‘Elemental’ Movie Review: An Underwhelming, Forgettable Pixar Film
Photo from Inversed
From Joe Peltzer
Devoid of the sophisticated plot we’ve come to expect from Pixar, Elemental is an underwhelming, forgettable film that introduces two delightful main characters and accomplishes nothing more.
In the film, when Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) meets Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie), she finds her beliefs about the world around her and her future challenged. At its core, Elemental is a story about forbidden love, one that we have seen time and time again, presented here without any depth or uniqueness. Ember and Wade have excellent chemistry, their characters fun and intriguing, though they never break out of the safe lanes they’re written into. Can fire be with water? The door is opened for a social analysis that could serve as an allegory for interracial relations, same-sex relations, or the like, but aside from “it won’t work,” there is no exploration. The strongest plot points have to do with paternal relationships and expectations, though again there is nothing new here. Everything is kept surface-level to the detriment of the film with the various pieces, thrown in without much context, never making much sense (the blue flame?).
The animation itself is… fine? The character designs of fire and water, and the way that they interact with their environments, is remarkable. The rest is unoriginal and uninspired with many of the characters looking familiar while the structures of Element City are simple and boring. Kids will no doubt enjoy the large palette of colors and little gags (such as Wade transferring himself into different vessels with only his eyes visible), but adults should not expect to laugh, perhaps not even once. This isn’t a typical Pixar film that appeals to the masses.
At the end of the day, I’m not quite sure what the purpose of the film is. It seems like the writers were attempting to tell a familiar story in a unique manner, but the result is a mashup of undeveloped ideas that combine for one of Pixar’s weakest products.
Elemental hits theaters on June 16th, 2023.
Rating: 2/5
