he occasionally converses – and who seems to disagree with a lot of what he’s saying.

The stories are skilfully interwoven and Head throws in the occasional snarky comment to ensure that proceedings are never in danger of becoming too pompous, but I occasionally find myself thinking that he’s not really telling us anything we don’t already know, he’s just amping it up. The overarching theme seems to be that human relationships develop in their own bumbling, accidental way and that the endless attempts to commodify them are inevitably doomed to failure, because no matter how sophisticated technology becomes, it can’t really duplicate our ability to make connections with each other. 

It won’t stop companies from giving it their best attempt though, not when there’s money to be made. At regular intervals, the talk is paused while we listen to advertisements – a dating app that offers to find our ideal partners; a company that wants to buy the rights to use our voices as selling tools… 

I’m particularly drawn to one section that depicts a space miner, marooned on a planet full of diamonds, trapped by the very wealth she’s been seeking, and helplessly contemplating her own lost love as her air supply runs out. It seems an apt metaphor for the state of humanity in this bleak vision of the future. I love the miniature puppet-figure that Head uses to illustrate this story, illuminated by the light of a torch.

Head is a charismatic and quietly authoritative storyteller and he handles the presentation with consummate skill. I leave the Red Lecture theatre with plenty to think about.

3.4 stars

Philip Caveney

Sean and Daro: Flake It ‘Til They Make It

06/08/23

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we missed Sean and Daro on its initial release, so we’re delighted to discover it’s having a further run at TravFest 23. And deservedly so. This sprightly tale of two young Glaswegians seeking to become ice cream entrepreneurs finds a delicious sweet spot between comedy and tragedy – and runs with it. And any play that begins with an ode to the wonders of ice cream gets my vote any day of the week.

At his mum’s funeral, the moody and introspective Sean (Sean Connor) bumps into his old pal, Daro (Cameron Fulton), whom he’s lost touch with since going to Uni. Daro is the epitome of the unreliable best friend, the one your mum warns you about: full of ambition and hubris, but lacking anything with which to back it up. But he can talk like nobody’s business. Despite the solemness of the occasion, he’s soon persuaded Sean to use his inheritance – his mother’s flat – as collateral in a new shared enterprise. Together, they will become The Whippy Brothers, joint owners of an ice cream van. They will take to the highways and byways of Glasgow and make a proper killing, selling their sweet-tasting goods to all and sundry. After all, that’s how Duncan Bannatyne started, right?

But the road to success is a distinctly bumpy one – and there are plenty of obstacles they’ll need to navigate on their way…

Laurie Motherwell’s script is packed with hilarious observations and some moments of genuine pathos. Robert Softly Gale handles the direction with skill, giving the eponymous duo plenty of scope to interact with Karen Tennent’s simple but effective set. Connor and Fulton do not so much play their roles as inhabit them. As the spectacularly mismatched pals, they make a brilliant double act.

Anybody looking to leave their worries at the theatre door should seek out Sean and Daro without further delay. This isn’t just a plain cone – it’s served with a flake, a generous dash of sauce and extra hundreds and thousands on top.

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

02/08/23

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Those sewer-dwelling, pizza-devouring ‘heroes in a hard-shell’ return to the big screen, courtesy of Seth Rogen and his team and it’s clear from the outset that the key word here is Teenage. The word Ninja has also been reinstated – those in the UK with long memories may recall that, for a while, Hero was used as a replacement. How times change. This film only has a PG certificate but it doesn’t hold back on the violence – and clearly the message isn’t getting through. The afternoon screening I attend features quite a few parents trying to handle confused-looking children, who clearly aren’t sure what to make of what’s happening up on the big screen.

TMNT:MM begins with a pre-credit sequence explaining the origin stories of Leonardo (Nicholas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr) and Raphael (Brady Noon). They begin life as part of a disrupted science experiment, and are accidentally flushed down the drain into the sewers. (We’ve all been there.) Down in those malodorous depths they are adopted by friendly rat, Master Splinter (Jackie Chan), who is also affected by the chemicals they’ve absorbed and, like them, grows to be bigger than he should be. After a disastrous attempt to introduce his ‘family’ to human society, Splinter decides that people aren’t quite ready to embrace something so different so he keeps the foursome hidden below ground – but he does give them intensive martial arts training.

