Slumberland – Movie Review
Director: Francis Lawrence
Writer: David Guion, Michael Handelman (Screenplay)
Cast
- Jason Momoa (Aquaman)
- Marlow Barkley
- Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids)
- Kyle Chandler (Argo)
- Weruche Opia
Plot: A young girl discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses dreams and flees nightmares, with the hope that she will be able to see her late father again.
Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Slumberland starts when Nemo (Barkley) loses her father Peter (Chandler), who gets lost at sea. She moves in with her estranged Uncle Philip (O’Dowd) to start a regular life. That night Nemo gets visited in her dream an outlaw named Flip (Momoa), who uses dreams to search for a treasure.
Nemo forces Flip to take her with him, as she searches for a dream of where her father will be in. Entering into a massive dream world, passing through other people’s dreams, as she deals with her own grief.
Verdict on Slumberland
Characters
Nemo is a young girl that has lived off the map in a lighthouse with her father. She has been taught life lessons until one day he is lost at sea. Nemo is forced to move in with her estranged uncle and start living a more traditional life. Only for her to get a visit in her dreams from a mysterious outlaw. She is guided through the dreams as she looks to learn to deal with the loss in her life.
Flip is a colourful outlaw that visits Nemo in her dreams. He guides her through the dream world while looking to avoid Agent Green tracking him down. Flip has been stuck in the dream world for years now, being an example of not knowing who he really is to escape.
Philip is Nemo’s uncle that has been hiding from the world, he lives alone and hasn’t been involved in her life before the incident. He is trying his best but his social skills are holding him back. Peter is Nemo’s father who has raised her alone at a lighthouse. He goes missing at sea forcing Nemo to deal with the potential of losing her father.
Performances
Marlow Barkley is great in the leading role of the movie, she has a lto to deal with. From the adventurous side to the emotional side to her character. Jason Momoa is filled with charisma for his role, he steals the scenes with his performance. Chris O’Dowd is fun too, even though his performance is held from his usual comedy levels.
Story
The story follows a young girl who loses her father. She moves in with her uncle and struggles to adjust to the new life. This sees her finding solace in her dreams with an eccentric outlaw who guides her through the dream world.
The story throws us into a fantasy world, one where it gets to show the dream world that people can create to escape life. However, it does include a serious side, one that gets to explore the emotional change in life for a young girl. The two sides of the story are held together well, giving us an enjoyable story.
Themes
Slumberland is an adventure fantasy movie. It takes us into a dream world created by Nemo and others around the world. This gets to show how people create a host of different dream sequences. It is filled with wild ideas despite the massive green screen moments.
Where to Watch: Slumberland is available to watch on Netflix now.
Final Thoughts – Slumberland is a massive fantasy dream-filled adventure balancing amazement and emotional punches.