That is when shapeshifter Nimona (Chloe Grace Moretz) shows up, intent on becoming this ‘villain’’s sidekick.
Despite Ballister’s objections, he and Nimona are forced to join forces to clear his name, and save the kingdom from destruction…
One of Netflix’s latest releases, Nimona (based on the book by ND Stevenson) is another solid addition to their animated output.
It reminded me a lot of last year’s The Sea Beast in its rather radical underpinnings.
In its portrayal of a futuristic middle ages, the film is an unsubtle allegory for militarism and conformity, and every aspect of society is geared toward war:
The city is under constant surveillance, kids play warlike games; and adverts play for a cereal brand adorned with the community’s enemy, the dragon.
As with The Sea Beast, the characters ultimately learn that the whole underpinning philosophy of their society is an illusion, and it is only perpetuated to maintain the status quo for those in power.
And while the film’s central message is familiar - about not fitting into the box society has assigned you - it feels a little more specific in its real-world implications.
Nimona is constantly being questioned on their identity, while main character Ballister’s fall from grace seems to be pointing toward the difference between representation and actual systemic change.
If all that makes the movie sound heavy in tone and leaden in approach, fear not. Nimona is blessed with a chaotic, surreal sense of humour, through both the odd couple dynamic of its central duo, and the title character’s various manifestations.
The animation style is reminiscent of two-dimensional animation, with all the exaggeration and elasticity of the medium. It is not the progression of Across the Spider Verse, but it shows a refreshing aversion to the realism espoused by most computer-generated animation.
Riz Ahmed and Chloe Grace Moretz are terrific in the lead roles: Ahmed balances pathos with a comic exasperation, while Moretz feels unleashed, leaning into every one of the characters’ ever-shifting states.
Overall, Nimona is a solid kid’s movie - if it has a flaw, the ending loses a little steam by robbing all sense of finality for a setup for a franchise.
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