Now they are teenagers and itching to be out in the real world, where they can chase after girls and watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (it’s pretty clear what decade we’re in). When they see teenager April (Ayo Edebiri) being robbed of her scooter, they cannot stop themselves from helping her out, swinging into action and despatching a whole gang of tough customers with ease. But this starts a complex chain of events that will eventually lead to them taking on mutant master villain, Superfly (Ice Cube), who has dedicated himself to the task of eradicating human life from the face of the planet.

The first thing to say here is that the animation style is ravishing, borrowing some of its look from the Spider-Man animations, perhaps, but adding its own expressionistic dazzle into the process. Occasionally, the four heroes have the solidity of stop-frame animation characters; at other times, they are more fluid, more experimental – and there’s even a delightful childhood experience rendered as crayons on paper. Co-directors Jeff Rowe (of The Mitchells Versus the Machines) and Kyler Spears attempt to keep everything coherent and mostly succeed.

The script, written by Rogan and Evan Goldberg (in collaboration with several others), is obsessed with the horrors of puberty and never misses the opportunity to go for cheap belly laughs. (Want to see somebody puking uncontrollably? It’s here.) This occasionally feels like a bunch of older guys desperately trying to reconnect with their own teenage years and, inevitably, not all of the quips hit their targets as solidly as they might. It’s also true that some of the action sequences – particularly an extended set piece towards the film’s conclusion – are a little muddled at times. Who’s hitting who? With what? And… why?

Reservations aside, I have a lot of fun with this, despite the fact that I’m not a former Turtles fan and barely gave them a glance back in the 80s. It has some interesting points to make about inclusivity but it doesn’t hammer me over the head with them. However, those looking to entertain little ‘uns in the school break should be warned: unless you want to explain a giant rat snogging an enormous cockroach, this may not be the film you’re looking for. Just saying.

Oh yes, stay in your seats for the post-credit bit, which seems to suggest a follow-up is in the works.

3.7 stars

Philip Caveney

Talk To Me

29/07/23

Cineworld, Edinburgh

So which other film is prepared to stick its head above the parapet in week two of Barbenheimer? Come on, who thinks they’re hard enough?

Talk To Me, the debut feature of former YouTubers Danny and Michael Philipouhails, hails from Australia, where presumably they’re so fearless they don’t give a damn about the opposition. It starts like most generic teen-terror flicks, but promptly ventures to some unexpected places, pushing its 15 certificate about as far as it can in the process.

The film starts with a short sharp shock: something bad happens at a party. We’re not really given much explanation for it, but that comes later. First, we’re introduced to Mia (Sophie Wilde), who after her mother’s suicide, is feeling disconnected from her father, Max (Marcus Johnson). She’s consequently spending a lot of her time with her best mate, Jade (Alexandra Jensen), and her younger brother, Riley (Joe Bird), watched over by Jade’s mother, Sue (Miranda Otto). The two girls keep seeing some weird footage online posted by a couple of mutual friends, scenes of people seemingly ‘possessed’ at parties and going berserk. Being teenagers, they can’t resist giving it a whirl themselves and, when Riley asks if he can go along, they reluctantly agree.

Soon enough, the three of them are at the party, where Jess (Chris Alosio) and Hayley (Zoe Terakes) bring out a stone hand they’ve ‘acquired.’ One of the guests is invited to take a firm grip of it and say three words (the clue’s in the title), whereupon something rather creepy is sure to ensue.

And of course, Mia volunteers to go first….

That’s all I have to say about the plot, except that it feels like a parable about drugs: how people might be tempted to try them out of curiosity and then decide that they want just one more hit – and how that compulsion might lead them to some very dark places. Those of a squeamish nature should be warned that, as well as enduring psychological damage, some of the characters are subjected to wince-making physical injuries, so this is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The sense of mounting dread is there from the beginning and steadily cranks up as the film progresses, but the weird happenings are never allowed to get too silly, or too unbelievable.

Talk To Me keeps me hooked right to the end and sends me out thinking about what I’ve just witnessed. Co-written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, the story is based on a concept by er… ten other people, which means, I think, that it was created collaboratively.

