When to fight and when to let go
LAIKA has always been a group of creatives that care deeply about atmosphere and tone in stories. Whether it was the dry, straight forward comedy of ParaNorman, or the intense fantasy of Kubo and the Two Strings, LAIKA movies never fail to capture audiences. It feels like living in a different world, if only for an hour or two. The studio’s latest film Wild Wood is no exception, but this film goes for a tone that is much more brutal and relentless. (It’s rated PG-13 for a reason, folks.)
Despite this, the movie had me fully invested in its story and characters. The morbid moments never felt off putting enough to make me feel like they were adding them just for shock value. The stakes were consistently high, but not devoid of light and levity. Let me go into a little more depth, because this movie is filled with things to talk about.
No character is wasted
What really blew me away was the amount of characters this story gives attention to, while still feeling so tightly written. The woods are filled with tons of groups with their own motivations, along with our main characters that find themselves in the thick of a pre-existing conflict. Their stories all come together without feeling contrived or crowded. This is because, the main two characters are allowed to work a pair, and as individuals. They both take very different paths, but ultimate bring the groups they meet together as they achieve their goals.
The drama feels natural
Many stories try to get you to take a side, but this story wants you to simply witness the events. Only the characters within the film are meant to have opinions and feelings about them, which lets the story flow better. The flow never comes to a halt just for the characters to preach a message. While there are clearly people out to do harm, and others who are just trying to survive, the drama between them feels inevitable instead of forced.
The themes around loss, grief, and growing up, are very well explored. Each character has a clear arc that requires them to grapple with these themes, and none of them handle them in quite the same way. The life and death situations also allow the themes to be grounded. From the beginning to the end, the messages around grieving are present, but not distracting. It never feels like the characters are trying to teach each other something. The events simple speak for themselves, and the characters react and process differently.
Closing thoughts
I have no doubt this movie will bring out people’s love for human made art and storytelling. The adventure and magic will make for a great experience, but it will also shock audiences with its brute force and passion. If there is one thing to take away from the film, it’s that protecting the art and people we still have will always be worth fighting for. Seeing this movie in theaters will definitely be one of the highlights of my year.
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