It’s a wonder it’s turned out as smoothly as it has but, if you enjoy a decent fright film, this offering should fit the bill nicely.

4.1 stars

Philip Caveney

The 1902 Bar & Grill, Dunmuir Hotel

23/07/23

Newhouse Terrace, Dunbar

We’re meeting up with a couple friends in Dunbar and they’ve booked the four of us in for lunch at The 1902 Bar and Grill, a pleasant dining space in the Dunmuir Hotel, a short walk from where they live. It’s Sunday afternoon and the place is pleasantly busy. The 1902 offers traditional food with a contemporary twist and we’re warned that, since everything is cooked to order, there might be a bit of a wait, so we settle happily down to chat.

We eschew the idea of starters – though they do look pretty enticing – and, as one of the offerings on the menu is a Sunday roast, both Susan and one of our companions decide to go for that. It arrives looking pretty glorious, a generous helping of rare beef accompanied by all the trimmings: roast potatoes, creamed leeks, carrots, broccoli, horseradish sauce and a huge crispy Yorkshire pudding. I have opted for rump of lamb and this too is pretty unctuous, succulent chunks of rare meat accompanied by broccoli, heritage carrots, creamed leeks (again), a nicely-done fondant potato and a delicious haggis bon bon. There’s also a jug of red wine jus, which is quite simply delicious. Meanwhile, our other companion is tucking into a splendid slice of seared halibut, which comes with a dollop of caviar and half a dozen mussels on a bed of mixed vegetables. He pronounces it ‘delightful’ and makes very short work of it.

One of the advantages of skipping the starter is, of course, the fact that we’ve got plenty of room for pudding and The 1902 offers a tempting selection. Susan chooses the strawberry custard tart, which is as pretty as a picture and happily tastes every bit as good as it looks. I’ve been unable to resist an old favourite, sticky toffee pudding, though this version is made with banana, an inspired addition, which adds an extra kick of sweetness to the dish. (As if it needs extra sweetness – but I’m not complaining!) Both puddings come with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and both are consumed to the last crumb.

I can’t fault anything we have; everything is perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. Should you find yourself in Dunbar in the near future, this charming bar and grill is well worth seeking out.

4.5 stars

Philip Caveney

Oppenheimer

22/07/23

Cineworld, Edinburgh

What do you do the day after you’ve seen Barbie? You watch Oppenheimer, of course, because some bright spark has decided that, as these two completely disparate films share the same release date, they shall henceforth be known as Barbenheimer. Well, fair enough. I’m just pleased to see the cinemas bustling again, which at least gives me some hope for their future. And I have the sense to see the films over two days, rather than as a bizarre double-bill.

Where Barbie was lighthearted and vivacious, Oppenheimer is deadly serious stuff, a biopic of the man who gave humanity the atomic bomb, along with the distinct possibility of destroying the planet we inhabit. Furthermore, with a running time of three hours, it’s clear that director Christopher Nolan wants us to ponder the titular character’s life in some considerable detail.

Nolan – still smarting, no doubt – from the underwhelming critical response for his previous offering, Tenet, has pulled out all the stops here, choosing to shoot the film using IMAX cameras. This at first seems an odd decision for a film where men in suits talk about physics but Nolan constantly cuts away to dazzling optical displays of nuclear fission, fizzing and popping like surreal fireworks, and there are impressive recreations of Los Alamos in New Mexico.

Ludwig Göransson’s score also impresses though it occasionally underpins some quite complicated dialogue (just as it did in Tenet) and I find myself wishing it would pipe down a bit. Just saying.

Cillian Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer with considerable presence, managing to portray him convincingly at various stages of his life, from wide-eyed young student of physics to embittered elder statesman. Emily Blunt is quietly impressive as his wife, Kitty, and Robert Downey Junior is delightfully devious as Lewis Strauss, the man who sets Oppenheimer on the path to his ultimate destiny. The film boasts a massive cast that positively bristles with A listers, so many it feels pointless to mention them all – but I’ll make an exception for the assured performance of Matt Damon as Lt General Leslie Groves, the man who appointed Oppenheimer to oversee the Manhattan Project.

The screenplay, written by Nolan, sweeps confidently backwards and forwards through Oppenheimer’s chronology, never confusing and constantly throwing out disturbing questions about the nature of mankind’s eternal hubris. The potential danger that the complicated science might be hard to follow is not allowed to become a problem.

Ultimately, the central character emerges as a martyr, a brilliant man encouraged and seduced by the powers that be, then rejected and used as their scapegoat. Murphy’s chiselled features seem to stare out of that giant screen as if appealing for understanding for the torture he’s going through, the awful weight of responsibility resting on those narrow shoulders. I know little about Oppenheimer before I see this film and am now fascinated to learn more.

Oppenheimer keeps me hooked throughout and sometimes does the near impossible, creating suspense for an event I already know the outcome of. While this doesn’t quite measure up to Nolan’s finest work, it’s nonetheless an impressive film that deserves the plaudits it’s receiving.

And if it isn’t quite as assured as it’s shocking pink stablemate, well, this is a much tougher tale to tell… and a harder one to stomach.

4.4 stars

Philip Caveney

Barbie

21/07/23

Cineworld, Edinburgh

I was never much of a Barbie girl. In 1970s Britain, Sindy was the gal du jour, although I didn’t play with my Nurse version of her very often. Despite my indifference, the original grown-up doll – brainchild of Ruth Handler, played here by Rhea Perlman – has more than endured, securing herself a place in the cultural fabric of the western world, at once an impossible ideal and an inspiration, a symbol of toxic beauty standards and glass-ceiling-busting possibility. Barbie’s dilated body, with its uneven weight distribution, might mean that she can’t really support her head and that walking upright is near impossible, but hey, she’s a dentist, an astronaut, a mermaid – even a freakin’ president. Little girls can project a lot more onto her than they ever could onto a Tiny Tears.

And who else but Greta Gerwig could harness this wonderful contradiction and turn it into a pink-fuelled picture, as fierce and funny as it is feminist? This is a clever, sassy, two-hour romp of a movie – and, despite the relentless hype that’s preceded it, it doesn’t disappoint.

Margot Robbie’s ‘Stereotypical Barbie’ is the standard edition, the one we all think of first when we hear those two bilabial plosives. She was clearly born for the role, not just because of her particular brand of gorgeousness, but because she’s got the acting chops as well, imbuing the plastic goddess with humour, strength and vulnerability.

At first, it’s business as usual in Barbieland: the sun is shining, the beach is calling, and every night is girls’ night, with all the many iterations of Barbie just hanging out and having fun. The only doll who’s even slightly unhappy is Ken (Ryan Gosling), who’d love to spend the night with his girlfriend, even though he’s not sure why or what they’d do to pass the time. But then, out of nowhere, Barbie starts to think dark thoughts. What’s happening? Are those… tears? Before she knows it, she’s off to the Real World on what she assumes will be a simple mission to put things right. After all, she’s Barbie, isn’t she? There’s nothing she can’t achieve…

Gerwig doesn’t just walk the thin line between celebrating and critiquing Barbie: she jumps up and down on it, turning somersaults and waving cheekily. “If you love Barbie, this movie’s for you,” says the trailer. “If you hate Barbie, this movie’s for you.” It’s true.

Gosling and Robbie are both excellent comic actors, and the script – by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach – is whip smart, providing plenty of laughter as well as food for thought. The supporting cast are very good too, especially Kate McKinnon as punky outsider ‘Weird Barbie’ and America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt as Real World mother and daughter duo, Gloria and Sasha. Helen Mirren voices the omniscient narrator, who adds to the arch knowingness of the film, which – to my mind – is no bad thing. The choreography is as bold and vivid as any Barbie girl could wish (although perhaps the Ken dance routine overstays its welcome), but it’s the costumes and set that really linger in the memory, a series of candy floss confections, liberally dusted with glitter.

The showing we’re at is pleasingly busy, even though it’s 10 o’clock on a Friday morning. There are lots of families here, as well as couples, groups of women, and plenty of people on their own. It really is for everyone. So come on Barbie, let’s go party: dig out whatever pink stuff you have lurking in your wardrobe, and head on down to your nearest cinema.

4.6 stars

Susan Singfield

Wham!

13/07/23

Netflix

This will surprise a lot of people but Wham! were not really one of the bands I followed back in their heyday. Oh, I was aware of them – indeed, it was hard to miss them in the four years of the 1980s that marked their meteoric rise to stardom and their unexpected demise.

This account, cleverly assembled from a mixture of archive footage, Top of the Pops appearances and the many scrapbooks collated by Andrew Ridgeley’s mum, has been herded into shape by director Chris Smith and the result makes for entertaining – and occasionally thought-provoking – viewing.

This is the story of two young schoolkids, the aforementioned Andrew and his best pal Georgios Kyriacos Panayioto (a name that would soon be changed to George Michael). The boys got into all the usual childhood scrapes but also developed a determination to be pop stars, an ambition led by Andrew and ably supported by George. Together they wrote some songs. We get to hear the originals, recorded on cassette tapes and, while they’re rough and ready, there’s already the spark of a hummable melody in there. Now all they need is a record company…

When Wham Rap! first hit the scene in 1982, it didn’t exactly set the charts alight – but the boys’ determination knew no bounds and it wasn’t long before the duo were toothily gracing every teen pop magazine in existence. They also drafted in backing singers Dee C. Lee (later replaced by Pepsi) and Shirley to broaden their appeal and, together, the four of them made a series of exhausting public appearances at clubs up and down the UK. And, as each of those early songs was given a thorough reworking and some decent production values, the hits began to flow like honey.

But as we’re watching, something quickly becomes apparent. One of the duo has a talent that easily outpaces the other. A talent for songwriting, performing and producing. And there can really only be one logical conclusion…

What connects most powerfully in this true account of male friendship, is that Andrew has to be one of the most benign and forgiving human beings in history, willing to grant his best friend artistic freedom, even if it means turning his back on the megastardom he’s enjoying himself. There are plenty of people willing to criticise George for some of the things that happened to him after he went solo, but Andrew isn’t one of them. Having led his friend into the limelight, he doesn’t hesitate to set him free. We could all do with learning that lesson.

Wham! wisely concerns itself with the years 1982 to 1986, finishing up with the band’s massive farewell tour. There were plenty of other successes awaiting George Michael further down the line – and some much darker times too – but this film doesn’t go there. What’s on the screen is cheering, celebratory and occasionally heartwarming stuff, which – of course – only makes the ensuing tragedy all the more heartbreaking. It surprises me to admit that this documentary makes me appreciate the band more than I ever did when they were at the height of their success.

You don’t have to be a Wham! fan to enjoy this extraordinary true story but, that said, if you happen to be one anyway, then it’s win-win.

4 stars

Philip Caveney

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

10/07/23

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Most long-running movie franchises start strong and steadily run out of steam. The Mission Impossible series, however, seems to be running in reverse. It kicked off way back in 1996 (inspired by Bruce Gellar’s groundbreaking 1960s TV series). Even with seasoned director Brian De Palma at the helm, the results were sort of so-so. Each successive film tried a new director with similar results and it wasn’t until Christopher McQuarrie came aboard for 2015’s Rogue Nation that the gears finally began to mesh. Indeed, 2018’s Fallout was an adrenalin-fuelled, five-star smash and I really didn’t see how McQuarrie and everybody’s favourite Sandi Toksvig-lookalike, Tom Cruise, could ever hope to reach such stratospheric heights again.

My doubts are reinforced when it’s revealed that Dead Reckoning is only Part One of a story. While I understand that films continually strive for ‘bigger’, if a tale cannot be fully encapsulated within the confines of a 163 minute running-time, then surely something is amiss?

But I’m happy to report that I’m wrong on this score. The latest instalment might not be the perfectly-crafted beast that was its predecessor, but it nonetheless runs a pretty close second.

This time around, the antagonist is not a person so much as a thing: an AI creation known as The Entity. (Brilliant timing on this, I have to say, with everyone and his dog looking at ChatGPT and predicting imminent doom.) When we first witness The Entity’s powers, it is taking out a Soviet nuclear submarine and pushing the world to the brink of destruction, so it’s pretty clear that Ethan Hunt and his merry crew are going to have their work cut out to bring this mission to a satisfactory conclusion.

Said merry crew includes old hands, Luther (Ving James), Benji (Simon Pegg) and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), and there’s also new recruit, Grace (Hayley Atwell), a talented pickpocket but – as it transpires – a pretty average driver. The boo-hiss brigade features the return of The White Witch (Vanessa Kirby), who is as smirkingly horrible as ever. The McGuffin this time around is a pair of interlocking keys, which have somehow become separated from each other. When combined, they will grant the possessor access to the sunken submarine where The Entity is currently housed. But the AI has a human ambassador called Gabriel (Esai Morales), who is accompanied everywhere by his enigmatic hit-woman, Paris (Pom Klementieff, without her Guardians of the Galaxy antennae). This formidable duo will go to any lengths to thwart Ethan.

Meanwhile, Hunt’s employer, Kittridge (Henry Czerny), continues to be as fiendish and unpredictable as the villains he’s supposedly trying to defeat. Which side is he on, anyway? I’m still not entirely sure.

As ever, the extremely complex plot is mostly an excuse to link together a whole smorgasbord of action set-pieces, which somehow manage to feel fresh and innovative, no matter how mundane they sound when listed: car chases and countdowns, punch-ups and explosions, mix-ups and murders – and, of course, Tom Cruise running across a variety of landscapes like Mo Farrah on poppers. All the usual suspects are here for your delectation and, it must be said, they are brilliantly executed. A final confrontation aboard an out-of-control Orient Express racks up the tension to such an unbearable degree, I’m virtually chewing my own fingers off.

And then…. Lalo Schifrin’s immortal theme music kicks in, the credits roll and, against all expectations, I find I’m still up for another instalment. Honestly, I can’t wait. Except I’ll have to. Dead Reckoning Part Two is currently scheduled for June 2024 and I’ll be one of the first in the queue – assuming AI hasn’t taken over mankind by then and turned us all into human kitty litter.

Just saying.

4.8 stars

Philip Caveney

Nimona

30/06/23

Netflix

Nimona is clearly a film with a charmed life. Originally set up as a Disney+ release, the production found itself summarily dismissed even as it neared completion. Perhaps a story with a unapologetically gay hero and his gender (and species) fluid sidekick made the House of Mouse a tad too nervous for comfort. Happily, the production wasn’t left stranded for too long, because in stepped Anapurna and Netflix to save the day – and it’s evident why they felt this project was worth saving.

Set in a fantasy world where swords and shields happily co-exist with flat screen TVs and mobile phones, Nimona focuses on the story of Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed), an enterprising young ‘commoner’ who is offered the opportunity to become a member of the Elite Knights by Queen Valerin (Lorraine Toussaint). The monarch is looking to change a process that dates back to the founding of the order, when a heroic young woman called Gloreth saved the kingdom from a rampaging monster. But when Ballister is framed for a terrible crime, he cannot find anybody to back him up: not even his boyfriend, Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang), himself a descendent of Gloreth and everybody’s favourite young hero.

Enter Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a motormouthed shapeshifter, who has decided that Ballister could do with a little help – whether he wants it or not – and that what he needs more than anything else is a sidekick. It’s the growing relationship between these two characters that forms the true heart of this irreverent and very funny feature. Directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane , Nimona is based on a graphic novel by Nate Stevenson, and boasts an eye-catching hybrid style that treads a tricky line between 2D and hyper-realistic animation that somehow blends together with absolute authority.

Of course, there’s an allegorical subtext to what’s happening here. Nimona’s comments about never fitting comfortably into the normative world in which she’s obliged to live are telling – but, happily, I never feel like I’m being beaten around the head with the film’s message. On the contrary, I’m thoroughly entertained by what’s on the screen and constantly delighted by the clever twists the story features.

Whatever the true reasons for its cancellation, Disney’s loss is ultimately Netflix’s gain. I haven’t been so seduced by an animated feature since Across the Spider-Verse, and, if Nimona isn’t quite in that exalted league, it’s certainly not far behind it.

4.4 stars

Philip Caveney